Pips Peer Support Specialist

POSITION TITLE: PIPS Peer Support Specialist

POSITION TYPE: Full-time (40 hours); Non-exempt

PAY RANGE: $30.29 hourly

REPORTS TO: PIPS Project Manager

HOURS: 10 am - 6 pm, Monday - Friday (or as otherwise needed)

BENEFITS:

• 100% Employer Paid Medical: Kaiser HMO or Blue Shield PPO
• 100% Dental, vision, life & long-term disability coverage; EAP
• Over 30+ days of PTO, including 10 vacation days (baseline), sick days, personal days, and major holidays
• Health and Dependent Care FSA, Commuter Check, and 403(b) options available
• Ongoing access to MHASF continuing education and skill-building workshops- all training time paid
• Excellent opportunity for advancement-over 70% of our staff have been promoted internally at least once!

ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO (MHASF)

MHASF is a mental health peer-run nonprofit located in downtown San Francisco and has been serving people and agencies across the Bay Area since 1947. As mental health consumers, we center the lived expertise of people with mental health challenges in our advocacy, education, and support programs. We believe that dignity and recovery in mental health are something everyone can experience. Our staff is dedicated to creating spaces for learning and healing around stigmatized and under-resourced areas in mental health-hoarding and cluttering behavior; post-hospitalization Peer Support; mental health and nutrition; peer mental health workforce development; and much more.

OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM & POSITION:

The Post-Incarceration Peer Support (PIPS) program provides access to resources for mental health, housing, substance abuse, and other key community support services in San Francisco with an overall goal of reducing and mitigating mental health crises, hospitalizations, and incarceration. This program connects individuals who are being released from the San Francisco jail to Peer Support and counseling from trained individuals with lived experience of mental health conditions and recovery.

The Peer Support Specialist (PSS) position provides live support and resources to participants for up to 120 days.

This program is a collaboration with the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, the Public Defender's Office, and the San Francisco Jail. The PSS will meet new participants at the San Francisco jail for project enrollment and support participants with ongoing service navigation and emotional support for immediate needs, leading to a warm handoff to ongoing services by community partners and is funded by Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services (BHJIS).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Top Three Responsibilities

1. Provide wellness-focused 1:1 peer-to-Peer Support
2. Provide peer counseling and case management to previously incarcerated individuals living with mental health challenges
3. Serve as an advocate for program participants and a model for mental health recovery

Peer Support & Case Management

• Use personal lived experience as a mental health consumer to engage with participants
• Serve as a role model and self-disclose lived experience background to participants as appropriate, to establish trust and demonstrate the possibility of recovery
• Provide information and assist participants with access to community services and resources
• Communicate with case managers, psychiatrists, and therapists as well as other service providers as needed
• Assist with crisis intervention, targeted case management, advocacy, service navigation, and other supports
• Provide on-going follow-up contact to ensure participants are connected to appropriate supports and provide additional assistance when needed
• Help ensure that services are sensitive to the cultural context and personal history of each participant and their support system; provide services in community-based settings
• Promote collaboration among support systems, mental health providers, healthcare providers, justice system personnel, school personnel, and other agencies
• Help navigate post-incarceration systems such as parole, probation, and other bureaucratic agencies.
• Accompany and advocate for participants at their appointments providing emotional support

Record-Keeping, Training, & Participation

• Attend supervision, staff meetings, and trainings
• Maintain detailed records of services provided and ensure participant record confidentiality
• Ensure records contain all data necessary in reporting to the State Department of Mental Health
• Ensure records conform to Medi-Cal and HIPAA requirements and standards

The Peer Counselor also supports broader MHASF initiatives and be responsible for other duties as assigned. The above job responsibilities are meant to be representative, not a comprehensive job description, and are subject to change depending on the needs of the program and MHASF.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Personal lived experience with mental health challenges and a willingness to disclose to participants and during counselor trainings is a requirement for this peer position; we are specifically interested in applicants with lived experience of incarceration.
• Proof of COVID-19 vaccine. (The position is field-based work in San Francisco)
• Minimum 2 years of experience as a peer counselor, peer specialist, or similar (either paid or volunteer), ideally within a nonprofit setting
• Ability to respond effectively to conflicts and strong emotions; crisis support or call center background is very helpful for this role
• Familiarity with community resources in San Francisco
• Experience maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information & understanding of confidentiality practices
• Familiarity with the mental health recovery movement, Peer Support model, & local resources
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, use of tele-health platforms such as Zoom, and data entry
• Behavioral health knowledge, including familiarity with mental health challenges, substance use issues, and Medical/Recovery models
• High level of organization and time management with an ability to focus and prioritize in stressful situations; Highly organized and resourceful, attention to detail, ability to manage time well in order to accomplish all key tasks and support the coordination of multiple projects
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write effective case notes
• Highly collaborative work style and ability to work effectively within a team to identify and accomplish goals, responsive to feedback
• Ability to problem-solve with little to no guidance and to exercise independent judgment under stress
• Willingness to learn from others, take feedback, and make adjustments to communication and behavior
• Experience taking initiative to self-educate about unfamiliar subjects or concepts
• Affirmative and accepting approach toward people whose needs and experiences differ from your own
• Commitment to upholding the mission and values of MHASF
• Lived experience with incarceration is highly-desirable