Position Description:

The Peer Specialist will provide direct input from a consumer’s perspective regarding the transformation of community services, serves as a sounding board for individual's issues and concerns. The Peer Specialist will role model competency in recovery and ongoing coping skills.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Attends and participates in community forums dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues and concerns.
• Speaks to individuals regarding services received and provides feedback to both the department and providers.
• Assist providers in developing role recovery objectives that meet individual progress towards their goals.
• Will discuss with individual's areas within the provider's service delivery that needs to the targeted for improvement.
• Engages individuals to talk about their experiences to promote understanding of life experiences and its effects on functioning and to promote hope for recovery.
• Is able to develop rapport with persons involved in the criminal justice system, who have alcohol, addiction, mental health issues or who have other behavioral/emotional difficulties.
• Assists with enrollment for services provided by community behavioral health providers.
• Assist provider staff in identifying program environments that are conducive to recovery; lend their unique insight into mental illness and what makes recovery possible.
• Assists in peer group support utilizing the Illness Management and Recovery model to facilitate problem solving, communication skills development and personal growth.
• Provides services with area/s of competency, i.e. life experience, training, certification, education or other background in the service area. Seeks direction from clinicians when needs fall outside areas of competency.
• Assists in completing and maintaining a personal recovery plan which includes identified person-centered strengths, needs, abilities, and goals, interventions to assist the person served in reaching these goals and progress made toward these goals.
• Attend treatment teams meeting as requested to promote and support consumer's insight to recovery as directed.
• Provides specific community liaison services as assigned by supervisor.
• Performs other reasonable and related duties as assigned.

Minimum Training and Experience:

• Requires a high school diploma or G.E.D. and at least one (1) year of full-time experience in a mental health or addictions treatment setting.
• Obtain certification as a Certified Peer Specialist by the Florida Certification Board.
• Requires knowledge of addictions treatment and/or mental health treatment programs and supportive services.
• Requires general understanding of the causes, nature, and treatment of substance abuse and/or mental health problems.