CORE Certified Peer Specialist

Mental Health Association of Nassau County (MHANC) is a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to improving mental health in our community through advocacy, education, program development, and the delivery of direct services. Our organization is looking for a motivated individual with a calling to help adults with mental illness by becoming a CORE Peer Specialist.

Community Oriented Recovery and Empowerment (CORE) services is a program serving individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness. This program serves Medicaid HARP enrollees and works to assist individuals in reaching their recovery goals. Services provided include Psychosocial Rehabilitation, which incorporates education and employment goals, and Peer Support. There is an extensive and broad range of services that include but are not limited to the improvement of daily living skills, managing finances, obtaining or improving safe and affordable housing, furthering one’s education, obtaining employment, achieving personal recovery and/or resilience, improving family and interpersonal relationships, preventing social isolation, connecting with effective and comprehensive behavioral health and primary care, and full community integration. The CORE Services Certified Peer Specialist is responsible for delivering Peer Support as well as the other direct care services offered within the CORE program.

The CORE Services Certified Peer Specialist is responsible for ensuring members receive person-centered, trauma-informed and culturally competent services with a rehabilitation and recovery focus in their homes or their community. This role is responsible for facilitating the utilization of natural resources and the enhancement of recovery-oriented principles with the intention to assist individuals with initiating recovery, maintaining health and wellness, and enhancing the quality of personal and family life for long-term recovery.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage a caseload of members that are enrolled in the CORE services program, seeing them on a 1:1 basis as needed, wanted, and defined by an individualized service plan.
• Help individuals work on goals such as community connectedness, development of natural resources, physical and mental health wellness, education, employment, self-help, and independent living skills.
• Provide services in a person-centered, goal-oriented, trauma informed and culturally competent approach which includes advocacy, outreach and engagement, self-help tools, recovery supports, transitional supports, pre-crisis and crisis supports.
• Assist in selecting and utilizing self-directed and evidence-based recovery tools, including but not limited to Wellness and Recovery Plans (WRAP) or Relapse Prevention Planning, with members to develop skills for long-term recovery.
• Provide health coaching and recovery support, especially on issues of self-advocacy, wellness self-management, medication adherence, smoking cessation, entitlements, and daily living activities.
• Assist with and coordinate transportation to appointments, including provision of travel training as needed.
• Accompany members to behavioral health, medical and/or other appointments to support and facilitate engagement and follow through as needed.
• Coordinate and communicate care planning with other providers of services.
• Attend and participate in collaborative CORE team meetings.
• Act as a linkage to community services including medical, behavioral, residential, entitlement and any other needed services.
• Maintain compliance with all New York State Office of Mental Health policies and procedures.
• Maintain organized and accurate documents and client records using AWARDS - electronic health record (EHR) database.
• Perform related duties as assigned by supervisor.
• Produce comprehensive and descriptive progress notes with time, location, intervention and follow-up needed.
• Document every service with strict deadlines
• Complete required extensive trainings and pass post-training test in the areas of psychosocial rehabilitation, trauma-informed care, person-centered care, motivational interviewing, substance use disorders, and mental health 
• Provide Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) services in accordance with the member’s individualized service plan, including skill-building interventions that promote recovery, independence, community integration, and improved functioning in daily living.

Education & Experience

• High School Diploma or GED required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• NYS Peer Certification (Provisional or Full Certification), OR NY Certified Peer Recovery Advocate (NYCRPA) Certification as well as maintaining this certification which is necessary to maintain active job status.  If certification is not completed upon hire, peer certification must be obtained within six (6) months from the hire date.  
• Lived experience required: personal experience living with a disability, history of mental health challenge and/or substance abuse and willingness to draw upon this experience to serve as a role model to support the recovery goals of individuals served
• Bilingual Spanish preferred.

Other Qualifications

• Working knowledge of computer software and electronic health record systems
• Demonstrated competency in written, verbal and computational skills to present and document records in accordance with program standards
• Knowledge of Medicaid, Social Security, and other entitlement systems
• Excellent interpersonal skills required
• Ability and willingness to regularly travel using public transportation throughout the boroughs and have flexibility in hourly/weekly schedule
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external colleagues
• Excellent computer proficiency (MS Office – Word, Excel, and Outlook)
• Must be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, while maintaining a positive attitude and providing exemplary customer service
• Ability to work independently and to conduct assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices