Peer Support Specialist

Job Description
This member of the multidisciplinary team has the responsibility to carry out rehabilitation and support functions and assist in treatment; provide education, support, and consultation to families; and provide crisis intervention under the clinical supervision of staff with professional degrees. Provide mentor and outreach services to Adult Community Clinical Services (ACCS) clients. Provides peer counseling and support, drawing on common experiences as a peer, to validate clients' experiences and to provide guidance and encouragement to clients to take responsibility and actively participate in their own recovery.

• Provides expertise and consultation from a mental health consumer perspective to the entire team concerning clients' experiences on symptoms of mental illness, the effects and side-effects of medications, clients' responses to and opinions of treatment, and client's experiences of recovery.
• Collaborates with the team to promote a team culture in which each clients' point of view, experiences, and preferences are recognized, understood, and respected, and in which client self-determination and decision-making in treatment planning are maximized and supported.
• Assists clients in identifying, understanding, and combating stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and develop strategies to reduce self stigma.
• Assists other team members to identify and understand culture-wide stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness and develop strategies to eliminate stigma within the team.
• Increases awareness of and supports client participation in consumer self-help programs and consumer advocacy organizations that promote recovery.
• Serves as the liaison between the team and consumer-run programs such as self-help groups and drop-in centers.
• Organizes and leads individual and group social and recreational activities to help clients structure their time, increase social experiences, and provide opportunities to practice social skills.

Schedule: Full Time or Part time available
Flexible hours!
Offering a great benefit package!

• Tuition remission program - 100% tuition for undergraduate coursework in a Massachusetts College or University
• Health/dental insurance
• Generous paid time off
• Various opportunities for career advancement
• Commitment to providing quality training to our staff
• Group discounts on cell phones, movie tickets, and various club memberships
• Company contribution to retirement plan
• Company paid life insurance
• Opportunities to attend in-service training and more...

Required Skills

• High School Diploma required.
• Peer Specialist Certification required within 6 months from the date of hire.
• Valid driver's license and access to personal vehicle required.
• Bilingual skills and/or experience with multicultural populations preferred.

Required Experience

• May have related training (e.g., certified occupational therapy assistant, home health care aide) or work experience (e.g.,teaching) and life experience. Must have a strong commitment to the right and ability of each person with a severe and persistent mental illness to live in normal community residences; work in market jobs; and have access to helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services. Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with persons with severe and persistent mental illnesses and respect for client rights and personal preferences in treatment are essential. Has experience with recovery from psychiatric disabilities.

Aspire Health Alliance is committed to and passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion. We celebrate, support, and promote diversity of thought, culture, and backgrounds. As an employer committed to equal opportunity, we base all employment decisions on each individual's capabilities and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetics, or any other protected characteristic. Aspire Health Alliance strives to fully reflect the clients and communities we serve and believes that a diversity of interests and cultures leads to a stronger and more innovative organization.