Addiction and Mental Health Worker, Peer Support, HART Hub Oxford

CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services • Woodstock, ON

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Peer support is a powerful opportunity for a person living with a mental health need and/or addiction challenge to connect with someone who has experienced a similar challenge and has gone through their own wellness and recovery journey. As an Addiction Mental Health Worker, Peer Support you will use your expertise and lived experience to bring a unique perspective to supporting a personal sense of wellness and recovery. The commonality of, “I get it. I have been there too,” can build an authentic, therapeutic rapport of empowerment and hope.

You will be part of a multidisciplinary team, supporting peers working towards wellness, using your own lived experience to facilitate groups and provide individualized support, both on-site at the Oxford Wellness Centre, or in the greater community.

This position will also provide support to other HART Hub sites within Oxford County, as needed. These programs provide care under the Terms & Conditions outlined by the Ministry of Health for Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub care providers.

Requirements

• Secondary School diploma (primary proof of credentials will be required during the hiring process i.e. original degree/diploma or official transcript)
• Lived experience of substance use, treatment/rehabilitation and recovery, and maintenance of recovery
• Experience providing Peer Support in a staff, volunteer, and/or intern capacity
• Ability to model wellness to peers and share lived experiences
• A willingness to share one’s own personal journey, for the purpose of assisting peers in their recovery
• Valid G class driver’s licence
• Access to a vehicle required for personal transportation
• Transportation of clients in personal vehicle required; minimum $2 million dollar liability insurance required
• Current, satisfactory Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC)
• Demonstrated ability to attend work regularly

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual both official languages, preferred; une préférence sera accordée aux personnes possédant des compétences dans les deux langues officielles du Canada
• Completed peer support training, education, or certification through Peer Support Canada, PeerWorks, Support House, etc., or equivalent
• Training in wellness and recovery interventions
• Successful completion of Level 1 of the OPDI certification is an asset
• Completion of the WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Planning) program or a willingness to participate in the program
• Training in SafeTALK, ASIST (Applied Suicide Interventions Skills and Training), or Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale
• Current First Aid and CPR certification
• Mental Health First Aid

Responsibilities

• Meet and engage peers “where they are at”
• Extend unconditional high regard to peers at every point in the journey
• Uphold the rights of peers to have their voices heard and valued
• Treat peers with respect, and expect respect in return; support mutually-beneficial relationships
• Support peers to continue in their wellness journey, regardless of their diagnostic criteria and status
• Realize that relating based on shared/similar experience is unparalleled in terms of therapeutic value
• Recognize that peer supports have a different level of empathy than those without lived experience
• Able to intentionally share aspects of one’s own story/experience, and able to show a level of vulnerability as a central component of practice
• Foster self-determination, independence and resist dependencies when working with peers
• Able to take chances by being honest and using direct communication with peers
• Utilize own lived experience (intentionally sharing own path to wellness and self-discovery as well as knowledge of services and potential resources) to support participants in their journey
• Practice and model the values, evidence-based core competencies, and standards of practice endorsed by Peer Support Canada
• Facilitate a trauma-and-violence-informed, strengths-based approach to care that emphasizes the importance of hope, self-determination, and empowerment
• Maintain healthy boundaries within the supportive, collaborative peer working relationship
• Facilitate one on one and social/support/life skills groups based on recovery and wellness principles for participants in hospital and in community
• Provide active, supportive listening and assistance with wellness planning, including support with advocacy as needed
• Identify and respond to the concerns of peers experiencing mental illness, substance abuse, trauma and/or homelessness
• Assist peers to connect to other community resources through experiential knowledge
• Ensure groups provide a safe and accepting space where peers can gather to support themselves and each other in a mutually beneficial way
• Ensure OPOC satisfaction survey is completed by peers; assist as necessary
• Engage in limited assessment, using the least harmful and non-stigmatizing language, and complete in collaboration with the peer
• Provide collaborative support to Community Wellness Programs and other teams within the organization which interact with Peer Support, including through Thrive Institute (CMHA TVAMHS’s recovery college)
• Be an active contributor to the Peer Support program and work collaboratively with other teams, community partners and other stakeholders
• Report on program progress through effective communication with other team members
• Keep up-to-date on peer support-related topics and evidence-based practices
• Be a resource on language used by peers that may be unfamiliar to the rest of the team

Benefits

• Starting rate for this role is $27.14 per hour (Level 1 – Direct Service), with a wage differential, based on regulation ($30.01 per hour for Level 1 – Direct Service, Regulated)
• Successful candidates who are registered with one of the designated professional colleges (e.g. OCSWSSW, CNO, COTO, CRPO, CPSO, or CPO) will receive the wage differential for regulation
• Successful external applicants will start at Level 1, with grid progression based on seniority up to Level 8 ($34.41 per hour for non-regulated, and $37.26 per hour for regulated); for internal applicants, grid level placement will occur as per the Collective Agreement
• 70 hours over two-week period, rotating days, afternoons, evenings and weekends
• Immediate eligible for optional enrollment in the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP)
• 9% in lieu of benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED