Peer Support Specialist

                                                                                                                  CERTIFIED PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST - QP

Purpose: The peer support specialist must be certified as a NC peer support specialist (NC CPSS). CPSS is responsible for ensuring recovery focused service that allows individuals the opportunity to learn to manage their own recovery and advocacy process through interventions of Peer Support staff that enhance the development of natural supports, as well as coping and self management skills.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:              Peer Support Specialist Team Lead/Designee

CATERGORY OF EMPLOYMENT:              Employee

Qualifications:

Peer Support must be delivered by individuals

-Whom are Certified as a Peer Support Specialist by NC Peer Support Certification Guidelines under BHRP (Behavioral Health Resource Plan, School of Social Work, UNC Chapel Hill). AND

-who have the life experience of being diagnosed/managing with a serious mental illness or substance use disorder AND

- Self identify as an individual with life experience of being diagnosed with or managing a serious mental illness or substance use disorder which meets Federal Definitions and are well established in their own recovery; AND

- Are currently in recovery and are stable and Have a high school diploma or GED equivalency, AND

- Is 18 years of age or older with the ability to read, write and understand how to follow instructions AND

- Has no violent criminal record or substantiated findings of abuse or neglect listed on the North Carolina Health Care Personnel Registry

Major Responsibilities

1. Self Help: Cultivating the individual’s ability to make informed, independent choices. Helping the individual develop a network of contacts for information and support based on experience of the Peer Support staff.
2. System Advocacy: Assisting the individual to talk about what it means to have a mental illness to an audience or group. Assisting the individual with writing a letter or making a telephone call about an issue related to mental illness or recovery.
3. Individual Advocacy: Discussing concerns about medication with the Physician or Nurse at the individual’s request. Helping the individual make appointments for psychiatric and general medical treatment when requested. Guiding the individual toward a proactive role in health care.
4. Pre-Crisis and Post Crisis Support: Assisting the individual with the development of a personal crisis plan, and/or a Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD). This includes help in developing the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). Giving feedback to the individual on early signs of relapse and how to request help to prevent a crisis. Assisting the individual in learning how to use the crisis plan.
5. Supporting the individual in seeking less restrictive alternatives to locked hospital facilities and Emergency Department evaluations.
6. Housing: Assisting the individual with learning how to maintain stable housing through bill paying, cleaning, and organizing his or her belongings. Assisting the individual in locating improved housing situations. Teaching the individual to identify and prepare healthy foods according to cultural and personal preferences of the individual and his/her medical needs.
7. Education/Employment: Assisting the individual in gaining information about going back to school or job training. Facilitating the process of asking an employer for reasonable accommodation for psychiatric disability (mental health day, flex time, etc).
8. Meals and Social Activities: To build peer relationships where eating is not the core activity offered.
9. Assist and support people to realize their goals and attain personal outcomes.
10.  Assist and support people to develop and/or maintain a social support network.
11. Assist and support people to maintain or re-establish their family connections.
12. Assist and support people to maintain their home.
13. Assist and support people to maintain their health and well-being.
14. Assist and support people to utilize their ;.community and its resources.
15. Assist and support people to direct their services and make informed choices in all aspects of their life.
16.  Assist and support people to have a safe environment in which to live and work, free of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
17. To be an Advocate for people with disabilities and to teach members of the community to treat people we support with dignity and respect by modeling positive attitudes and with respectful communication and interactions.

