Peer Support Specialist (Rural Southwest Iowa)

At Heartland Family Service, we are committed to building a culture is trauma informed and values and celebrates diversity and inclusion. We believe this allows for better service delivery and innovation, as it encourages our employees to bring various experiences and uniqueness to the workplace.

Trauma Informed Care is an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role that trauma has played in their lives.  Trauma Informed Care also acknowledges the effects of working with trauma survivors on our workforce, and seeks to build collaborative and supportive working environments and relationships.

If you believe in our mission of creating healthy families and communities, and like a fast pace, collaborative and team oriented environment, then Heartland Family Service is the agency for you.

SUMMARY  DESCRIPTION  OF  WORK

A Peer Specialist is someone who has received or is currently receiving services for a Serious and Persistent Mental Illness and provides services to peers from a lived experience perspective.  This person may also have a history of using substances.   This position is a fully integrated Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team member who provides highly individualized services in the community and promotes client self-determination and decision-making from a whole health perspective. This ACT Team will be serving rural counties of Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Region. Peer Specialists also provide essential expertise and consultation to the entire team to promote a culture in which each client's point of view and preferences are recognized, understood, respected, and integrated into treatment, rehabilitation, and community self-help activities. Professionals at this level have excellent communication skills with clients, family members and community institutions. Decision-making, problem solving, and highly developed interpersonal skills are critical. This is a part time position.

Compensation: $15.94 to $20.15 per hour (based on experience)
Work Schedule: 20 hours per week/flexible.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Utilizes lived experience of behavioral health treatment and recovery to support clients in their journey of recovery.
• Approach work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team and respect differing opinions.
• Consults with community agencies and organizations, including peer run programs such as self-help groups and peer drop-in centers. Facilitates client participation in peer self-help programs and activities.
• Document client progress to maintain a permanent record of client activity according to the agency's established methods and procedures. Participates in daily staff organizational meetings and treatment planning review meetings.
• Contributes to the team's ongoing assessment of clients' mental illness symptoms and clients' response to treatment. Share observations and concerns with the team for consultation and direction and takes appropriate action.
• Utilizes recovery-based techniques to provide direct services to clients on an individual, group, and family basis in the office and in community settings to teach symptom-management.
• Assists in skill development in the areas of personal hygiene and grooming tasks, nutrition education, meal planning, grocery shopping, food preparation, locating and maintaining a safe and affordable place to live, daily household maintenance, locating transportation services.
• Provide transportation to assist clients with gaining access to resources.
• Assist clients to obtain a primary care physician, dentist, and eye doctor.
• Assist clients to plan and carry out socialization and leisure time activities.
• Organizes and leads individual and group social and recreational activities.
• Displays a courteous and caring attitude at all times to the clientele, volunteers, and visitors of the Agency.
• Is dependable and punctual regarding scheduling and attendance.
• Abides by all specific program and Agency procedures, policies, and requirements.
• Develops personal and program related skills through participation in internal and external training opportunities.
• Create, maintain and share as appropriate a dynamic self-care plan.
• Strive to make connections between the agency and the larger community whenever possible in order to contribute to the agency’s ongoing fundraising and friend-raising efforts.
• Essential functions of this job are to be performed on company physical work site
• Performs other program related duties as assigned.                                                                           

• Have or obtain Peer Recovery Specialist Certification from Iowa Board of Certification
• Familiar with the Georgia Model of Peer Support and whole health wellness
• Two years paid or volunteer experience working with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness preferred
• Valid driver's license/ acceptable driving record