ACT Peer Spec
Job Details
Job Location
Queensbury-Bay-PCFC - Queensbury, NY
Position Type
Part Time-Benefited
Salary Range
$20.00 - $20.00 Hourly
Travel Percentage
Up to 50%
Description
POSITION SUMMARYThe Assertive Community Treatment team (ACT) Program is an innovative treatment program.The program serves adults with severely and persistently mentally ill diagnoses.The Peer Specialist will work .5 FTE as part of an ACT with program participants, familymembers, and all other team members. The Peer Specialist serves a unique role on the team.By drawing on his or her own lived experience of overcoming challenges with mental illness, thePeer Specialist can instill hope in clients and families. Walking alongside clients on theirrecovery journeys, the Peer Specialist is an ally, mentor, and advocate for clients as theycontend with the difficulties and uncertainties of mental illness.The Peer Specialist uses his or her lived experience to contribute to treatment planning for eachparticipant, and facilitating the teams development and maintenance of a culture of respect.The Peer Specialist can provide an essential framework for highlighting the potential that eachclient has for achieving a successful recovery trajectory. Because of their experiences asservice recipients, peer specialists are in a unique position to serve as role models, educaterecipients about self-help techniques and self-help group processes, teach effective copingstrategies based on personal experience, teach symptom management skills, assist in clarifyingrehabilitation and recovery goals, and assist in the development of community support systemsand networks.In addition to attending team meetings, Peer Specialists often work directly with other teammembers to provide support and assistance to program participants. Peer Specialists willprovide in person support to clients and assist with client engagement.ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may beassigned. Employees are expected to be awake and alert while working.Engage individuals and establish trusting, collaborative relationships directed toward thegoals clients identify on their treatment plans.Contribute to client treatment plans, advocating for clients' needs.Participate in daily treatment team meetings.Provide individual face to face support either alone or with team members.Spend 70% or more of scheduled work hours in community settings.Meet with collateral contacts to provide psychoeducation about serious mental illnessSUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIESThis position has no supervisory responsibilities.LEADERSHIPFunctions as an independent contributor without specific responsibility to give direction orsupervision to other staff.Position DescriptionACT Peer SpecialistSUPERVISION RECEIVEDGeneral supervision: routine duties are performed with minimal supervision; standard practicesor procedures allow to proceed alone at routine work; occasional check of work while inprogress; work is reviewed upon completion. Work is reviewed by supervisor for soundness ofjudgment and overall adequacy and accuracy.QUALIFICATIONSTo perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential dutysatisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/orability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals withdisabilities to perform the essential functions.EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCERequires a High School diploma or GED; additional education preferred.CERTIFICATION / LICENSUREDrivers license is required.Requires NY Peer Specialist Certification, or eligible for a peer specialist certification.KNOWLEDGESolid knowledge of a variety of direct care/caregiving, office, quality, customer service, ormaintenance procedures.COMMUNICATION and CONTACT with OTHERSRequires effective communication skills. Communication involves interpersonal contacts withclients/families or programs/departments to coordinate service, treatment, or other work.Frequent telephone contact or written correspondence inside the program/department and/oroutside the organization involving communication of standard procedures or discussions of noncontroversialmatters. Regularly training/teaching clients, customers, or new employees instandardized programs or procedures.DECISION MAKINGWork is primarily performed independently, but under general direction for assigned duties andresponsibilities. Initiative is encouraged in planning and carrying out work, but guidance andassistance are readily available. Suggestions for decisions and resolutions that are withinaccepted guidelines are encouraged.CONSEQUENCES of ERRORSImage/Reputation: Errors could cause adverse effect to clients, could cause client- or agencyrelatedimage/reputation concerns, inaccurate reports/records, and/or could result indissemination of inaccurate or incomplete information. Such errors may be detected inside oroutside the organization and could result in obligating the organization to take a risk or somefinancial obligation or loss.LANGUAGE SKILLSAbility to read, understand and implement documents such as care instructions, proceduremanuals, operating instructions, and safety rules. Ability to write routine reports andPosition DescriptionACT Peer Specialistcorrespondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees oforganization.REASONING ABILITYAbility to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situationswhere only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of information/instructionsfurnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.ORGANIZATIONAL SCOPE and IMPACTThis position is not a functional head of a program or department.FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITYResponsible for limited financial transactions. May be responsible for petty cash, flex funds, orsimilar @types of financial transactions.MATHEMATICAL SKILLSAbility to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers,common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw andinterpret bar graphs.TECHNOLOGY SKILLSIntermediate competency in Windows operating environment using MS Office applications,database, e-mail and internet programs.WORK ENVIRONMENTThe work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employeeencounters while performing the essential functions of this job.Work requires over 50% community travel/visits. Drivers license is required.Travel requires use of own vehicle in transporting clients.Possible exposure to blood borne pathogens. Possible exposure to verbal and/or physicalaggression.PHYSICAL DEMANDSThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by anemployee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonableaccommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essentialfunctions.The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work, with somewalking; standing; bending; carrying of items such as papers, books, small parts; driving anautomobile; etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.EMPLOYER'S DISCLAIMERAll requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individualswith disabilities.Position DescriptionACT Peer SpecialistThis job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed bythe employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-relatedinstructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor.Furthermore, the agency reserves the right to add to or revise an employee's job duties at anytime at its sole discretion.This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an atwill employment relationship.Employee Name (please print)Employee Signature and Acknowledgement Date
