PEER SPECIALIST

Peer Specialist

Location: Riverhead

Family Service League is a social services agency established in 1926, providing comprehensive services to individuals, children, and families to improve their quality of life at home, in the workplace, and in the community. With more than 60 social service and mental health programs in over 20 locations, Family Service League is dedicated to serving Long Island's most vulnerable citizens.

Job Description:

• Serve as part of the multidisciplinary team in the outpatient behavioral health program.
• Responsible for outreach support and coordination of care for clients.

Responsibilities:

• Provide outreach to clients to facilitate engagement in services and offer additional support for successful community living.
• Provide coaching and recovery support, including self-advocacy, linkage to aftercare, wellness self-management, medication adherence, smoking cessation, entitlements, and daily living activities.
• Accompany clients to medical and other appointments to facilitate engagement and follow-through.
• Provide concrete service delivery to clients, such as benefits and enrollments, as per individual needs.
• Maintain documents, records, statistics, and other related reports in an organized, timely, and accurate manner.
• Coordinate care planning with other providers to ensure goal-directed, collaborative care, including care transitions.
• Act as a resource on psychosocial and substance abuse issues and resources for all team members.
• Provide telephonic and face-to-face outreach, engagement, and service planning during clients' stay at the center and immediately following discharge.
• Act as a linkage to community services, including medical, behavioral, residential, entitlement, and any other needed services per interdisciplinary care plan.
• Monitor overall service delivery to clients to ensure coordination and continuity; advocate with service providers/resources as needed.
• Provide crisis intervention and follow-up.
• Complete training and maintain proficiency with de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• Peer Specialist Certification or eligibility with a plan to obtain certification within 1 year of employment required.
• At least 1 year of experience as a peer specialist in a related setting preferred.
• Relevant life experience required, including personal experience living with a disability and/or social/emotional challenge, and willingness to draw upon this experience to serve as a role model.
• Familiarity with NYS Entitlements, Housing, Health, and/or Mental Health/Substance Abuse Service Delivery System preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal and written communication skills required.
• Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office and Electronic Health Records required.
• Valid and clean NYS Driver's License required.
• Ability and willingness to travel in own vehicle to different locations with work in the mobile response team.

Family Service League is committed to the belief that all individuals deserve uncompromising respect. Through our recruitment efforts, we continually strive to attain and maintain a diverse and inclusive workforce that meets the needs of our clients and reflects the communities we serve. Family Service League strongly encourages candidates from all backgrounds and experiences to apply for any positions for which they feel potentially qualified.