WIC BF PEER COUNSELOR

AccessHealth•Katy, TX

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Breastfeeding Peer Counselor works in the WIC Program to provide pregnant and lactating women with information, encouragement, and support for successful breastfeeding. The role includes educating clients, addressing feeding concerns, supporting lactating mothers, identifying situations requiring referral to a Lactation Consultant, and maintaining accurate and confidential records. The counselor may provide services outside the clinic and outside regular clinic hours, including by phone, text, and email, and may travel between WIC locations or to community sites as needed.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Present or past WIC recipient.
Successfully breastfed or expressed breast milk for at least one baby.
Ability to work outside regular clinic hours and outside the WIC clinic.
Ability to communicate with peers, organize thoughts, and present accurate information.
Ability to document and maintain accurate records.
Enthusiasm about breastfeeding and a desire to share that enthusiasm.
Commitment to the breastfeeding peer counselor program for one year.
Ability to work a minimum of 10 hours per week.
Must possess the company cell phone at work and home for texting and after-hours participant calls.
Access to transportation and ability to travel between WIC locations if required.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information and inquiries or complaints effectively.
Strong communication skills, including speaking with and writing to a wide variety of individuals to obtain necessary information.
High ethical standards; organized and self-directed; good keyboarding skills and legible handwriting.
Ability to work as part of a team, relate to people at all organizational levels, and handle multiple projects.
Ability to operate a computer, copier, and fax.
Must be a positive parenting model and reflect a positive image for the WIC Program.
Ability to occasionally stand, walk, sit, reach, hold, handle, finger, and feel objects; talk and hear; and lift or move up to 25 pounds.
Vision abilities include close, distance, and color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide breastfeeding information to pregnant women and promote breastfeeding.
Address infant-feeding concerns and correct misinformation that may discourage pregnant women from considering breastfeeding.
Teach classes on the advantages of breastfeeding and prepare motivational or informational bulletin boards in the WIC clinic.
Counsel and support lactating mothers and help manage breastfeeding problems.
Identify abnormal breastfeeding experiences and promptly refer them to the Lactation Consultant.
Contact pregnant and postpartum women by phone to encourage and support breastfeeding.
Keep accurate records of counseling sessions and maintain confidentiality of client records.
Support mothers returning to work or school with information and encouragement to continue breastfeeding.
Issue breast pumps and document issuance according to WIC policy; follow proper pump retrieval procedures.
Teach mothers to clean and assemble breast pumps and train them in expressing and storing human milk.
Conduct weekly breast pump inventory.
Use phone, text, email, and mailed letters to communicate with participants as appropriate.
Comply with company policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
Perform other related duties as assigned or delegated.
Provide education or marketing services at off-site community locations as needed.
Be available for assigned schedules that may include early mornings, evenings, Saturdays, and on-call or after-hours services.