School Youth Peer Support Specialist/crisis Responder

School Youth Peer Support Specialist/Crisis Responder

The School Youth Peer Support Specialist will be an individual who has had direct experience with mental health services and will utilize those experiences to collaborate with, coach, and challenge individuals to view their life situations as an opportunity for growth and change within each individual's recovery. The School Youth Peer Support Specialist will aid mental health providers and youth to move toward self-advocacy in the attainment of their own, culturally specific life goals.

The Crisis Responder is responsible for providing 24-hour crisis coverage as part of the on-call rotation. This is a short-term service which aims to assist individuals who are in a crisis (e.g., suicidal, homicidal, psychotic). The Crisis Responder will screen, triage, and refer out to the appropriate level of care and services. The crisis program is designed to prevent hospitalizations and emergency protective custody by wrapping appropriate services around the individual to allow them the opportunity to remain in the community, therefore it is the Crisis Responder's role to facilitate this.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with school based therapists to coordinate and enroll students in mental health services.
• Meet with parents to complete documentation needed to establish mental health services for students.
• Facilitate small groups each week in the school setting.
• Interact, build rapport, and connect with youth by sharing common experiences and modeling resiliency and recovery.
• Support youth involved with DHHS, the justice system, education system, youth, and family services.
• Assist youth in understanding components of recovery and resiliency and in applying skills to achieve life goals.
• Provide individualized direct support to peers according to that person's plan by supporting the individual's choice and building confidence, leading to a greater degree of independence.
• Work cooperatively and effectively with individuals and groups from diverse populations.
• Attend youth case meetings (when asked), other meetings as appropriate/assigned.
• Locate available resources, training, or skill-building opportunities that will help youth to achieve his/her goals.
• Serve as a resource for youth served during scheduled appointments or designated drop-in hours.
• Maintains up to date client charts to include needs assessment, screening tools, treatment plan, progress notes, discharge planning, and crisis encounters. Completes appropriate documentation in accordance with agency policy and procedures; this includes entering data into Heartland's EMR system as well as the CDS.
• Travel is required.
• Provide crisis support and intervention services in order to prevent a crisis, during a crisis and after a crisis has stabilized. This includes screening, triage, and safety planning. If hospitalization becomes necessary, facilitates in cooperation with all necessary parties (e.g., mental health professionals, medical facilities, domestic violence shelters, housing, substance abuse treatment, food banks, law enforcement, schools, families, inpatient providers) and assists with the client's transition back into the community.
• Will be a part of the on-call rotation to maintain coverage of the crisis line 24/7/365. This will include evenings and weekends.
• Attends scheduled supervisory, all-staff, and community-based staff meetings (as needed).
• Participates in community events as assigned.
• Participates in a committee as assigned.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Demonstrates appropriate boundaries with clients, families, referral sources, and collaborating entities.
• Ability to form cooperative and supportive relationships with staff/agency.
• Maintains ethics and confidentiality as dictated by profession.
• Maintains certifications as needed.
• Ability to form positive relationships with clients.
• Strong interpersonal skills in working with diverse
• Skills in verbal and written communication.
• Possess a valid driver's license and an insurable driving record.

Education & Experience

• Minimum of an AA Degree or equivalent experience.
• Identification as having direct experience with mental health and/or substance use services past or present and being able to bring this experience to ensure services, supports, and goals are driven by the youth.
• State of Nebraska Peer Support Specialist Certification in good standing. Must become certified within one year of employment.

Benefits

• 2-3 weeks paid vacation per year.
• 12 paid sick days per year.
• 2 paid personal days per year.
• 1 paid mental health day per year.
• 9 paid holidays per year.
• 3 paid training days per year.
• Bereavement Leave.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid life insurance policy.
• Medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Aflac.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• 3% matching 401k retirement plan within 90 days of employment.
• Flexible schedule.