Youth Peer Specialist - Youth Care Transition

Nexus Family Healing is hiring for a Youth Peer Specialist based in the Twin Cities/Metro area in Minnesota!

Our Youth Peer Specialist is an integral part of our new, grant funded Youth Care Transition (YCT) program, supporting youth during their transition from residential treatment. The YCT is a new opportunity to address the needs of youth with high levels of mental health and behavioral challenges who have completed their treatment in a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) or the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health hospital (CABHH) when a discharge placement has not been located. 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 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.

Primary responsibilities:

Client Intervention & Responsiveness

• 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 Mobile Transition Team, upon placement, to ensure the youth’s success.

Care Planning & Implementation

• 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. 

Client Advocacy & Mentorship

• 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.

Required Education and Licensure:

• 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.
• Valid driver’s license required and access to reliable transportation is required. Must meet state regulating agency and Nexus Home Office driving requirements.

Preferred Education and Experience:

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

Work location, schedule, pay:

• Full time, 40 hours per week
• Monday-Friday, NO weekends at this time
• Hybrid remote work schedule
• Starting pay: $21.00 per hour
• Mendota Heights, MN

ICARE Values & Behavioral Competencies:

• Innovation: Leading the way and implementing creative, cutting-edge ideas and approaches
• Compassion: Listening, honoring differences, and showing respect, kindness, empathy care, and concern
• Agility: Exhibiting flexibility and adapting quickly
• Responsiveness: Being quick, positive, and accurate
• Excellence: Demonstrating quality results that surpass ordinary standards

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion:

At Nexus Family Healing, our voices and actions are focused on recognizing, affirming and respecting people of every race, ethnic background, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender expression and faith.

Travel:

Regular travel required to community sites, residential centers, and family homes. Occasional travel to Twin Cities metro Nexus agencies, company sponsored events and Nexus home office, primarily in Minnesota, may also be required.

Work Environment:

This position operates out of multiple locations including remotely, out of community sites, family homes and Twin Cities Nexus agency locations and offices. This position has the option to work remote within the Twin Cities metro area. 

Please apply today if you are interested in this exciting opportunity!