PEER RECOVERY SUPPORT SPECIALIST

PEER RECOVERY SUPPORT SPECIALIST

University of Alabama at Birmingham

General Responsibilities

• To work with substance abuse and/or other mental health related program participants in groups and/or on a one-on-one basis to provide advocacy and personal coaching/mentoring.
• To serve as a vital member of the case management team.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Maintains group and/or individual supportive interaction with participants, their families and social supports.
• Facilitates recovery support groups as assigned.
• Assists case managers in directing clients to available resources in the community to promote community integration.
• Prepares clients for the challenges they will face.
• Transports clients to various community entities as deemed necessary by case manager or program administrator.
• Assists in the orientation process for participants who are new to substance abuse and/or other mental health related programs.
• Keeps case management team (case managers, counselors, program administrators, etc.) informed about patients/clients strengths, accomplishments and obstacles in relation to their recovery goals.
• Provides education and advocacy within the community and agency that promotes awareness of substance abuse and/or other mental health related disorders and criminal thinking while reducing misconceptions, prejudice and discrimination.
• Attends training and development as required.
• Provides training documentation as required.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Ability to encourage and persuade people
• Ability to train others
• Ability to mentor others
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to work independently
• Conflict resolution skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills
• Written and verbal communication skills

Additional Responsibilities

• Provide one-on-one advocacy and personal coaching/mentoring to patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose after they are discharged from UAB Hospital per the study protocol
• Interact with physicians and study team to support peer care delivery and serve as a vital member of the study team.
• In conjunction with investigators or clinical research staff, support efforts to recruit and enroll patients in a program to link OUD cases to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) services, and psychosocial counseling, and addiction treatment programs.
• Provide follow-up services to encourage and motivate patients with OUD to follow through with plans to access MOUD services and community-based treatment programs.
• Link/refer patients to next addiction programs and clinics for continuity of care
• Attend study-related team meetings.
• Be familiar with study protocol and may provide study-related summaries and reports to study team.
• May also assist with data dissemination in peer-related conferences.
• Attend study-related team meetings.
• Keep a good record of peer service
• Enter some study-related data
• Perform other duties as assigned

Preferred

• Prefers BA or BS behavioral health or psychology.
• At least two year related experience as a peer support specialist in addiction.
• Certified as a peer support specialist by ADMH
• Ability to operate various office machines including printers, computers and various software packages
• Interpersonal skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office products
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Be a good team player and flexible with tasks at work

Hourly Range\: $15.00-$21.15