Youth Peer Specialist

Position Summary:
The Youth Peer Specialist possesses direct experience with mental health services, social and emotional learning, and/or substance use. They will aid mental health, behavioral health, education, and substance use providers, by helping YEAH develop youth-guided services and serving as a resource to youth served by CRU, C3RT, and/or CARE.

In their role as a peer mentor, and following the four tasks of Intentional Peer Support - building connection, helping each other understand how we’ve come to know what we know, redefining help as a co-learning and growing process, and helping each other move toward what is wanted rather than away from what is not wanted – the Youth Peer Specialist will collaborate with, coach, and challenge individuals to view their life situations as an opportunity for growth and change. Utilizing their experiences and skills, they will assist youth in moving toward self–advocacy and attaining their own culturally specific life goals.

Essential Functions:

• Using their recovery experience and a formal goal-setting process, the Y-CPS will:
• Lead ongoing one-on-one and group sessions to assist youth in articulating personal goals, identifying and combatting negative self-talk and overcoming fears, learning and utilizing social-emotional techniques, developing empowerment skills, and combating stigma through self-advocacy.
• Create and provide a safe place that allows group members and Y-CPS to openly share their experiences.
• Use various tools such as Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to guide youth in creating their individual wellness and recovery plans, and to collaborate with their therapist, youth care worker, and/ or school treatment team to achieve goals and self-directed recovery.
• Assist youth in connecting with peers and their communities to develop an information and support network, and build social skills to enhance future job acquisition and tenure.
• Support youths’ academic choices, assist in choosing assignments matching their strengths, review homework and provide homework tips to overcome academic-related anxiety.
• Teach and model the value of every individual’s journey experience, effective coping techniques and self-help strategies.
• Serve as a recovery agent by supporting youth who have mental illness, social and emotional learning, and/or substance use disorders to make healthy choices and advocate for a proactive role in their treatment.
• With assistance from the Youth Coordinator and CPS Lead, work with youth and other treatment team staff to develop a treatment/recovery plan based on each youth’s identified goals. Document person-centered strengths, needs, abilities, and recovery goals, interventions to assist with reaching their recovery goals, and progress made toward goals.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the Recovery process and the ability to facilitate recovery using established standardized mental health processes.
• Awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental illness (i.e. auditory and visual hallucinations, aggressive talk and behavior, thoughts of self-harm or harm towards others, isolation) and the skill to teach strategies such as positive self-talk and basic problem-solving to address symptoms and support self-directed recovery.
• Familiarity with and understanding of how to use community resources necessary for independent living; able to teach these skills to individuals with severe mental illness.
• Knowledge of how to establish and sustain self-help (mutual support) and educational groups by soliciting input from mental health consumers on their strengths and interests.
• Strong service coordination and team-building skills.
• Valid MO Class E or state equivalent driver's license.
• Must own an adequately insured, reliable vehicle.

Required Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Youth Peer Specialist certification.
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training required; can be completed upon hire.
• First Aid/CPR certification.
• One year of clinical experience is preferred but not required.
• Must be able to pass pre-employment background check (verification of education and certification, criminal history check and abuse/neglect check), as well as Motor Vehicle Record check.

Hours:

• 11am - 7pm

This role will include a $500 sign on bonus!

- $250 after your first 90 days of employment!

- $250 after your first 6 months of employment!

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

At BHR, we believe that every team member has an integral role in the lifesaving treatment we provide. We are a trauma-informed agency, and we hire people who are passionate about our mission and committed to improving the lives of those we serve through our trauma-informed models of practice.

Behavioral Health Response is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, creed, age, disability, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, national origin, or any other legally protected status.