Job Purpose:
Each member of HAVEN’s staff fulfills an important role in furthering HAVEN’s mission to help people heal from abuse as we work to end domestic violence and sexual assault through community education, intervention, and prevention. The goals of the Peer Support Specialist is to help prevent relapse and promote long-term recovery. The position of Peer Support Specialist is part of the Victim Services program staff, which provides case management, advocacy and support services to adult victims and survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. As a member of HAVEN’s Victim Services Team, the Peer Support Specialist must be an exceptional advocate, must share HAVEN’s commitment to putting clients’ needs first, and must perform their work in a manner that consistently upholds our common values.
Essential Duties:
- Provide peer recovery support, peer recovery coaching and encouragement to non-resident and resident clients contemplating or seeking recovery from substance use disorder
- Engage in relationship building, active listing, and support in a non-judgmental way
- Adhere to the NCPSS code of ethics, standards of practice, and HAVEN’s policies and procedures
Daily Job Responsibilities:
- Provide recovery education to clients through each phase of the recovery journey
- Identify crisis situations, facilitate access to appropriate resources, connect clients with resources, and assist with navigating systems
- Assist in the development and enhancement of the client’s individualized recovery plan, recognizing multiple pathways to recovery, accessing, and advocating for recovery and community resources
- Collaborate with partner agencies and community resources to provide effective recovery support services to clients
- Identify support linkages to community resources (communities of recovery, educational, vocational, social, cultural, spiritual, mutual self-help groups, professional services, etc.) that support the recovering person’s goals and interests
- Assist the client to identify and prioritize strengths and needs, using recovery capital assessments and other recovery techniques that engage individuals to self-disclose
- Maintain progress notes, reports, and accurate, timely records in the appropriate files
- Maintain confidentiality regarding information received during the facilitation of recovery support services
- Maintain NCCPSS credential
Other Duties that May Be Assigned:
- Answer the crisis line during shift hours
- In the absence of shelter staff, provide shelter screening, intake and orientation, and maintain shelter operations during assigned shift
- Assist clients with law enforcement, court, and medical systems
- Provide transportation or make transportation arrangements/accommodations
- Provide support and advocacy to clients including safety planning and making referrals to the support group and other services and agencies
- Maintain client records and assure confidentiality
- Complete all necessary paperwork and collects data and grant information as required
- Participate in HAVEN meetings, in-service trainings, retreats, fundraisers, and perform on-call and other duties as assigned by the Grant Administrator.
Skills/Qualifications:
- Able to multi-task and prioritize duties in a high-pressure situation
- Able to handle crisis situations with diplomacy and tact
- Able to develop and maintain relationships with staff and volunteers
- Experience working as part of a team as well as handling crisis individually with quality decision makings skills
- Able to work within a complex, fast paced and rapidly changing work environment
- Able to effectively problem solve and achieve conflict resolution
- Experience working with a diverse population
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to organize and manage work time
- Basic computer skills are required, including Microsoft Office products and databases
- Commitment to contributing to a positive work culture
- Ability to develop and maintain cooperative relationships with a diversity of individuals, organizations, and government agencies
- Demonstrated interest and commitment to working with victims of sexual and domestic violence; understanding of and commitment to issues of cultural diversity as they apply to sexual and domestic violence prevention, intervention, and services; ability and willingness to work with people from a variety of backgrounds and experience
- Valid Driver’s License
Minimum requirements: Peer Support Specialist Certification. Candidate must complete a criminal background check that is satisfactory to HAVEN standards.
HAVEN is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to employment policies and procedures assuring all qualified persons are accorded equal opportunity for employment, promotion, and training. We strongly encourage survivors of sexual and domestic violence to apply. We welcome and encourage applicants from diverse groups to apply including, but not limited to African American, Latina/o, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, and LGBT persons. We also welcome people from different national origins, religions, ages, & ability status.