Apalachee Center, Inc. is best known for helping individuals and families of North Florida succeed in recovering from emotional, psychiatric, and substance abuse crises. Apalachee Center, Inc. provides comprehensive behavioral health services across 8 counties (Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla Counties).

Apalachee Center, Inc. offers competitive benefits for our full-time positions to include health, dental, vision, basic life insurance, long term disability, paid time off, and more.
Overview:

A Peer Specialist uses his or her lived experience to serve as a mentor to provide support for persons with severe persistent mental illness and or substance use disorder. This role will promote hope. The role is non-clinical and does not include treatment, assessment and/or clinical evaluations of clients. It involves developing a relationship of trust that builds clients’ resilience, hope, recovery skills, and connects them to treatment services.

The CRF Peer Specialist collaborates with other CRF staff to promote a team culture that recognizes, understands, and respects each client’s point of view, experiences, and preferences. The Peer Specialist promotes client choice, self-determination, and decision making with preference of receiving facility providers and outpatient services as appropriate. Provides peer counseling, consultation, practical help and support, mentoring, advocacy, coordination, problem-solving, and side-by-side support to clients, families, and team staff; serve as liaison with community resources; and assist in crisis intervention.

ESSENTIAL/CORE JOB-SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Assist clients in working with their case manager and other clinician/prescriber in determining the steps to take to achieve the personal goals and self-directed recovery through individual and/or group setting. RS will support clients in finding and developing the recovery goals by providing skill building, based on personal strength, supports and resources to aid them in order to achieve those goals.

2. Role model’s competency in recovery, resiliency, wellness strategies and other techniques to the clients as well as coworkers and other staff. Share own personal recovery journey story to role model the value of recovery and teach clients appropriate self-advocacy to help clients sustain recovery success.

3. Serves as an advocate, mentor, or facilitator for resolution of issues that a client in crisis is unable to resolve on their own.

4.Provides education and support to clients/families presenting for crisis management to regain and maintain personal wellness and recovery.

5.Provides coaching on how to navigate the mental health/substance abuse treatment system.

Hours will vary and rate of pay is $15.00 per hour (non-certified) and will increase to $17.00 per hour when you become certified. Apalachee Center will be available to assist you with gaining certification.

• Openly identifies as a person who has lived experience of using/have used mental health services and/or substance use disorder services or programs.
• Actively engages in self-care program that promotes recovery.

Education/Experience:

• A high school diploma or its equivalent.
• Certified as a Peer Specialist or eligible to obtain Peer Specialist certification within one year of employment.
• Experience with mental illnesses and/or substance use disorder.