Peer Support Specialist - PACT (Missoula, MT) at AWARE in Missoula, MT

Peer Support Specialist - $21.00 - $26.08 per hour to start AWARE - Missoula, MT - Full-Time

If you are passionate about providing high-quality care to individuals in your community, we invite you to join our team at AWARE. AWARE is looking for the right person to join the team as a peer support specialist.

The support we provide helps the adults, children, and families we serve become active and vital members of their community while focusing on personal growth. We are a compassionate and fully engaged team that is dedicated to providing the best possible care to our clients. Our strength lies in our culture of care, and we are looking for individuals who share our commitment to providing unconditional care to those in need.

We are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive work environment where all team members feel valued and respected. We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages, as well as opportunities for professional growth and development. If you are looking for a rewarding career, we encourage you to apply to join our team at AWARE.

Responsibilities:

• Utilize personal recovery experience as a tool to both support individuals receiving services from the team in all aspects of their recovery.
• Support the PACT team in working with program participants from strengths-based perspective.
• Provide peer counseling and support, drawing on common experiences as a peer, to validate clients’ experiences and provide guidance and encouragement to take responsibility and actively participate in their own recovery on an individual and group basis.
• Provide practical help and supports, mentoring, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem solving, direct assistance, and supervision to help clients obtain the necessities of daily living including medical and dental health care, legal and advocacy services, financial supports such as entitlements, housing subsidies, money-management services, and transportation.

BENEFITS: Health Insurance, FSA, HSA, 401k, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Advancement, Professional Development.

Talents, skills, and abilities:

• A High School Diploma or HSE is required, along with past employment experience.
• It is preferable that the individual’s lived experience of mental health challenges includes experience with psychosis during his or her youth. However, personal experience with psychosis is not required.
• Ideally the Peer Specialist is a young adult; however, a Peer Specialist of any age may be considered for the position, if he or she relates well to young people.
• As much as possible, the Peer Specialist should understand the community in which the team is based with an awareness of available community resources.
• The Peer Specialist should also be someone who possesses the fundamental skills to meet the job requirements.
• The Peer Specialist should demonstrate good interpersonal communications skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to and effectively work with participants of mental health services.
• The individual should have two years of active participation in mental health self-help activities, peer support or peer advocacy programs, or participant run organizations or similar experiences or programs.
• They must possess the ability/ willingness to disclose their recovery story (where appropriate) for the purposes of empowerment.

The Peer Support Technician must obtain required certification (Peer Support Specialist Case Manager, complete within 6 months of hire date) as follows:

• Complete 40 total hours of training.
• An assessment completed no longer than 90 days prior to sending in the application.
• PST will be assessed by AWARE's LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, LAC, physician, psychologist, or an advanced practice registered nurse until they reach mastery level in certain areas;
• Once the 40 hours online training and the assessment (which takes place after the 40 hours) is complete, then the PST submits the noted PST Case Manager Application;
• Once application is approved, PST will complete and pass required test;
• PST Case Manager must maintain credential.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.