Peer Specialist (ACT) - Community Support Program

The Bridge offers supportive housing and behavioral health services to vulnerable New Yorkers facing behavioral health and substance use challenges. We provide individuals with the tools they need to pursue their dreams and live meaningful lives. The Bridge envisions a world where adults experiencing serious mental illness can live and thrive within their communities. As a recognized leader in developing and operating supportive housing and community-based programs, The Bridge has 70 years of experience helping New Yorkers with mental illness, including those affected by homelessness, incarceration, and institutionalization.

Scope of Position: The Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team provides mobile, community-based mental health treatment to promote recovery and community integration for individuals with serious mental illnesses and high rates of co-occurring substance use disorders, specifically serving individuals residing in New York City Department of Homeless Services mental health shelters in The Bronx and Manhattan. The Peer Specialist works as part of a multidisciplinary team providing engagement, assessment, clinical, case management, and advocacy services to adults with behavioral health disorders in community, hospital, residential, and office settings, while completing timely clinical documentation, participating in daily team meetings and case conferences, and engaging in required and supplementary training as an integral member of the mental health treatment team.

Essential Position Functions

• Identify the treatment services consumers should receive based on severity, stage of change, immediate needs, and recommend treatment objectives for the consumer’s treatment plan.
• Assess and provide services to consumers to address housing, income support, education and vocational training, social supports, employment, and primary care needs.
• Recommend treatment objectives for the consumer’s service plan.
• Use motivational interviewing, recovery-oriented, and trauma-informed approaches when delivering peer services.
• Involve family members and significant others in the consumer’s treatment with the FACT team.
• Complete progress notes collaboratively, no later than 24 hours after delivering a service, and ensure progress notes are available for review in the daily organizational meeting.
• Provide individual peer support and wellness counseling, including harm reduction counseling based on motivational interviewing.
• Work effectively with the consumer’s support system and self-help groups providing services to FACT consumers.
• Link consumers to peer support and self-help recovery resources.
• Achieve the minimum required face-to-face service contacts in the community each month.
• Act as an advocate and liaison for consumers in accessing income support and resources to support service plan goals.
• Provide 80 percent of treatment contacts in the community.
• Provide culturally competent services in accordance with The Bridge’s policies and practices.

Qualifications

• NYS OMH and/or OASAS Certified Peer Specialist.
• At least two years of work experience providing peer support to individuals with serious mental illness and criminal justice involvement.
• Graduate of a recognized peer specialist training program, such as the Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center Peer Specialist Program.
• High School Diploma.
• Lived experience using mental health treatment and/or substance use treatment services.
• Individuals with previous criminal justice experience are eligible.
• Proficiency with computers and electronic health records.
• Spanish speaking is a plus.

The Bridge Inc. is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer