Certified Peer Specialist (Youth) - Family Treatment

Position Summary:

Under direct supervision of the Family Treatment Team Program Manager, The Certified Peer Specialist-Youth (CPS-Y) performs a wide range of tasks to support families served by the team in living their own lives and directing their own recovery and wellness process. Using their own experience as a person in recovery, the CPS-Y serves as a client advocate and models competency in supporting recovery and wellness. The CPS-Y supports youth and families in identifying their personal goals and objectives for recovery and wellness and strengths of the youth and family that will aid in reaching them.

Responsibilities:

• Assists clients and families to create Wellness Recovery Action Plans.
• Teach techniques to address negative self-talk and negative communication with other family members.
• Assists with skills to overcome big emotions.  
• Supports vocational choices.
• Teaches problem solving.
• Assists to build social skills.
• Provides support and education, including how to support youth with behavioral health challenges.
• Encourages parents to identify and utilize their own supports.
• Educates about mental illness, support, and recovery.
• Serves as a resource to other staff by identifying program elements that foster recovery for clients by using their personal experience with mental illness and what makes recovery possible.

• Participates in patient/client/consumer intakes, treatment team planning, and crisis intervention.
• Assists in dealing with personal and social problems.
• May provide supportive counseling to consumers and families and/or serve as a liaison for social services.
• Transports, or makes arrangements for transportation of patients/clients/consumers to appointments in a timely manner.
• May perform case management duties. 
• Links program participants to housing opportunities and other needed resources.
• Advocates for youth and families with schools, DFCS, DJJ, and other family-serving agencies.
• Provides treatment to clients in their homes and other community settings.
• Documents all interacts with youth, family, or collateral contacts-billable and nonbillable-in the electronic health record.
• Maintains the strictest confidentiality of all information related to the child's health care. Obtains a signed release from the family before sharing information with others.
• Performs other duties as assigned by FTT Program Manager and/or Director of Youth Specialty Services

Minimum Qualifications:

Candidates must be credentialed as a CPS-Y or be eligible for certification by having lived experience with a diagnosis of mental illness, addiction, or a dual diagnosis of mental illness and addictive disease and a strong desire to identify themselves as a person with this lived experience.

• Applicants must hold a GED or High School diploma and be at least 18 years of age.

• In addition, applicants must demonstrate strong reading comprehension and written communication skills as indicated by their responses on the pre-test.

• Applicants must have demonstrated experience with leadership, advocacy, or governance, and be well grounded in your recovery (per CPS and CARES guidelines).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• CPS-Y Certification
• A commitment and dedication to working with families-both youth and adults with serious mental illness

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

Must be a Certified Peer Specialist to retain this position.

Knowledge:

• Understanding of mental illness and recovery techniques
• Process of recovery from own personal experience
• Crisis de-escalation

Skills:

• Coaching/support of clients
• Interpersonal skills including communication, listening, and patience.
• Computer skills—must use an electronic health record and to document accurately same day as service.
• Time management

Abilities:

• Ability to be on-call-by phone or face to face as needed-including after hours, weekends, and holidays.
• Work independently.

Education:

GED or High School diploma. Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Physical Demands include:

• Speak, hear, and converse over a telephone.
• Sit, stand, and walk for long periods of time; reach with arms and hands; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• Lift 25 pounds or more
• Use hands, fingers, and be able to feel/type on a keyboard.
• Close vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristic described here are representative of those and employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Exposure Class: 2 – Low risk.  May handle specimens, assist with client care, or be called in to assist in emergency situations.

The employee generally works in the community-client homes, schools, or other community settings. 

Positions designated as Essential Personnel may be required to report to work or remain at work during emergency operations.

I understand that these job duties are general, and additional expectations specific duties for my work site will be provided to me.