Peer Support Specialist - Adult Outpatient Mental Health Services
Join the Marion County Adult Behavioral Health peer team as a Peer Support Specialist and use your lived experience to support others! Come along side those in our community with severe and persistent mental illness and offer peer support as they travel on their mental health recovery journey. The Peer Support Specialist provides recovery-oriented supports in a one-on-one and group setting and helps individuals utilize their personal strengths to reach their goals. The Peer Support Specialist uses recovery tools, shares personal recovery stories, acts as an advocate, is an addition to clinical mental health staff, is open to unique aspects of one's recovery journey, espouses SAMHSA's recovery model, and utilizes understanding and respect when working with others.
Here is what Peer Support Specialists are saying about working for Marion County:
- I want to give back the support that was given to me and feel like I have a job that matters. -Trisha
- I have a passion for peer support, and I feel like I am in a space to support others with their mental health recovery journey now. - Jason
- I like meeting one on one with people and getting to know them - Geneva
This is a fully in-person position. Marion County offers a generous benefits package from health insurance to planning for retirement.
- Health, dental & vision coverage for employee and their eligible family members
- Oregon Public Retirement System (PERS) - Marion County pays 100% of PERS contribution (6% of salary)
- Deferred compensation plans
- Flexible spending account (FSA)
- Competitive salary with seven steps of 5% increases; employees are eligible for a step increase at six months and annually thereafter.
- 10 county observed holidays per year and 2 personal holidays per year.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES
The Peer Support Specialist provides support, encouragement, and assistance to mental health individuals. The specialist will promote those activities that foster recovery and empowerment by sharing their personal experiences when appropriate, modeling self-help and wellness activities. Acts as an advocate who facilitates and connects individuals to services and activities. As a member of the treatment team the incumbent provides expertise, experience, and consultation to the team to promote a culture in which each individual's point of view and preferences are recognized, respected, and integrated into treatment.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Works under the close supervision of a qualified clinical supervisor who assigns work, establishes goals, and reviews the results obtained for overall effectiveness.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Supervision of other employees is not a responsibility of positions in this class.
Typical Duties - Duties include, but are not limited to the following
Provide support, encouragement, and assistance to mental health individuals enrolled in Marion County Adult Behavioral Health (ABH).
Support Recovery
- Promote activities that foster recovery and empowerment by sharing personal experiences when appropriate, modeling self-help and wellness activities.
- Provide outreach to engage individuals and assist them in overcoming barriers to participating in services.
- Offer support to develop personal recovery and wellness goals, explore self-help strategies, review dimensions of wellness, engage in wellness activities, act as a peer advocate, and provide encouragement and hope.
Community Linkage
- Facilitate and connect individuals to services and activities with a focus on building self-efficacy.
- Help link individuals with peer and community resources to build natural supports.
- Support and assist individuals to strengthen linkages to community peer delivered services.
- Support individuals in accessing and acquiring services related to medical, social, educational, transportation, housing, education, employment, and other applicable services.
- Provide education and/or training to assist individuals in acquiring skills that will maintain community stability and independence.
- Promote skill building activities in the local community to support personal wellness and ongoing recovery.
- Provide case management support regarding eligibility and referral requirements for various programs. Provide supportive navigation, information, and coaching during application processes.
- Share information regarding accessing various services and supports.
- Support individuals to develop self-help skills, social skills, and community integration.
Advocacy and Well-being
- Assist in the development of person-centered plans, including wellness and recovery goals.
- Provide expertise, experience, and consultation to the team to promote a culture where individual point of view is recognized, respected, and integrated into treatment.
Documentation
- Maintain accurate and timely documentation of clinical records in accordance with federal, state, county, and treatment program requirements under the direction of the clinical supervisor. Meet performance expectations for time and billing standards.
Miscellaneous
- Participate fully as a member of the Marion County ABH team as a supportive, reliable, positive, collaborative, and professional team member during the development of individual treatment planning, team meetings, and crisis intervention.
