Peer Support Specialist (53053)

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Peer Support Specialist uses lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery to engage and support individuals served by the Wisconsin Mobile Mental Health Unit. As a member of the treatment team, the Peer Support Specialist promotes hope, self-determination, recovery, and connection to services; assists with crisis stabilization; provides peer mentoring and recovery-focused support; facilitates groups; helps individuals navigate community resources; and supports successful engagement in ongoing behavioral health care. The role provides services from a peer perspective while maintaining appropriate boundaries and working within the scope of peer support practice. Essential functions include those listed below.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Use lived experience purposefully and appropriately to build rapport, instill hope, reduce stigma, and support individuals experiencing behavioral health concerns or crises.
• Provide peer mentoring, emotional support, recovery education, advocacy, and practical assistance from a strengths-based and person-centered perspective.
• Support individuals during and following crisis stabilization by reinforcing coping strategies, recovery goals, safety plans, and connection to ongoing services.
• Assist individuals in identifying personal strengths, natural supports, wellness strategies, recovery goals, and self-directed next steps.
• Help individuals navigate behavioral health, substance use, medical, housing, benefits, transportation, employment, and other community resources.
• Provide warm handoffs and follow-up support to reduce barriers to treatment and improve engagement with recommended services.

• Facilitate or co-facilitate peer-led, recovery-focused, wellness, and skill-building groups as assigned and within the scope of the role.
• Conduct community outreach and engagement activities, including outreach to individuals who may be reluctant or unable to access traditional services.
• Assist with transportation and accompany individuals to approved services or appointments when appropriate and authorized.
• When qualified and authorized, assist with operation of the Mobile Mental Health Unit in accordance with organizational driver and safety requirements.
• Recognize and promptly communicate changes in an individual's presentation, safety, or support needs to the appropriate clinical team member; do not independently perform functions outside the peer role.
• Maintain timely, accurate, objective, and recovery-oriented documentation of peer contacts, services, referrals, follow-up activities, and outcomes.
• Participate in team meetings, case consultation, supervision, training, quality-improvement activities, and community coordination efforts.
• Maintain professional peer boundaries, protect confidentiality, and follow organizational privacy, ethics, safety, incident-reporting, and emergency procedures.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of local behavioral health and recovery resources and collaborative relationships with community partners.
• Conduct psychosocial, functional, and service-needs assessments and identify immediate barriers to safety, stabilization, treatment, and recovery.
• Assist the clinical team with crisis stabilization activities and implementation of individualized safety, service, and follow-up plans.
• Develop, implement, monitor, and update individualized service plans in collaboration with the individual, treatment team, family or natural supports when appropriate, and community providers.
• Provide case management, care coordination, brief supportive interventions, education, advocacy, and problem-solving assistance within the scope of the position.

• Must Embrace and embody the mission, vision, guiding principles, clinical vision, and goals of WestCare Foundation; and
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the duties and responsibilities satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Experience and Competencies:

• Ability to use lived experience intentionally while maintaining professional boundaries and respecting each individual’s unique recovery path.
• Strong interpersonal, engagement, active-listening, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to support individuals in distress without assuming a clinical role or providing services outside the scope of peer support.
• Knowledge of recovery principles, person-centered care, trauma-informed approaches, self-advocacy, and community-based support.
• Ability to work collaboratively with clinical staff, case managers, community partners, families or natural support when appropriate, and other members of the care team.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment, and communicate safety concerns promptly.
• Ability to document services clearly, objectively, and in a manner consistent with peer support practice.
• Basic computer proficiency and ability to use electronic documentation, communication, and scheduling systems required for the role.

• Professional appearance and demeanor.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a criminal history background check.
• CPR Certification, First Aid Certification, and an annual Tuberculosis test.
• Valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is strongly preferred to support operation of the mobile health unit, with an acceptable driving record and the ability to obtain and maintain eligibility for WestCare’s Vehicle Insurance.
• During your tenure with WestCare there may be new requirements, including, but not limited to vaccinations that are issued by local, State, Federal, and/or Funders that WestCare may have to comply with. Should this occur Human Resources or appropriate personnel will inform you.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

• Lived experience with behavioral health and/or substance use recovery sufficient to meet applicable peer certification requirements.
• Experience providing peer support, recovery services, community outreach, behavioral health services, or other human services preferred.
• Experience working with individuals experiencing mental illness, substance use disorders, co-occurring conditions, housing instability, or other complex service needs preferred.
• Knowledge of community behavioral health, recovery, and social service resources preferred.
• High school diploma or equivalent required; Associate's degree in behavioral health, human services, or a related field preferred.

LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION:

• Current Certified Peer Support Specialist certification, or ability to obtain certification within the timeframe required by the program.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work is performed in office, behavioral health, residential/outpatient, mobile, and community-based environments.
• Regular travel throughout the assigned Wisconsin service area is required to support outreach, community partnerships, participant services, meetings, and program activities.
• Regular local travel throughout the service area is required
• Schedule may vary based on program operations and may include evenings, weekends, holidays, or other nontraditional hours when assigned.