Peer Advocate

South Coast Children's Society•Upland, CA

About The Position

South Coast Community Services is hiring a Peer Advocate (PA) to provide rehabilitation and case management services based on clients’ assessed needs. The PA serves as a mentor, offering guidance, empathy, and hope informed by personal lived experience. The role supplements therapeutic goals established with the client’s clinician and may include supporting socialization, practicing coping skills and grounding techniques, and developing other skills identified in the treatment plan. This is a community-based position, with approximately 50% of the PA’s time spent traveling. The General Mental Health (GMH) program is clinic-based and primarily serves Tier III adults with persistent and significant mental health impairments across multiple areas of functioning. The program aims to stabilize clients and, when appropriate, transition them to lower levels of service. Its approach emphasizes mental health recovery, wellness, and resilience, supporting people in living healthy, satisfying, and hopeful lives according to their values and cultural frameworks, despite limitations or ongoing effects of mental illness. The position requires one of the specified education and experience pathways, personal lived experience with mental health or substance use recovery, and a valid California driver’s license with proof of automobile insurance. CPR/First Aid/ProACT certification must be completed within the first 30 days of employment. The role also involves documentation, coordination with clinicians, crisis and safety planning, community travel, and collaboration with clients, families, caregivers, and multidisciplinary teams.

Requirements

Meet one education option: 30 semester (45 quarter) units of completed college coursework in behavioral or social science; or 60 semester (90 quarter) units of completed coursework, including 15 semester (23 quarter) units in behavioral science. Psych Tech courses and Alcohol and Drug Certification courses are acceptable.
Meet one experience option: one year providing mental health services, including interviewing and referring clients and performing crisis intervention; or three years in a behavioral health department involving direct client contact; or, for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science, six months of experience as described in the first experience option or completion of a paid formal internship in the County of San Bernardino Department of Behavioral Health Social Work Intern Program.
Have personal lived experience with mental health or substance use recovery to guide, inspire, and support others facing similar challenges.
For Tier II: high school diploma/GED plus two years of related work experience, or an associate degree.
For Tier III: high school diploma/GED plus four years of related experience; or an associate degree plus two years of related work experience; or Certified Peer Specialist.
For Tier IV: high school diploma/GED plus six years of related experience; or an associate degree plus four years of related experience; or Certified Peer Specialist plus two years of experience.
Valid California driver’s license and proof of automobile insurance.
Complete CPR/First Aid/ProACT certification within the first 30 days of employment.
Ability to drive a motor vehicle without restrictions, including in heavy traffic and over frequent long distances, and safely transport clients to appointments as needed.
Sufficient vision, hearing, and smell to operate a motor vehicle, identify environmental threats or risks to clients, and work safely in the field.
Ability to occasionally lift and carry 10–20 pounds; regularly sit, stand, climb stairs, walk during travel and visits, and sit and use a computer in office settings.
Meet expectations in service delivery, crisis intervention and safety planning, productivity and service billing, attendance and reliability, collaboration and teamwork, interpersonal communication, quality of care, accuracy and quality improvement, efficiency and time management, cultural competency, professional development, and alignment with SCCS principles and values.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual Spanish is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide services that restore, maintain, or teach skills to help clients improve or replace problematic behaviors.
Work with clients to identify and implement resources.
Facilitate opportunities for clients to learn skills identified in their treatment plans.
Model and role-play scenarios so clients can practice learned skills and reduce functional impairments.
Provide culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, strength-based support.
Support clients’ self-care skills through individual meetings and group sessions, incorporating insights from lived experience.
Advocate within organizations and systems for policies and practices that honor clients’ voices, visions, and lived experiences, and recognize them as equal partners in their care.
Travel in the community to meet clients and provide resources.
Maintain proficient and accurate documentation in accordance with program and contract standards.
Coordinate with the assigned clinician to prioritize clients’ greatest needs.
Respond to crisis situations, including suicidal ideation, self-harm, and acute psychiatric symptoms, according to established safety protocols and access appropriate resources.
Participate as needed in implementing safety plans with clients, their support systems, and the treatment team.
Meet monthly program productivity expectations and service-billing requirements.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and communicate with clients’ families and caregivers as appropriate.
Submit accurate and complete progress notes and other documentation within three days, and crisis notes within 24 hours; use collaborative documentation with clients regularly.
Participate in required and voluntary training and quality-improvement activities.
Learn and correctly use Bells AI and its features for progress-note completion.
Maintain dependable and punctual attendance and adjust work schedules to accommodate program needs.