Youth Peer Specialist

Nexus Family Healing•East Bethel, MN

5d•$21 - $23•Onsite

About The Position

Nexus Family Healing is looking to add a Full Time Youth Peer Specialist to our East Bethel, MN Campus! This new Minnesota Nexus PRTF location serves youth ages 10-19 who need a higher level of mental and behavioral health care. Our staff support the treatment, well-being, and personal growth of our youth to contribute to positive outcomes and brighter futures! Join an organization that makes a true difference in the lives of youth and their families! Position Summary: The Youth Peer Specialist supports youth during their transition from residential treatment. This position works collaboratively with the care team to develop and implement a detailed care plan that supports the youth during their transition from discharge to placement. This integral role serves as a champion and advocate to the youth, by supporting the goals, objectives, and progress in the youth’s care plan; empowers and educates youth to advocate for themselves long term.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED
Demonstrated lived experience, coping with adolescent challenges. (Personal experience may include but is not limited to experiencing foster care, residential treatment, juvenile justice or any transferrable or relatable experience to ongoing youth struggles.)
Demonstrated interpersonal maturity and emotional intelligence; ability to create trust and rapport with clients while setting clear, definitive, and healthy boundaries.
Must have the ability to build strong relationships with diverse individuals or communities and understand their unique needs and challenges.
Must be open to meeting the cultural needs of individuals or communities, considering factors such as language, traditions, and values.
Valid driver’s license required and access to reliable transportation is required Must meet state regulating agency and requirements.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree
Previous experience working with youth who have experienced trauma and/or a mental health crisis.

Responsibilities

Meets with youth one on one who are ready for discharge from their high-end treatment facility; works to develop trust and rapport with the youth, demonstrating the ability to listen intently and learn about the youth’s history and past.
Acts with responsiveness to discern, learn, and understand the youth’s experiences leading up to the discharge period; determines which information is most relevant to share with the care team, to be considered for integration into the care plan.
Collaborates with the care team as needed to source placement opportunities that are well suited for the youth; interfaces with family, foster care, or alternate residences to source and prepare optimum placement for the youth.
Uses influence to encourage the youth’s family, foster families, or treatment facilities to consider the youth’s progress and needs; educates caregivers of the resources and support provided by the program team, upon placement, to ensure the youth’s success.
Collaborates with the youth’s care team to develop and implement a comprehensive care plan; understands the role of each care team resource and works to connect the youth to the appropriate resource as needed.
Maintains ongoing consistent communication with care team members, program management and youth.
Supports the youth in developing and enhancing formative skills including resume writing, job searching, interview preparation, organizing of finances, prioritizing schoolwork, obtaining a driver’s license etc.
Provides individualized support to youth; assists in breaking barriers to achieve the youth’s goals including employment, educational, relational, leadership, citizenship, social and financial goals.
Integrates the goals and objectives of the youth’s care plan, into daily touchpoints, conversations and tasks that can be achieved over time by linking youth to various community resources.
Actively listens to the youth to understand their experience and unique challenges; seeks ways to empathize and relate to the youth while focusing on life skills enhancement, improvement and coping mechanisms.
Develops trust and rapport with the youth by drawing upon personal lived experiences in an effort to empathize and relate to the client while maintaining professional boundaries
Fosters an encouraging and nurturing relationship while balancing clear definitive boundaries with each youth; challenges clients appropriately to facilitate growth, independence and self-confidence.
Serves as a champion and advocate for each youth by highlighting progress and providing encouragement and empowerment; seeks to create new opportunities that align with the youth’s care plan and goals.
Leverages the youth’s care plan by conducting check-ins via phone and/or in-person visits; observes areas of success and opportunity and relays pertinent information to the care team.