Peer Specialist Critical Time Intervention (CTI) - Community Support Program

$38,000 - $38,000/Yr

Bridge - New York, NY

Full-time - Entry Level

New York, NY

Ambulatory Health Care Services

About the position

The Bridge is an innovative and well-respected mental health agency serving adults with serious behavioral health diagnoses, substance use issues, and co-occurring medical conditions. The Bridge envisions a world where adults with mental illness can thrive in the Community. Our mission is to change lives by offering help, hope, and opportunity to vulnerable adults in New York City. We work from a Harm Reduction, Trauma Informed perspective and acknowledge the impact that systemic racism has had on the communities we serve. The Peer Specialist will play a pivotal role in community outreach by coordinating participants' needs before and after their discharge, enhancing daily living skills, accompanying them to appointments, and advocating for them in cases of discrimination or healthcare inequities. Central to this role is the focus on helping individuals build skills and strengthen connections to ongoing support, which are crucial elements of the CTI program model. CTI teams will continue supporting participants for a 9-month period to ensure their stability, independence, and well-being in the community. The position involves field-based work, periodic on-call coverage, and flexible hours. On-the-job training and regular learning collaboratives will be provided to support the Peer Specialists' professional growth. This is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about transforming community healthcare in NYC and making a lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable New Yorkers.

Responsibilities

• Persistent and assertive outreach and engagement using strength-based approaches beginning during an inpatient hospital admission or emergency department visit.
• Continuously assess the health and social needs of participants through CTIs conversational and observational assessments and formalized risk assessments tools for those identified as being at high risk.
• Participate in hospital discharge planning meetings to identify the best community resources for returning patients.
• Collect and report data, as required and work with team leader, data analyst and other CTI teams to use data to inform future care delivery.
• Once discharged, work with participants and their community providers to resolve clinical issues that are impacting on the participants ability manage and retain supportive services.
• Foster relationship with community providers to ensure that recipients are connected with appropriate services as they transition back into the community.
• Appointment navigation, including accompaniment to appointments, travel training, reengagement in community care, and addressing barriers to care.
• Review documentation and conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments to determine the medical, psychiatric, housing, and other social needs in the community.
• Obtain historical and collateral information from multiple sources to support participants behavioral and physical health needs.
• Monitor, evaluate and record participants progress with respect to care plan goals.
• Attend and participate in team meetings and supervisory sessions.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent; higher education preferred.
• New York State Certified Peer Specialist preferred or required.
• Completion of an internship or comparable training in peer advocacy.
• Experience in providing advocacy services to individuals with mental illness and/or homelessness.
• Preference for past or current participants in behavioral health, substance use, or homeless services.
• Experience working with SMI and co-occurring SUD, as well as homeless and/or precariously housed populations, is preferred but not required.
• Knowledge of community and homeless resources is a plus.
• Knowledge of counseling principles and methods for mental illness and substance use disorders.
• Knowledge of treatment, rehabilitation, and community support programs as they relate to participants/participants, families.
• Ability to develop, evaluate, implement, and modify treatment intervention to meet the needs of individual recipients.
• Ability to prepare accurate and timely reports.
• Computer proficiency and good documentation skills.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience working with SMI and co-occurring SUD populations.
• Knowledge of community and homeless resources.

Benefits

• On-the-job training
• Flexible schedule