Certified Peer Specialist - Youth

Position Title:                         Certified Peer Specialist Youth

Position Number:                 

Work Unit:                              Aspire Youth and Young Adults

County:                                    Dougherty        

Immediate Supervisor:        YYA Peer Coordinator

 

Qualification:

High School Diploma or GED

And

Certified Peer Specialist Youth or eligible to obtain certification within 6 months of onboarding

 

Assigned duties include:

Under immediate to general supervision, the Certified Peer Specialist -Youth (CPS-Y) provides peer support services to a caseload of youth ages 16-30 and their families who are enrolled in core services, collaborates with other designated staff, participates in team meetings, serves as a youth advocate, provides information and peer support for individuals in a variety of settings, meets minimal contacts per month with each individual, provides collaborative documentation, attends collaborative meetings with staff and other youth servicing stakeholders for continuity of care, and assists with crisis response.

 

Equipment that includes safe and effective use:

None

 

Bloodborne Pathogen Category:

Employee performs assigned tasks which involve no exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material AND performance of category I tasks are not a condition of employment (Category III).          

 

Mandatory Training Category (Check One)

 

___ Administrative                                 __X__Direct Care                                     ____Medical

 

Performance Improvement

Aspire Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities Services goal is to continually improve the delivery of service by improvement of consumer outcomes and satisfaction. All employees have a role in performance improvement and are expected to interact collaboratively with co-workers, and other contacts to provide consistent, high-quality, consumer focused services.

 

 

 

 

Age Related and Special needs of population serviced:

Work requires the knowledge and skills necessary to provide direct individual services appropriate to youth ages 5-30 and their families to support the peer support framework.   

                                                                       

Staff should be able to:

• Customer service -ability to provide helpful, courteous, accessible, responsive, and knowledgeable service to youth and families
• Accountability -demonstrate knowledge of policies and procedures
• Ability to complete all related professional development trainings initially and annually
• Ability to keep all credentials and certificates up to date
• Team work and cooperation: Ability to monitor and assist on interdisciplinary treatment meetings
• Results orientation: knowledgeable of EMR and able to complete reports on excel and other agency databases
• Ability to complete and submit all required state reporting and outcome measures in a timely manner
• Judgment and Decision making -Knowledgeable of eligibility requirements and needs of population served
• Judgement and Decision making – knowledge of intervention protocols in collaboration with immediate supervisor and treatment team.

 

 

Assigned Duties

 

DESCRIPTION OF WORK DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  (Type in or attach current description of duties.  Employees are expected to perform their work in a competent and efficient manner.  Include % of time)

 

• Maintains a caseload of youth ages 16-30 who are enrolled in Aspire YYA services, with a focus on supporting them from a peer perspective
• Establishes rapport and regular, consistent interactions with family members in assigned service area
• Provides life, coping, health, and wellness skills teaching youth with psychosis and/or dual diagnosis from a peer perspective
• Completes all required documentation within 24 hours from date of service
• Meets minimal contacts per month with each individual enrolled
• Maintains a 50% billable productivity
• Collaborates with a multidisciplinary team
• Acts as a liaison between agency and contracted agencies
• Assists with linking individuals to outside supports: employment, school enrollment, support groups, social outlets, physical health activities
• Assists with attending community stakeholders as well as inner-agency meetings
• Acts as a liaison between youth, MH providers, and other youth serving stakeholders
  • Establishing/strengthening partnerships with businesses, schools, hospitals
  • Establishing/strengthening partnerships with DFCS, DJJ, NECCO, and other agencies
• Attends all required agency and DBHDD Trainings (Particularly CT-R Trainings)
• Assists with crisis response including an on-call rotation
• Participates in weekly staffing
• Treats all with respect and dignity without preferential treatment
• Communicates accurate information in a professional and courteous manner that conveys a willingness to assist
• Uses appropriate, established chain of command
• Follows the office's established practices to adhere to special communication, correspondence, emails, etc. that are of a personnel (human resources) nature

 

Role Specific Assigned Duties:

1. Using the 10-step goal setting process the CPS-Y will:

• Support individuals in articulating personal goals for recovery and wellness
• Support individuals in articulating the objectives necessary to reach his or her recovery and wellness goals

1. The CPS-Y will document the following on the individual recovery/resiliency plan (IR/RP) by:

• Assisting individuals in identifying strengths
• assisting individuals in identifying recovery and wellness goals
• assisting individuals in setting objectives
• assist individuals in identifying barriers
• assisting individuals in determining recovery and wellness interventions based on their life goals/hope statement
• recognizing and reporting progress individuals make toward meeting objectives
• understanding and utilizing specific interventions i.e. CT-R to support individuals in meeting their recovery and wellness goals

1. Utilizing their specific training, the CPS-Y will:

• Lead as well as teach individuals how to facilitate Recovery Dialogues
• Support individuals in creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)
• Utilize and teach problem-solving techniques with individuals and groups
• Teach individuals techniques for identifying and combating negative self-talk
• Teach individuals techniques for identifying and overcoming fears
• Support the vocational choices individuals make and support them in overcoming job-related anxiety
• Support individuals in building social skills in the community that will enhance job acquisition and tenure
• Support non-consumer staff an identifying program environments that are conducive to recovery, lend their unique insight into mental illness and what makes recovery possible
• Attend treatment team meetings to promote individual's use of self-directed recovery tools

1. Utilizing their unique recovery experience, the CPS-Y will:

• Teach and role model the value of every individual's recovery experience
• Support the individual in obtaining decent and affordable housing of his or her choice in the most integrated, independent, and least intrusive or restrictive environment
• Model effective coping techniques and self-help strategies
• Maintain a working knowledge of current trends and developments in the mental health field by reading books, journals, and other relevant materials

1. The CPS-Y will maintain a working knowledge of current trends and developments in the mental health field by reading books, journals, and other relevant material

• Continue to develop and share recovery-oriented material with other CPSs at the continuing education assemblies and on the CPS electronic bulletin board
• Attend continuing education sessions when offered by the CPS project
• Attend relevant seminars, meetings, and in-service training whenever offered

1. The CPS-Y will serve as a recovery agent by:

• Providing and advocating for effective recovery based services
• Supporting individuals obtaining services that suit that individual's recovery needs
• Informing individuals about community and natural supports and how to utilize these in the recovery process
• Supporting individuals in developing empowerment skill through self-advocacy and the use of Human Experience Language to combat stigma
• Supporting individuals in setting up and sustaining self-help support groups