Peer Support Specialist

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Offers guidance and support to people who are struggling with substance use disorder, psychological trauma, or mental health disorders.
• Engages individuals in a recovery partnership and assists in identifying participant's hopes and dreams and the solutions they are seeking.
• Teaches recovery and life skills using recovery tools.
• Functions as a role model to peers exhibiting competency in personal recovery.
• Serves as an advocate providing information and peer support for clients.
• Shares relevant personal experiences related to the Recovery Process for the benefit of individuals in recovery.
• Models hope, personal responsibility and self-advocacy to demonstrate how recovery goals can be respectfully met and how a belief in self is maintained.
• Creates a supportive environment for an individual's recovery.
• Assists in developing natural supports and secures a network of community support.
• Cultivates connectedness in the person's life (self, others, the environment, and to meaning and purpose).
• Coordinates with the individual's clinical team and other supports to arrange services or resources to help the individual achieve their goals.
• Observes individuals' changes in mental health status, physical appearance and behavior.
• Attends meetings with DWIHN and MDHHS to report on progress or lack thereof concerning the person served on their treatment.
• Conducts follow ups, attends meetings and interacts with clients and their families after initial contact.
• Assists clients with finding resources for housing, employment and education.
• Maintains records in accordance with professional standards and ensures that files are complete in terms of participant's needs, services provided and care plans.
• Completes clinical documentation as required.
• Understands and adheres to DWIHN compliance standards as they appear in the Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policies.
• Establishes and maintains appropriate working relationships with individual staff, outside agencies and vendors.
• Attends and participates in training, education and staff meetings.
• Performs additional outreach activities in the community.
• Performs other related duties assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of DWIHN policies, procedures and practices.
• Knowledge of the DWIHN provider network and community resources.
• Knowledge of MDHHS policies, rules, regulations and procedures.
• Knowledge of Federal policies, rules, regulations and procedures as it relates to DWIHN.
• Knowledge of and ability to comply with HIPAA security standards to ensure the privacy of people served.
• Knowledge of behavioral health and mental health principles and practices.
• Knowledge of Suicide Prevention, Resilience and Crisis Intervention.
• Knowledge of Peer Recovery practices and principles.
• Knowledge of Substance Use Disorder practices and principles.
• Lived experience in program recovery.
• Assessment skills.
• Evaluation skills.
• Organizational skills.
• Communication skills.
• Active Listening skills.
• Computer skills (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, Outlook, Teams).
• Teamwork Skills.
• Ability to communicate orally.
• Ability to communicate in writing.
• Ability to work effectively with others.
• Ability to work with an ethnically, linguistically, culturally, economically and socially diverse population.
• Judgement/Reasoning ability.

Working Conditions

Work is usually performed in an office setting but requires the employee to drive to different sites throughout Wayne County and the State of Michigan. May include evening and weekend outreach events.