Family Peer Support Specialist Mental Health

About the position

Maryland Coalition of Families (MCF) has a full-time (40 hours per week) employment opportunity for a Family Peer Support Specialist (FPSS) to serve families in Caroline and Dorchester Counties. The candidate must have personal (not work related) experience as a primary caregiver of a loved one with mental health needs. After training and orientation, the Family Peer Support Specialist will provide family-to-family support, education, advocacy, coaching, information, referrals and follow-up to families seeking assistance.

Responsibilities

• Provide support, encouragement, and education to help families, caregivers and allies who care about someone with mental health needs navigate behavioral health, social, legal, educational and health care systems.
• Offer a strengths-based, non-judgmental, solutions-oriented approach to helping families, caregivers and allies identify challenges and needs and develop a plan to overcome them.
• Provide opportunities for families, caregivers, and allies to engage in activities which help and encourage them to build a natural support network.
• Educate families, caregivers and allies about available resources and facilitate access as needed.
• Educate families, caregivers, and allies regarding their rights in various systems.
• Advocate on behalf of the families, caregivers, and allies with key stakeholders in various systems to ensure needs are met.
• Support families, caregivers, and allies to be equal partners in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating plans of care or service.
• Facilitate educational workshops for families, caregivers and allies related to behavioral health topics or other subjects relevant to the community.
• Build and maintain strong, positive partnerships with behavioral health, child-serving agencies, and other service providers.
• Act as an ambassador to disseminate information and raise awareness about all MCF programs and services.
• Contribute relevant and timely information to a centralized directory of various types of resources, including behavioral health, financial, legal, housing, and basic needs.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation regarding delivery of services.
• Stay abreast of emerging issues within the field of family peer support and specific program focus area through a commitment to professional growth and continued learning.
• Represent MCF on various state and local committees, commissions and boards as assigned.
• Contribute positively to a community of peers supporting each other in the delivery of high-quality services to families, caregivers, and allies.
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Personal, lived experience as a family member, primary caregiver of a loved one who has/had mental health needs
• Must live in Caroline or Dorchester County
• High school diploma or equivalent; some combination of college and/or professional work experience preferred.
• Familiarity with state and local resources and knowledge of how to access them.
• Prior experience assisting other families to obtain appropriate services and supports for their child or family members is desirable.
• Familiarity and comfort with public speaking and conducting outreach to the community preferred.
• Willingness and strong ability to build and maintain partnerships with agencies and providers.
• Active listening skills for providing non-judgmental peer support to families with a strengths-based perspective.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong computer skills and the ability to efficiently utilize internet search to identify resources.
• Ability or willingness to learn how to use a database (Salesforce).
• Current Maryland driver’s license and access to own vehicle; in-state travel required.
• Successful completion of a background check.

Nice-to-haves

• Some combination of college and/or professional work experience preferred.
• Prior experience assisting other families to obtain appropriate services and supports for their child or family members is desirable.
• Familiarity and comfort with public speaking and conducting outreach to the community preferred.

Benefits

• Flexible work schedule.
• Salary: $18/Per Hour
• MCF provides equipment, mileage reimbursement, and paid training.
• Generous paid time off (2-Weeks Vacation, 2-Weeks Sick leave, 3-Personal days, 2-Floating holidays, 11-Holidays per year)
• Health plans, dental, vision, life insurance, FSA, long-term disability, 401(k), and EAP.