Peer Specialist

Services For The Underserved, Inc.•New York, NY

3d•$45,000 - $50,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Peer Specialist role focuses on facilitating engagement with participants and families in Harlem/Bronx and surrounding communities. This involves outreach to promote awareness of S:US services, encouraging help-seeking, and bridging communication between treatment teams and participants, especially when ambivalence about substance use treatment exists. A key responsibility is combating overdose through training and distributing Naloxone kits. The role emphasizes building authentic relationships through empathy, shared experiences, and active listening. Peer Specialists are expected to understand and discuss various frameworks for life experiences like substance use and psychosis, using language that supports recovery narratives. They will advocate for program participants within the community and the team, and collaborate with participants to develop their personal visions and wellness toolkits. This includes strengthening self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting participants to external resources. Additionally, Peer Specialists aim to positively influence team culture by advocating for clients, promoting a youth-friendly approach, and encouraging recovery-oriented language, while fostering an environment that believes in human potential and diversity. Open and frequent communication with the team is essential, including reporting concerns and maintaining visit notes, with encouragement for co-creating reports with participants.

Requirements

Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (or Provisional) Certification required.
Two years of active participation in substance use/mental health self-help activities, peer support or peer advocacy programs, or participant run organizations or similar experiences or programs required.
Must possess the ability/ willingness to disclose their recovery story (where appropriate) for the purposes of empowerment.
Excellent judgment/ability to understand boundaries when working with participants of substance use/mental health services is required.
Adhere to on call cell phone system to facilitate crisis intervention, emergencies and other situations that require immediate action.
Significant travel to engage clients at shelters, in their community and other settings is required; 75%.

Nice To Haves

Ideally the Peer Specialist is a young adult or that the candidate relates well to young people.
The Peer Specialist should have an understanding of the community in which the team is based with an awareness of available community resources.
The Peer Specialist should also be someone who has made positive and productive progress toward his or her own recovery.
Demonstrate good interpersonal communications skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to and effectively work with participants of mental health services.

Responsibilities

Facilitate engagement by forging strong connections with participants and families.
Undertake outreach activities to promote community awareness of S:US services and encourage help-seeking.
Serve as a bridge between treatment team members and participants experiencing ambivalence about substance use treatment.
Train and distribute Naloxone kits to individuals and their family members to combat overdose.
Develop authentic, meaningful relationships with individuals and families through empathy, sharing experiences, listening, and collaborating.
Understand, share, and discuss multiple frameworks for understanding life experiences such as substance use and psychosis.
Use language intentionally to listen, understand, and make space for complex personal stories of recovery and resilience.
Advocate with and for program participants in the larger community and on the team.
Collaborate with participants to clarify their personal visions and develop their wellness toolkit.
Support participants in strengthening their self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources and community outside of the S:US team.
Positively influence the team culture by advocating for clients, promoting a youth-friendly approach, and encouraging the use of recovery-oriented language.
Help build an environment that operates from a belief in the human potential to grow and an understanding of human diversity.
Maintain open and frequent communication with the team.
Report safety and other concerns to the team.
Keep notes on visits with program participants as required.
Co-collaborate on reporting with the program participant.