Peer Support specialist

Qualifications

Peer Support must be delivered by individuals -Whom are Certified as a Peer Support Specialist by NC Peer Support Certification Guidelines under BHRP (Behavioral Health Resource Plan, School of Social Work, UNC Chapel Hill). AND - who have the life experience of being diagnosed with a serious mental illness or substance use disorder AND - Self identify as an individual with life experience of being diagnosed with a serious mental illness or substance use disorder which meets Federal Definitions and are well established in their own recovery; and Are currently in recovery and are stable and Have a high school diploma or GED equivalency, - Is 18 years of age or older with the ability to read, write and understand how to follow instructions AND - Has no violent criminal record or substantiated findings of abuse or neglect listed on the North Carolina Health Care Personnel Registry

Major Responsibilities

1. Self Help: Cultivating the individual’s ability to make informed, independent choices. Helping the individual develop a network of contacts for information and support based on experience of the Peer Support staff.

2. System Advocacy: Assisting the individual to talk about what it means to have a mental illness to an audience or group. Assisting the individual with writing a letter or making a telephone call about an issue related to mental illness or recovery.

3. Individual Advocacy: Discussing concerns about medication with the Physician or Nurse at the individual’s request. Helping the individual make appointments for psychiatric and general medical treatment when requested. Guiding the individual toward a proactive role in health care.

4. Pre-Crisis and Post Crisis Support: Assisting the individual with the development of a personal crisis plan, and/or a Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD). This includes help in developing the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). Giving feedback to the individual on early signs of relapse and how to request help to prevent a crisis. Assisting the individual in learning how to use the crisis plan.

5. Supporting the individual in seeking less restrictive alternatives to locked hospital facilities and Emergency Department evaluations.

6. Housing: Assisting the individual with learning how to maintain stable housing through bill paying, cleaning, and organizing his or her belongings. Assisting the individual in locating improved housing situations. Teaching the individual to identify and prepare healthy foods according to cultural and personal preferences of the individual and his/her medical needs.

7. Education/Employment: Assisting the individual in gaining information about going back to school or job training. Facilitating the process of asking an employer for reasonable accommodation for psychiatric disability (mental health day, flex time, etc).

8. Meals and Social Activities: To build peer relationships where eating is not the core activity offered.

9. Assist and support people to realize their goals and attain personal outcomes.

10. Assist and support people to develop and/or maintain a social support network.

11. Assist and support people to maintain or re-establish their family connections.

12. Assist and support people to maintain their home.

13. Assist and support people to maintain their health and well-being.

14. Assist and support people to utilize their community and its resources.

15. Assist and support people to direct their services and make informed choices in all aspects of their life.

16. Assist and support people to have a safe environment in which to live and work, free of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

17. To be an Advocate for people with disabilities and to teach members of the community to treat people we support with dignity and respect by modeling positive attitudes and with respectful communication and interactions.

General Responsibilities

1. Provide one on one interventions for your personal caseload and ensure face to face interventions for assigned caseload. Facilitate New Client Orientation to team members you assign new consumers to their caseload.

2. Obtain consumer signature on accountability log daily at the end of each session.

3. Complete daily progress note and enter it into the EHR system within 24 hours of service for each person served/supported.

4. Electronically Sign documentation locked notes within 24 hours of note being locked in the EHR system.

5. Submit time summary biweekly with a daily progress note and accountability log for each billable service entry/date of service and duration of service documented on the time summary. (All time must be submitted to HR by team lead by 12:00 noon.)

6. Ensure productivity (35 billable hours full time staff & 15 billable hours part time staff).

7. Ensure consumers on Team are attending PS Group and they have Therapy weekly/bi-weekly.

8. Administer therapeutic interventions (i.e. modeling, behavior modification, behavior rehearsal) for the development of interpersonal skills, community coping skills and independent living skills that aid in the development of therapeutic consumer symptom monitoring and management.

9. Provide consumer psycho-education and support.

10. Coordinate services across levels of care including initial referrals, scheduling and attending appointments, attending meetings, properly completing required paperwork reviewing documentation and reporting concerns, etc. (i.e. authorizations, target pops, nc topp, pcps, surveys, p-notes)

11. Effectively facilitate consumer access to community resources to assists consumer with developing natural supports, locating recreational activities, housing, food, clothing, school programs, vocational opportunities or services, to teach life skills and provide relevant mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services.

12. Administer interventions that emphasize personal safety, self-worth, confidence, and growth, connection to the community, boundary setting, planning, self-advocacy, personal fulfillment, and development of social supports, and effective communication skills.

13. Demonstrate supportive services to assist individuals with self-management skills and community and re-entry following hospitalization/incarceration/etc.

14. Aid individuals in the acquisition, development; and expansion of rehabilitative skills needed to move forward in recovery as evidence by assisting and supporting people to realize their goals, attain personal outcomes, and make informed choices in all aspects of their life.

15. Send out treatment non compliance letters after 2 weeks of non compliance.

16. Check your emails at least 2 times daily to provide/administer effective communication among team.

17. Attend Weekly team meetings and semiannual individual clinical supervision meetings.

18. Participate in monthly staff meetings each 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month.

19. Assess, link and coordinate resources based on clinical needs as evidence by monitoring psychiatric and addiction symptoms, medication compliance and Medical/Mental Health treatment compliance to determine clinical needs and providing appropriate clinical intervention.

20. Complete monthly progress report for the Person Centered plan development.

21. Participate in Monthly Person Centered Plan Meetings/treatment team meetings.

22. Complete PCP for all ongoing updates revisions and reviews of the PCP in addition to all authorization request.

23. Complete treatment authorization request as evidence by updating PCP, obtaining/completing the Recovery Assessment Scale, obtaining/completing monthly treatment outcomes, and updating information gathered from treatment interventions and Submit to UM 30 days prior to the current authorization end date.

24. Update/Develop Crisis Plan monthly or as needed to prevent crisis situations.

25. Support consumers in crisis situation and implement crisis plan.

26. Participate in the on-call schedule to manage and facilitate crisis interventions to assigned case load and other consumers served and supported by S&H Youth and Adult Services, Inc.

27. Attend and actively participate in ALL Quarterly/Mandatory Trainings offered by SHYAS to include clinical supervision, staff meetings and training as required to maintain current certification/license in all required training as outlined by credentialing body, agency policy and/or state and federal regulations according to discipline and service.

28. Maintain current Peer Support Certification, First Aid, CPR, Blood Borne, and Restrictive Intervention Training.