SUD Peer Support Specialist at Lakes Region Mental Health Center – Laconia, New Hampshire

Job Summary:

The Peer Support Specialist uses their own lived experience of recovery from mental illness and/or addiction, plus skills learned in formal training, to deliver services in mental health settings, and other settings, to promote mind-body recovery and resiliency. This is a grant funded position and is contingent upon continued grant/restricted funding.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Coordinates and oversees Peer Supports services
• Enters into mutually supportive relationships with patients that support recovery and shares their stories of recovery
• Provides functional support services with a recovery focus to patients and their families
• Maximize patient choice, self-determinization and decision-making in the planning, delivery and evaluation of treatment, recovery and support services
• Assists patients to discover and maintain a valued role(s) in the community
• Facilitate and ensure patient choice, self-determination and decision making in the planning, delivery and evaluation of treatment
• Provide advocacy and education on behalf of the patients and their families to legislators, decision-makers, community members and agencies about mental health, recovery, and peer support
• Provide peer counseling and consultation to patients, family members and team, and act as liaison to community services
• Support the program by completing required program documentation with patients
• Travel required within the 24-town catchment area to meet project objectives.
• Attendance is an essential function of this position

Required Skills/Abilities:

The individual must possess the knowledge, skills and ability noted below or be able to explain and demonstrate how the individual can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some combination of skills and abilities.

• Ability to exercise sound clinical judgment in routine, urgent, and emergent clinical situations
• Lived experience with mental illness, and the ability to meet the essential requirements of the job is required
• Ability to work as part of a supportive, multi-disciplinary team that utilizes a range of evidence-based treatment modalities to help individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders.
• Able to establish rapport and communicate effectively with patients, team members, and other agencies, working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures is required
• Ability to organize workload so that clinical and administrative duties are completed in a timely and thorough manner without the need for direct supervision
• Makes effort to learn and understand the program’s operation and philosophy and apply this knowledge productively both within and outside of the team setting
• Maintain all documentation that is required in a timely manner and comply with all HIPAA requirements
• Ability to use computers, word processing equipment

Education and Experience:

A high school diploma or equivalent is required, with a degree in mental health, human services or addiction (preferred); a combination of education and personal experience may be substituted for a preferable degree. Lived experience with mental health or substance abuse is required.

Certification as a Peer Specialist or Recovery Coach, Intentional Peer Support, WRAP, MOAB preferred.

CRSW certification (preferred) otherwise obtained within 9 months of employment.

Must possess a valid NH driver’s license and auto insurance, appropriate driving record in accordance with LRMHC standards. A valid driver’s license and auto insurance.

Physical Requirements:

• Is able to sustain light physical effort such as frequent staging, walking, bending, stopping or reaching and/or occasional lifting of items 20 lbs. or more.
• Is able to tolerate periods of heavy workload or excessive stress.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment that is unpredictable at times.
• Ability to walk long distances in the community, including using stairs, ramps, elevators and escalators as needed with clients.