Peer Support Specialist - Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation

Peer Support Specialist

Public Community Health

Department of Tribal Health

Hourly Wage: $22.17/Regular/Full-Time

The Peer Support Specialist first and foremost uses their personal experiences to develop meaningful and trusting relationships with patients, acting as a mentor. This position will be for an individual who has skills working with individuals with high behavioral health and medical needs. The Peer Support Specialist is a mediator, facilitator, and cultural broker between the client and other agencies. They ensure that each patient is heard, and their needs are being addressed and met. They are responsible for utilizing their expertise and their lived experience to provide peer support, coaching, resource referrals, and case management in a variety of settings through clinical and support services. The Peer Support Specialist will serve as an advocate to help each client better understand the services provided and empathize with their unique and subjective experience and perceptions.

Examples of Work Performed:

Outreach worker: Identifies and engages hard-to-reach individuals; offers living proof of the transformative power of recovery and makes recovery attractive.

Motivator: Exhibits faith in client's capacity for change, encourages and celebrates their recovery achievements, and mobilizes internal and external recovery.

Resources: Encourages the client's self-advocacy and economic self-sufficiency.

Ally and confidant: Genuinely cares and listens to the client, can be trusted with confidences, and can identify areas of potential growth.

Truth-teller: Provides feedback on the recovery progress. Identifies areas which have presented or may present roadblocks to continued abstinence.

Role model and mentor: Offers their life as living proof of the transformative power of recovery and provides stage-appropriate recovery education.

Planner: Facilitates the transition from a professionally directed treatment plan to a client-developed and directed personal recovery plan. Assists in structuring daily activities around this plan.

Problem solver: Helps resolve personal and environmental obstacles to recovery.

Monitor or companion: When the client will be best served with regular, around the clock attendance, or attendance for a set number of hours per day, the client may need a sober companion.

Tour guide: Introduces newcomers into the culture of recovery; provides an orientation to recovery roles, rules, rituals, language, etiquette; and opens doors for opportunities for community participation.

Advocate: Provides an invaluable service for those resistant to remaining abstinent from drugs and/or alcohol, but who must do so due to legal, medical, family, or contractual obligations. Helps the individual's families navigate complex social, service, and legal systems.

Educator: Provides a client with normative information about the stages of recovery. They can facilitate the process necessary to remain free from the addiction, inform client of the professional helpers within the community and about the prevalence, pathways, and lifestyles of long-term recovery.

Community organizer: Every member of the community support center helps develop and expand recovery support resources, enhances cooperative relationships between professional service organizations and local recovery support groups, cultivates opportunities for people in recovery to participate in volunteerism, and performs other acts of service to the community.

Lifestyle consultant/coach: Supports the client through challenges arising from everyday activities. For some, this is done through several one-on-one sessions each week, while some clients prefer daily telephone contact. Assists individuals and their families to develop sobriety-based rituals of daily living; and encourages activities across religious, spiritual, and secular frameworks that enhance life's meaning and purpose.

Processes logistics of patient arrival and departure of Treatment and counseling. This includes arranging transportation or providing for the patient, managing follow-up appointments, and working with facility administrators and discharge staff members.

Check-in on patients regularly and evaluate and document their progress.

Attend weekly clinical supervision meeting.

Consult and collaborate with other health care providers and specialists to arrange patient appointments

and treatment plans.

Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Ability to write submit accurate billing data according to the program requirements.

Ability to stay organized, assess priorities, take initiative, handle multiple assignments, meet deadlines to develop solutions to problems. Strong attention to detail and accuracy.

Ability to implement our policy and procedures specific to self-harm.

Knowledge of the Yakama Nation Personnel policies.

Knowledge and proficiency in computer use (Word, excel, Power Point, etc.).

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other program staff, supervisors/managers, and the public.

Ability to meet the public and address problems, issues, and complaints tactfully, courteously, and effectively.

Punctuality and attendance essential.

Superb verbal and written communication skills to share updates with patients and other medical staff.

Is knowledgeable of information, for individuals or for their families, about sources of sober housing, recovery conducive employment, health and social services, and recovery support. Matches the individuals with support groups or twelve-step meetings.

Excellent customer service skills to provide ongoing support for patients and their families.

Ability to maintain confidentially. (Required)

Minimum Requirements:

Associates Degree preferred; and/or have at least 3 years experience working with youth and adults within mental health or substance use disorder capacity.

Must have completed or is enrolled in the Washington State Peer certification program (Certified Peer Counselor Licensure). Must meet WAC 388-865-0150 definition of a consumer.

Must meet all the requirements listed under Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations.

Must obtain Washington State Registered Agency Affiliated Counselor Credential. Must maintain an active credential with the State of Washington.

Must have First Aid/CPR card or ability to obtain one within three months of employment.

Must pass a pre-employment background check.

Must possess a valid Washington State Driver's License with the ability to obtain a Yakama Nation Driving permit.

Required to pass a pre-employment drug test.

Preferred Requirements:

Enrolled Yakama Preference, but all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.