Apalachee Center, Inc. is best known for helping individuals and families of North Florida succeed in recovering from emotional, psychiatric, and substance abuse crises. Apalachee Center, Inc. provides comprehensive behavioral health services across 8 counties (Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla Counties).
Apalachee Center, Inc. offers competitive benefits for our full-time positions to include health, dental, vision, basic life insurance, long term disability, paid time off, and more.
Overview:
A peer specialist uses his or her lived experience to serve as a mentor to provide support for persons with severe persistent mental illness and or substance use disorder. This role will promote hope and set person-centered recovery-oriented goals. The role is non-clinical and does not include treatment, assessment and/or clinical evaluations of peers. It involves developing a relationship of trust that builds peers’ resilience, hope, recovery skills, and connects them to treatment services.
ESSENTIAL/CORE JOB-SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assist peers by using tools such as Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), in order to help peers, discover safe wellness tools and create a crisis/post-crisis plan.” Accomplish through regular meetings to help peers identify their own strengths and support them in using those strengths to communicate goals to staff and clinicians.
- Assist peers in working with their case manager and other clinician/prescriber in determining the steps to take to achieve the personal goals and self-directed recovery through individual and/or group setting. PS will support peers in finding and developing the self-directed recovery goals by providing skill building, based on personal strength, supports and resources to aid them in order to achieve those goals.
- Role model’s competency in recovery, resiliency, wellness strategies and other techniques to the peers as well as coworkers and other staff. Share own personal recovery journey story to role model the value of recovery and teach peers appropriate self-advocacy to help peers sustain recovery success.
- Completes documentation and other paperwork accurately within 48 hours of service delivery and routed to supervisor approval. Will be directed on appropriate documentation and reviewed by supervisor.
- Meets service productivity standard of at least 62.5% (or 5 out of 8 work hours) for the provision of peer services which are supported by appropriate clinical record documentation which meet Clinical Record Handbook specifications and Agency business/clinical ethics standards.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Openly identifies as a person who has lived experience of using/have used mental health services and/or substance use disorder services or programs.
- Actively engages in self-care program that promotes recovery.
- Minimum of 1 (one) year in recovery required.
Education/Experience:
- A high school diploma or its equivalent.
- Certified as a Peer Specialist or eligible to obtain Peer Specialist certification.
- Experience with mental illnesses and/or substance use disorder.
Licensure or Certification:
- Recognized as a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist by the Florida Certification Board and in good standing or obtain certification within one year of employment.
- Must possess a current and valid driver’s license with no more than six (6) points and maintain Apalachee Designated Auto Driver’s status if transporting consumers is part of the job assignment.
Skills Required
- Openly identifies as a person with lived experience of using mental health or substance abuse services
- Minimum of 1 year in recovery
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Certified as a Peer Specialist or eligible for certification
- Valid driver's license with no more than 6 points
What We Do
Apalachee Center is the largest provider of community mental health care in North Florida's Big Bend region, offering a full spectrum of services for individuals and families seeking help and recovery from psychiatric or substance use crises.
