Peer Counselor - Full-time; 4411-202-N

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens•New York, NY

About The Position

Are you looking to join a dynamic team focused on providing high quality health care to communities across Brooklyn & Queens? If so, you’ve come to the right place. For over 125 years, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens and currently offers 160-plus programs and services for children, youth, adults, seniors, and those struggling with mental illness. Catholic Charities provides comprehensive care coordination and case management services to individuals living with serious mental illness, complex medical needs and substance use needs. Our Kingsborough Transition Team (Pathway Home) works with clients transitioning to the community from a higher level of care. This multi-disciplinary team addresses the preparatory needs of clients in the early stages of recovery, discharge planning, development of daily living skills, and coping mechanisms through team and individual work in the community. The team will follow individuals into the community using the Pathway Home model of care to ensure that they become both linked and engaged with identified community providers. The team delivers comprehensive, community-based services for adults living with serious mental illness, and ensures clients have access to uninterrupted and coordinated behavioral and physical health services while addressing the social determinants of health that impact daily living. The Peer Counselor will address a host of issues that impact clients directly such as housing, access to nutritious food, economic security/benefits, medication adherence, linkage with outpatient treatment providers or other community resources and social supports. This position is part of an embedded team at Kingsborough State Psychiatric Center.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED.
Experience in providing advocacy services to people who are mentally ill and/or homeless.
Past or current recipient of mental health, substance services or homeless services preferred.
History of mental illness and at least one year of symptom remission.
Knowledge of mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
Basic knowledge of treatment, rehabilitation, and community support programs as they relate to clients and their families.
Basic knowledge of techniques for identifying risk, including crisis management techniques.
Person who has developed own recovery plan and has demonstrated relatively stable and successful management of his/her recovery.
Ability to read and write in English
Knowledge of computer programs (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, & Outlook).
Able to utilize technology conferencing tools including audio, video and /or web deployed solutions and accountable for hand-held devices (I Phone, Blackberry, I Pad, Tablets, Laptops, etc.)
Good communication skills.

Nice To Haves

New York State Peer Certification preferred
Knowledge of the second language is preferred (Spanish, Russian, Creole, Cantonese).

Responsibilities

The Peer Counselor has overall day-to-day responsibility and accountability for coordinating all aspects of care for clients with complex medical and/or psychiatric co-morbid conditions and for facilitating their access to the full range of medical, behavioral health, substance use, social and psychosocial services in the community, in an efficient and effective manner.
The Peer Counselor engages clients in peer-based services to identify and overcome barriers to community integration, utilizing a peer relationship to foster connection, trust, understanding and validation with community providers and supports.
Duties of the Peer Counselor focus on providing intensive emotional and practical support to clients as they transition back into their communities and into a supportive housing living environment.
The Peer Counselor conducts home and community visits to clients, emphasizing prevention and preparing for independent community living and the promotion of optimum mental and emotional health. This may require helping clients to deal with issues associated with but not limited to family and social relationships; stress and symptom management; activities of daily living; medication management; and housing readiness.
The Peer Counselor assists in the integration of the care team to serve the client in any appropriate need-based area, including mental health, medical health, social determinants of health, substance use issues, psychosocial needs, food insecurity, housing instability and access to needed resources.
In collaboration with the clients, their family and/or caregivers, and other service providers, the Peer Counselor is responsible for assessing client need on a regular basis and developing a comprehensive, individualized person-centered care plan that is recovery-oriented and integrates the continuum of medical, behavioral health, rehabilitative, and social service needs.
The Peer Counselor is responsible for high quality care coordination services that will assist individuals in their recovery journey, keep clients well in their home and community and increase positive health outcomes.
The Peer Counselor is required to utilize technology and various web-based platforms for documenting progress notes and daily work activities. Ability to use equipment such as iPhones, tablets, Surface Pros and easily navigate various technology platforms and reporting systems is a requirement.

Benefits

We offer competitive Salary and excellent benefits including generous time off, Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement Savings with Agency Match, Transit, life insurance and other additional voluntary benefits.

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