Peer Advocate

SOUTH COAST COMMUNITY SERVICES•Upland, CA

16h•$22 - $26

About The Position

South Coast Community Services is hiring a Peer Advocate (PA) to provide rehabilitation and case management services based on clients’ needs identified during assessment. The PA serves as a mentor, offering guidance, empathy, and hope informed by personal lived experience. This supplementary service supports therapeutic goals established with the client’s clinician and may involve socialization, practicing coping skills and grounding techniques, and other skills identified in the treatment plan. The position is community based, and the PA travels about 50% of the time. The role is within General Mental Health (GMH), a clinic-based program serving primarily Tier III adults with persistent and significant mental health impairments across multiple areas of functioning. GMH seeks to stabilize clients and, when appropriate, transition them to lower levels of service. The program uses a Mental Health Recovery, Wellness, and Resilience approach to support people in living healthy, satisfying, and hopeful lives according to their own values and cultural framework, despite limitations or ongoing effects of mental illness. The PA supports clients in building skills, identifying and implementing resources, and developing self-care practices. The role includes community travel to meet clients and provide resources, coordination with assigned clinicians, crisis and safety-planning support as needed, and accurate documentation that meets program and contract standards. Staff are expected to work from a trauma-informed, strength-based, and culturally sensitive perspective and to advocate for clients’ voices and lived experience in organizations and systems.

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 college 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, with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science, six months of experience described in the first option or completion of a paid formal internship in the County of San Bernardino Department of Behavioral Health Social Work Intern Program.
Tier II qualification: high school diploma/GED plus two years of related work experience, or an AA degree.
Tier III qualification: high school diploma/GED plus four years of related experience; or an AA degree plus two years of related work experience; or Certified Peer Specialist.
Tier IV qualification: high school diploma/GED plus six years of related experience; or an AA 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, and ProACT certification within the first 30 days of employment.
Ability to drive a motor vehicle without restrictions, including in heavy traffic and for frequent long distances, and to safely transport clients to appointments as needed.
Ability to meet the position’s physical requirements, including occasional lifting and carrying of 10–20 pounds; sitting, standing, climbing stairs, walking, and using a computer.
Ability to maintain accurate and timely documentation, including progress notes within three days and crisis notes within 24 hours.
Ability to work collaboratively, communicate clearly and respectfully, manage time and priorities, and demonstrate cultural competency and reliability.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual Spanish is strongly preferred.
Personal lived experience with mental health or substance use recovery to guide, inspire, and support others facing similar challenges.

Responsibilities

Provide services that restore, maintain, or teach skills to 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.
Respect clients’ cultures, values, and beliefs, and use a trauma-informed, strength-based perspective.
Support the development of effective self-care skills through individual meetings and group sessions, sharing insights from lived experience.
Advocate within organizations and systems for policies and practices that honor clients’ voices, visions, and lived experience and recognize them as equal partners in 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 assigned clinicians to prioritize clients’ greatest needs.
Handle crisis situations, including suicidal ideation, self-harm, and acute psychiatric symptoms, by following safety protocols and accessing appropriate resources.
Participate as needed in implementing safety plans with clients, their support systems, and the treatment team.
Meet monthly program productivity expectations.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively with clients’ families and caregivers as appropriate.
Complete accurate and timely documentation, use collaborative documentation with clients regularly, and participate in quality-improvement activities and required or voluntary training.