FACT Peer Specialist

Mental Health Resource Center•Jacksonville, FL

43d

About The Position

The FACT Program is a multi-disciplinary, clinical team which assumes responsibility for directly providing needed treatment, rehabilitation and support services to adult persons with severe and persistent mental illness promoting recovery, empowerment, self-determination and decision-making for each FACT participant. The FACT Peer Specialist has personal, practical knowledge and experiences as a recipient of mental health services and is willing to share these for the benefit of the team and the persons served by the FACT team. Provides needed peer counseling, wellness recovery, and support services to individuals served by the FACT Program in order to reduce or eliminate the need for hospitalization and to enhance their independence, autonomy and quality of life. Promotes recovery, empowerment, self-determination and decision-making for each FACT participant. Some of the responsibilities of the FACT team include providing clinical and supportive services through advocacy, crisis intervention, assessments, evaluations, treatment planning, case management and medication management. Participants are also provided with community referrals, symptom education, work-related vocational and educational services, social and interpersonal relationship training, and support for the participants’ families and care givers. Most of a FACT team member's day is spent in the community completing many of the above duties. Only about 15% of their time is spent in the office. Company vehicles are available, however members of the FACT team also need to use their personal vehicles to provide services. The FACT team operates beyond normal business hours, rotates holiday and weekend responsibilities, and rotates an emergency on-call cell phone. The Mental Health Resource Center manages 8 out of the 32 FACT programs in the state of Florida: Rockledge/Brevard, Tampa, Clearwater, Kissimmee, Winter Haven, Gainesville and two teams in Jacksonville.

Requirements

In order to be considered candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent and must have previous personal experience as a recipient of mental health services is required.
Obtain, or work towards obtaining, certification as a peer specialist within one year of employment.
Strong communication skills are essential and this individual must be able to interact appropriately with internal and external customers, including families, caregivers, community service providers, supervisory staff and other department professionals.
Each FACT team member contributes to the completeness and confidentiality of clinical records by ensuring documentation, paperwork and system entries meet internal and external guidelines for content, accuracy and timeliness.
Each member of the FACT team must meet MHRC/RBHS vehicle driver requirements, to include a valid Florida Driver's License, automobile insurance coverage equaling $200,000 and no more than eight points on their license for any combination of violations.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Programs, email, and the use of the Internet is required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Experience working with persons with severe and persistent mental illness preferred.

Responsibilities

Assists individuals served in the development of their own plans of growth and development. i.e. utilizing the Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP).
Provides peer coaching, wellness recovery, and support services in alignment with the FACT model, based on Assertive Community Treatment best practices.
Participates in daily organizational meetings.
Advocates for persons served to ensure acquisition of necessary social services to include activities of daily living, including medical, dental, legal, housing, and entitlements and documents the effectiveness of the service and the person’s satisfaction.
Works collaboratively with individuals served to identify and support linkages to community resources and trainings: educational, vocational, social, cultural, mutual self- help groups, etc., that supports the person’s chosen goals and interests.
Provides side-by-side assistance to persons served in all aspects of daily living (i.e., assist with housekeeping, budgeting, grocery shopping, etc.).
Provides recovery support services to increase an individual’s social and interpersonal activities (i.e. supportive coaching, social skills development, side-by-side coaching, planning social/leisure time activities, trauma informed care).
Assist individuals served to develop problem-solving skills so that they can respond to challenges that may arise in their recovery process.
Promote the development of self-efficacy through role-modeling strength-based recovery.