General Responsibilities

1. Provide one on one interventions for your personal caseload and ensure face to face interventions for assigned caseload. Facilitate New Client Orientation to team members you assign new consumers to their caseload.
2. Obtain consumer signature on accountability log daily at the end of each session.
3. Complete daily progress note and enter it into the EHR system within 24 hours of service for each person served/supported.
4. Electronically Sign documentation locked notes within 24 hours of note being locked in the EHR system.
5. Submit time summary biweekly with a daily progress note and accountability log for each billable service entry/date of service and duration of service documented on the time summary.  (All time must be submitted to HR by team lead by 12:00 noon.)
6. Ensure productivity (35 billable hours full time staff & 15 billable hours part time staff).
7. Ensure consumers on Team are attending PS Group and they have Therapy weekly/bi-weekly.
8. Administer therapeutic interventions (i.e. modeling, behavior modification, behavior rehearsal) for the development of interpersonal skills, community coping skills and independent living skills that aid in the development of therapeutic consumer symptom monitoring and management.
9. Provide consumer psycho-education and support.
10. Coordinate services across levels of care including initial referrals, scheduling and attending appointments, attending meetings, properly completing required paperwork reviewing documentation and reporting concerns, etc. (i.e. authorizations, target pops, nc topp, pcps, surveys, p-notes)
11. Effectively facilitate consumer access to community resources to assists consumer with developing natural supports, locating recreational activities, housing, food, clothing, school programs, vocational opportunities or services, to teach life skills and provide relevant mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services. 
12. Administer interventions that emphasize personal safety, self-worth, confidence, and growth, connection to the community, boundary setting, planning, self-advocacy, personal fulfillment, and development of social supports, and effective communication skills.
13. Demonstrate supportive services to assist individuals with self-management skills and community and re-entry following hospitalization/incarceration/etc.
14. Aid individuals in the acquisition, development; and expansion of rehabilitative skills needed to move forward in recovery as evidence by assisting and supporting people to realize their goals, attain personal outcomes, and make informed choices in all aspects of their life.
15. Send out treatment non compliance letters after 2 weeks of non compliance.
16. Check your emails at least 2 times daily to provide/administer affective communication amongst team.
17. Attend Weekly team meetings and semiannual individual clinical supervision meetings.
18. Participate in monthly staff meetings each 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month.
19. Assess, link and coordinate resources based on clinical needs as evidence by monitoring psychiatric and addiction symptoms, medication compliance and Medical/Mental Health treatment compliance to determine clinical needs and providing appropriate clinical intervention.
20. Complete monthly progress report for the Person Centered plan development.
21. Participate in Monthly Person Centered Plan Meetings/treatment team meetings.
22. Complete PCP for all ongoing updates revisions and reviews of the PCP in addition to all authorization request.
23. Complete treatment authorization request as evidence by updating PCP, obtaining/completing the Recovery Assessment Scale, obtaining/completing monthly treatment outcomes, and updating information gathered from treatment interventions and Submit to UM 30 days prior to the current authorization end date.
24. Update/Develop Crisis Plan monthly or as needed to prevent crisis situations.
25. Support consumers in crisis situation and implement crisis plan.
26. Participate in the on-call schedule to manage and facilitate crisis interventions to assigned case load and other consumers served and supported by S&H Youth and Adult Services, Inc.
27. Attend and actively participate in ALL Quarterly/Mandatory  Trainings offered by SHYAS to include clinical supervision, staff meetings and training as required to maintain current certification/license in all required training as outlined by credentialing body, agency policy and/or state and federal regulations according to discipline and service.
28. Maintain current Peer Support Certification, First Aid, CPR, Blood Borne, and Restrictive Intervention Training.

Cultural Awareness

1. Understands the impact of his/her personal belief system on delivery of services and appropriately adjusts personal performance to ensure cultural sensitivity in interactions with clients and their families, colleagues, and consumers. 

2. Must demonstrate a commitment to diversity and cultural competence.

3. Develops practices that promote diversity and cultural sensitivity.

4. Demonstrates the ability to communicate with diverse populations in a manner that adheres to the dignity and respect of different cultures.

5. Takes initiative to self-educate toward the goal of continuing development of cultural competence.

Analytical Skills

1. Ability to organize, prioritize, and implement work activities independently.

2. Ability to accurately perceive, interpret and respond appropriately to the verbal and non-verbal behavior of others.

3. Maintains professional skills to be able to meet the current challenges in the provision of services to Treatment Services staff.

4. Ability to perceive situations that require the involvement of the Office Manager, Program Consultant(s), or members of the Leadership Team

Decision Making Skills

1. Promotes professional responsibilities over personal needs when working with persons served.

2. Ability to spontaneously problem solve in order to facilitate day-to-day support services.

3. Discerns boundaries of information to be shared and/or information that needs to come from other sources within the agency and accurately reflects this decision making to colleagues.

4. Ability to make decisions using sound judgment with information at hand.

5. Demonstrates willingness to flex schedule and routine to meet needs of staff and clients.

Interpersonal Skills

1. Demonstrates the ability to establish rapport, openness and trust, facilitating effective interactions with persons served, their families, involved agencies, colleagues and subordinates.

2. Ability to maintain a flexible schedule to respond pleasantly and appropriately to client, staff and agency needs.

3. Exhibits emotional control, patience, and persistence in extremely stressful situations.

4. Serves as a role model for adults and children, exhibiting genuine commitment to the agency mission and the population served.

5. Adheres to appropriate professional boundaries with clients, colleagues, subordinates and other involved persons/agencies.

6. Maintains a neat, professional office environment at all times.

7. Maintains professional skills to remain prepared to meet the current needs of the agency.

Communication Skills

1. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.

2. Ability to give and receive feedback when interacting with clients, families, colleagues, and other involved agencies.

3. Ability to follow written and oral instructions correctly.

4. Ability to advocate effectively for clients and staff when corresponding with other involved agencies.

Terms of Employment:                       

This position description is renewed annually as part of the performance evaluation process.  This position is an at-will position; both the employee and the employer may terminate the employment relationship at will, at any time with or without cause or notice.  Failure to maintain productivity (15 billable hours for part time and 35 billable hours for full time) over a 30 day period will result in the loss of current status.