Peer Specialist

Join a Team That Changes Lives

For more than 170 years, Elwyn has been leading the way in supporting children, teens, and adults with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and behavioral health challenges. As a mission-driven nonprofit, we’re here to create real change – helping people lead meaningful, fulfilling lives.

Now, we’re looking for passionate team members to join us. Here, your work will change lives – including your own. You’ll make an impact every day, find purpose in what you do, and grow in a career that truly matters.

At Elwyn, we take care of you while you care for others. We offer:

• Generous Paid Time Off
• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision Benefit Packages
• Earned Wage Access/On-Demand Pay
• Paid On-the-Job Training
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Career Advancement Opportunities and Growth
• Flexible Schedules
• Retirement Savings Plan

Join us and be a part of something bigger. Apply today.

Elwyn is seeking an Adult Community Clinical Service (ACCS) Peer Specialist. As the Peer Specialist, you are a fully integrated team member to provide expertise about the recovery process, symptom management, and the persistence clients must sustain to have a satisfying life.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Integrates the Prism Model for effective treatment of serious and persistent mental illness into everyday practice and intervention
• Provides person-centered, strength-based, trauma-informed care
• Ensures that clients receive effective, understandable, and respectful care that is provided in a manner compatible with client's cultural beliefs and practices and preferred language
• Collaborates with the team to promote a team culture in which each client's point of view, experiences, and preferences are recognized, understood, and respected, in which client self-determination and decision-making in developing a Community Service Plan are maximized and supported.
• Provides peer counseling and consultation to individual clients, families, and team staff; and assists in treatment, substance use services, education, support, and consultation to families, and crisis intervention under the clinical supervision of the LPHA team members.
• Serves as a mentor to clients to promote hope and empowerment
• Acts as an interpreter to help team members better understand and empathize with each client's unique and subjective experience and perceptions
• Helps clients identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness and develop strategies to eliminate to reduce self-stigma.
  In addition, helps other team members understand and combat the stigma.
• Collaborates with the team to ensure the protection of client rights.
• Supports the clients with understanding Human Rights and the grievance or complaint process
• Practices a Housing First approach
• Awareness of and offers a range of valuable community activities and linkages that support the client's understanding of recovery and social opportunities.
• Shares duties with the team in providing treatment and substance use services; ongoing assessment, suggest changes in the Community Service Plan to ensure immediate and appropriate interventions are provided in response to changes in mental status or behaviors that may put clients at risk.
• Provides ongoing assessment, problem-solving, skill-building, support (reminders, encouragement), and environmental adaptations to assist clients with activities of daily living, i.e., vocational/educational, household tasks, self-care, transportation, community resources, financial skills, maintaining safe, affordable housing.
• Assists in the provision of direct clinical services to clients on an individual, group, or family basis
• Practices engagement skills across the adult lifespan
• Co-facilitates recovery and self-help groups (12-step, WRAP) with the Substance Abuse Specialist
• Participates in the Daily Organizational Meeting
• Along with the team, on an ongoing basis, reviews the required outcomes to evaluate community tenure and independence.
• Works with the team to complete a comprehensive assessment as an engagement tool and to understand and respect the client's views of the ways mental illness impacts their life and how they want to be supported in their process of recovery
• Documents client progress, activities, and outreaches in the Electronic Health Record
• Performs other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Pre-Employment Education/Experience

A person that has received behavioral healthcare services and is willing to offer personal, practical experience, knowledge, and first-hand insight for the benefit of the team and its clients 

• College degree in a human service field, or any other area, have a high school diploma, or have at least two years of paid or volunteer experience with adults with mental conditions  
• Preference will be given to candidates who meet the cultural and linguistic needs of the geographic area.

  Relevant Post-job Offer Testing/Conditions

• Knowledge and practice of FHR, DPH, and DMH policies, regulations, and standards.
• Must complete ACCS Module Training within 30 days of hire 
• Participate in other FHR required/ recommended training according to the training calendar 
• Become a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) within 9-12 months of hire 
• Meet or exceed professional development goals
• WRAP certification within 12 months of hire 
• Demonstrates fidelity to the ACCS model
• Ability to make contacts and establish relationships with internal and external supports that allow for the program to function within the more extensive system 
• Ongoing education and training in culturally and linguistically appropriate service delivery 

Elwyn is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Elwyn does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, pregnancy status, medical condition, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, sexual orientation or identity, age, national origin, citizenship, handicap status, marital or family status, mental or physical disability, perceived disability, military or veteran status, political activities or affiliations, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law, ordinance, or regulation.