Description

Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist

$21.00 - $23.00 per hour

Imperial Beach Community Clinic will promote a healthy community by providing quality health care and resources, with a focus on the underserved. Our mission has been to provide high-quality medical care for all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay. Our team considers your overall health, preferences, and experiences as we create a treatment plan that is right for you. Our doctors enjoy getting to know patients and their families and appreciate the support that comes from having lab, nutrition, and behavioral specialists on-site. More importantly, our friendly Spanish speaking staff know their primary task is to make you feel comfortable and understood in every step of your healthcare journey.

We fulfill this mission through:

• Improving access to primary health care for residents of South Bay

• Employing skilled professionals committed to providing quality healthcare services and addressing current health needs

• Serving the community with compassion and respect while maintaining confidentiality

• Collaborating with other health care providers and organizations

• Providing a medical home to the "at-risk" population

The Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist (PSS) is an active member of the Collaborative Care team, including patients’ medical provider, psychiatric consultant, and other behavioral health providers in the primary care clinic. The PSS provides peer support services to clients with behavioral health and substance use issues. Under the supervision of the Behavioral Health Director the PSS will function as a role model to peers by exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills. They will serve as a consumer advocate, providing consumer information and peer support for clients in an integrated primary care/behavioral health outpatient setting. The PSS performs a wide range of tasks to assist peers of all ages regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery process. The peer support specialist will help with the timely tracking of patient outcomes and PHQ-9 registry to meet goals of each patient’s individualized care plan. Respect for clients is a core value, and our staff members work closely with all clients to develop individualized plans that are short- term, strength-based, and trauma sensitive.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist clients in articulating personal goals for recovery using one-to-one and SMART group sessions. During these sessions the PSS will support clients in identifying and creating goals and developing recovery plans with the skills, strengths, supports and resources to aid them in achieving those goals
• Assist clients in working with care manager and/or treatment team in determining the steps they need to take in order to achieve these goals and self-directed recovery.
• Assist in the collection and performance measures, including, but not limited to SPARS via SAMHSA, AIMS Case Load Tracker, and Social Determinants of Health (SDoH)
• Facilitate SMART Recovery meetings
• PSS will use evidence-based tools to help patients identify their own barriers to recovery
• Actively collaborate and build relationships with community agencies, i.e., hospitals, emergency rooms, shelters, law enforcement agencies, wellness recovery centers, faith organizations, and LGBT centers
• Must enjoy working with individuals struggling with substance use disorders, homelessness, and severe mental illness
• Independently or with support of treatment team members, utilize and teach problem solving techniques with individuals or groups. When appropriate the PSS will share their own recovery story and demonstrate how they have directed their own recovery.

Utilizing their own recovery experience, the PSS will:

• Teach and role model the value of every individual’s recovery experience
• Assist the patient in obtaining services that suit that individual’s recovery needs by acknowledging SDoH that might be impacting their recovery. Inform patients about community and safety net programs and how to use these in their recovery process.
• With the assistance of the Lead Care Manager and the Clinical Care Manager, the PSS will work with the client and other treatment team members to develop a treatment/recovery plan based on each client’s identified goals.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED
• Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required
• Consumer of Mental Health Services; Persons with a history of being consumer or individual lived experience (i.e., living with a relative, significant other, or other support person who is consumer of mental health services
• Able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Ability to work independently as a collaborative member of a team
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
• Bilingual: English and Spanish
• Peer Specialist Certification preferred or must complete the Peer Support Specialist Training and Certification within 6 months of hire