Youth Peer Support Specialist

Youth Peer Support Specialist
Location: Ste Genevieve, MO (Ste Gen, Perry, and Madison Counties)
Full - Time, Non-Exempt (Hourly)
Work Schedule: 8:00a-4:30p M-F - Some evenings may be required dependent upon agency or client need.
Pay: $14.42 per hour
Minimum Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma / GED / HSE
• Must self identify as aformer or current consumer of mental health, substance use, or co-occurring disorder services, and must hold a valid Certified Peer Specialist Credential from the Missouri Credentialing Board.
• Be eligible to obtain Youth Peer Specialist credential.
• Valid Driver's License and Current Auto Insurance

To Qualify as a Youth Peer Support Specialist:

• Must meet qualifications listed above, AND must be between the ages of 18-26, not to exceed 30 years of age.

What is Peer Support?
Peer support encompasses a range of activities and interactions between people who share similar experiences of being diagnosed with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or both. This mutuality-often called "peerness"-between a Peer Support worker and person in or seeking recovery promotes connection and inspires hope. Peer support offers a level of acceptance, understanding, and validation not found in many other professional relationships (Mead & McNeil, 2006). By sharing their own lived experience and practical guidance, Peer Support workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self-empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfilling, self-determined lives for themselves. (source)
Job Summary
Peer Support Specialists perform a wide range of tasks in emergency, outpatient or inpatient settings that are designed to assist clients in recovery and living in the community by sharing their own personal experience in dealing with mental illness.
Essential Functions

1. Share their personal experience with mental illness/co-occurring substance use and their own personal recovery experience.
2. Promote the idea and concept of recovery and serve as role model.
3. Interact directly with clients, both individually and as a group.
4. Help identify clients individual warning signs and help develop ways to prevent relapse in order to avoid hospitalizations.
5. Help clients develop insight into their illness and understand their experience with mental illness/co-occurring substance use.
6. Help clients in developing support systems and connect clients with Peer Support/self-help groups.
7. Assist clients in developing self-care skills to promote recovery (i.e., self-advocacy, coping, social, etc.).
8. Assist staff to understand recovery, the importance of recovery based services and the value of the experience lived by individuals with mental illness/co-occurring substance use.
9. Participate as a member of the clinical team.
10. Provide clients point of view at team meetings, treatment planning meetings, and psychiatric visits.
11. Document according to clinical policies and procedures, DMH, CARF, and any other federal or state program per agency standards.

Non Essential Functions

1. Maintain compliance with all policy and procedures.
2. Complete all required training.
3. Work cooperatively with other departments and members of the community.
4. Participate in all required meetings as determined by supervisor.
5. Maintain positive attitude toward agency and clientele.
6. Other duties as assigned.

About Community Counseling Center:
Community Counseling Center (CCC) is a behavioral health organization that has been serving the public since 1974. We are an administrative agent for the Missouri Department of Mental Health, and we are entrusted to provide a full array of comprehensive behavioral health services within our five county catchment area.
Our Mission is to provide comprehensive behavioral health and prevention services to every person in need in our five county region.
Our Vision is to create a behavioral healthcare system that is capable of upholding, supporting, and maintaining recovery of our clients.
Our Benefits

• 24 Paid Days Off Your First Year
• Seven Paid Holidays
• Competitive Health, Dental, Vision, and Supplemental Insurance
• Retirement Matching
• Mileage Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Much More!

Community Counseling Center is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.