- Work with a team and supervisor for clinical supervision, treatment planning, staff and departmental meetings, and training.
- Other duties as assigned by your supervisor.
Response Level 2: In the event of an emergency, employee makes a reasonable effort to report to work. Employee may be required to perform duties outside of their regularly assigned duties. Employee may be requested to work an extended or flexible schedule. Staff at this response level must complete Incident Command System 100 and 700 on-line or in-person training.
Requirements for the Position
EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING
As defined by OAR 309-019-0105 (81) "Peer Support Specialist" means an individual providing peer delivered services to an individual or family member with similar life experience under the supervision of a qualified clinical supervisor and a qualified peer delivered services supervisor as resources are made available.
PECIAL REQUIREMENTS
- Applicants will be asked to discuss recovering experiences during the interview process.
- Must successfully complete a Mental Health approved peer support training program within six (6) months of hire.
- Must possess a current driver's license in the applicant's state of residence and an acceptable driving history. Marion County will obtain a copy of the driving record for all qualified applicants from Driver and Motor Vehicle Services and review the driving record according to the Marion County policy and procedure for Driving on County Business. The policy can be found at: http://apps.co.marion.or.us/APAP/.
- This position may be subject to the following: Must not be excluded from participation in the federal health care programs (Medicaid, Medicare and other federally funded programs that provide health benefits); AND must not be excluded from participating in federal procurement (Federal Acquisition Regulation) and non-procurement activities (Executive Order No. 12549).
- The finalist for this position will be required to pass a criminal history background check; however, conviction of a crime may not necessarily disqualify an individual for this position.
- This is a safety sensitive/special needs position. Final candidates selected for this position will be required to pass a pre-employment drug screen, including testing for marijuana. The Marion County Drug and Alcohol Use and Testing Policy can be found at: http://apps.co.marion.or.us/APAP/policy.aspx?p=policy&pid=518.
- This position is represented by a union.
- This assignment is represented by a union.
- This is a full-time position, which is eligible for overtime.
- Typical Work Schedule: This position will work 40 hours with five 8-hour shifts, scheduled with flexibility depending upon the needs of the department and program.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Understanding of approaches to support others in recovery andresiliency and demonstrates efforts at self-directed recovery.
Knowledgeable of community resources and how to connect individuals to those resources.
Ability to understand and carry out directions and instructions; ability to maintain confidentiality; interest and skill in providing services to individuals; ability to speak, read and write English; ability to provide documentation consistent with department standards for quality and timeliness; willingness to work hours conducive to reaching the identified population; ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with individuals, coworkers, and other agencies.
Will be asked to discuss recovering experiences during interview process.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Operates a motor vehicle; sees using depth perception; stands; sits; moves about the work area; bends forward; climbs 1 floor of stairs; lifts, pushes, pulls, moves carts and carries items weighing up to 5 lbs.; operates a keyboard; speaks with a clear and audible voice; reads a 12 pt. font; hears a normal speech level; on rare occasion, works in client homes or other areas exposed to dust or second-hand smoke; may work in uneven areas.
Additional Information and/or Attachments
We offer the following retention bonus, prorated based on FTE:
- $1,250 bonus after 6 months of continuous employment
- $1,250 bonus after 12 months of continuous employment
We offer tuition assistance for employees interested in professional development towards a profession in behavioral health.
- Up to $20,000 to reimburse for tuition, licensure and/or other educational expenditures. According to the Marion County policy administrative policies regarding tuition payments.
Marion County offers a generous benefits package to regular employees working 50% or more of the regularly scheduled work week and their eligible dependents. Temporary employees and part-time regular employees working less than 50% of the regularly scheduled work week are not eligible for benefits.
Most regular positions in this classification are represented by Marion County Employees Association (MCEA). For a summary of benefits, click here. For a complete and detailed overview of the MCEA benefits package, click here, and select MCEA Benefits from the left menu or Marion County Employees Association (MCEA) from the page links. Regular and temporary employees are represented by MCEA.
Salary and benefits are subject to union contract negotiations and may change as a result.