ACCS Peer Specialist, Part-Time, $20 352

Aspire Health and Community Services•Braintree, MA

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About The Position

Aspire Health and Community Services is hiring a part-time Peer Specialist for its Adult Community Clinical Services (ACCS) team. ACCS supports clients across the South Shore who are referred by the Department of Mental Health and need rehabilitation and recovery support. Clients live independently in apartments, family homes, shelters, or in one of Aspire Health Alliance’s staffed residences. The multidisciplinary team supports clients managing psychiatric symptoms. The Peer Specialist draws on personal experience as a consumer of mental health services to provide peer counseling, mentoring, outreach, education, encouragement, and support. The role helps clients take responsibility for and participate actively in their recovery, while advising the team from a mental health consumer perspective. The position also promotes client self-determination, combats stigma and discrimination, connects clients with consumer-led resources, and organizes social and recreational activities. The schedule is 20 hours per week: Monday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., with some possible flexibility. Compensation is listed as $20 per hour; the posting notes that compensation depends on experience, qualifications, certifications, and licenses.

Requirements

Current or previous experience as a consumer of mental health services.
High school diploma.
Peer Specialist Certification required within six months of hire.
Valid driver’s license and access to a personal vehicle.
Strong commitment to the right and ability of people with severe and persistent mental illness to live in normal community residences, work in market jobs, and access helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services.
Ability to establish supportive, trusting relationships with people with severe and persistent mental illnesses.
Respect for client rights and personal preferences in treatment.
Experience with recovery from psychiatric disabilities.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual skills and/or experience with multicultural populations.
Related training, such as certified occupational therapy assistant or home health care aide training, work experience such as teaching, and life experience.

Responsibilities

Carry out rehabilitation and support functions and assist in treatment.
Provide education, support, and consultation to families.
Provide crisis intervention under the clinical supervision of staff with professional degrees.
Provide mentoring and outreach services to ACCS clients.
Provide peer counseling and support based on shared experience, validating clients’ experiences and encouraging active participation in recovery.
Advise the team from a mental health consumer perspective about clients’ experiences with symptoms, medication effects and side effects, treatment, and recovery.
Collaborate with the team to ensure clients’ viewpoints, experiences, and preferences are recognized and respected, and to support client self-determination and decision-making in treatment planning.
Help clients identify and address stigma and discrimination related to mental illness and develop strategies to reduce self-stigma.
Help team members understand and address culture-wide stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness.
Increase awareness of consumer self-help programs and advocacy organizations and support client participation in them.
Serve as liaison between the team and consumer-run programs, including self-help groups and drop-in centers.
Organize and lead individual and group social and recreational activities to help clients structure their time, increase social experiences, and practice social skills.