Peer Case Manager

TheSupportive Outreach and Access to Resources (SOAR) program is a Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) clinical model that provides comprehensive assessment and treatment services to clients (ages 12-30) with early onset psychosis. The goal of the program is to intervene as early as possible to support recovery for youth and young adults with serious mental illness. The SOAR treatment team is comprised of the following individuals: Program Director, Clinical Supervisor, Therapists, Supported Education and Employment Specialist (SEES), Family Advocate, Peer Case Manager, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner/Psychiatrist, and the Bilingual Program Coordinator. The core processes of the program include a team-based approach, specialized training, community outreach, client and family engagement, and shared decision making.

Position Summary: Under the supervision of the Program Director or designated Supervisor, the SOAR Peer Case Manager provides culturally competent support to youth and young adult clients, who have recently developed a psychotic disorder, or who are at high risk for one of these disorders, and their family members/support persons. Services include peer support, case management and outreach and education. The essential features of this position include case management abilities and lived experience as a recipient of mental health services.

Duties and Responsibilities

Case Management

1. Meet with designated SOAR clients and families on a regular basis to monitor progress and ongoing needs.
2. Assist SOAR clients to develop educational or vocational goals and organizational skills. Assist SOAR clients in identifying strengths, skills, and interests to guide them in choosing appropriate employment options.
3. Educate SOAR clients and their parents, as appropriate, on educational rights and resources such as how to request an IEP. Provide support in identifying school options and requesting helpful accommodations at school.
4. Provide support for IEP or 504 preparation and meetings as needed, such as ensuring that communication occurs between students, parents, and school officials, attending meetings with each as necessary.
5. Check in on a regular basis with teachers or school counselors to monitor clients’ progress and ongoing needs.
6. Provide SOAR clients with concrete assistance related to seeking employment, including identifying career goals, creating resumes, identifying job leads, following up on applications, coordinating with local job training centers, coordinating transportation as needed, and linking clients with employment resources such as Jobs Plus.
7. Support SOAR clients who are employed by providing retention tips, teaching communication skills, providing job coaching, and ensuring the client’s performance meets employer expectations.
8. Develop and maintain up-to-date knowledge of local community resources.
9. Identify other client and family needs such as housing, financial and food assistance and provide guidance on accessing these resources, such as identifying websites and assisting with completing applications,

Outreach & Education

1. Participate in outreach activities. Provide personal account of direct life experiences receiving mental health services. Help develop new outreach activities.
2. Assist Family Partner/Advocate with content for monthly SOAR newsletter to share information with providers and the community.
3. Attend meetings and training as required.
4. Assist team with other duties such as data collection as needed.

Peer Support

1. Provide personal account of direct life experience with receiving services from a mental health system (experience with psychosis symptoms strongly preferred). Ability to share lived experience with clients, families, community members, and treatment providers. Represent client perspective in clinical and outreach activities as well as at team meetings.
2. Support engagement of clients and family members/support persons, using interpreter services as needed. Assist in ongoing care coordination with clients and family members/support persons. Provide additional support when needed, e.g., when the primary therapist is on leave, as part of the Coordinated Specialty Care team model.
3. Provide peer level support to clients, family members/support persons, team members, and in the community within the scope of the client’s treatment plan.
4. Attend and participate in weekly SOAR Team meetings.
5. Participate in and/or cofacilitate client groups or family support groups by sharing educational information, including lived experience, with clients and their family members/support persons.

Agency Duties:

1. Develops and maintains good working relationships with community partners.
2. Abides by all provisions of the Aldea Policies and Procedures Manual.
3. Willing to perform other related duties needed as assigned.
4. Develops and maintains good working relationships with providers from other agencies and systems to benefit clients.
5. Completes all required administrative activity, including record keeping and attendance
6. Maintains all current licensing and/or professional certification requirements.
7. Willing to perform other related duties needed as assigned

Reporting Relationship:

All positions report directly to a Program Supervisor, with secondary reporting, as needed, to the Program Director.