Youth Peer Support

Youth Partner

The Youth Partner provides peer support to youth in the community. The Youth Partner works to assist youth to successfully engage and participate in treatment services. Services provided by a Youth Partner includes a wide range of supports, services, and advocacy that contributes to the growth of self-reliance. In general, a Youth Partner is a Peer Support Specialist with the ability to use personal life experience and professional knowledge/skills to teach, empower, advocate for, role model to, and support young people. The Youth Partner will provide services in a variety of settings, which may include home visits, community, treatment facilities, office visits, and other related settings.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Participate in team meetings to assure youth access, voice, and choice within the peer process.
• Acting as a partner and an intermediary between formal mental health staff and peers by providing/advocating for recovery-based services, assisting young people in receiving services that suit their recovery, meeting with providers to improve relations, and role modeling effective problem-solving skills.
• Learn the youth's story, strengths, needs, and cultural perspective and serve as a bridge to ensure that the youth and providers understand each other's perspective.
• Organizing and executing additional meetings or communication regarding support, resources, and crisis intervention as needed.
• Serve as a consultant to youth, parents and caregivers, and professionals throughout the TFCC community.
• Empowering young people to advocate for themselves, set goals and identify life assignments and implement achievable steps towards reaching them.
• Monitoring physical and emotional safety, appropriateness, applicability, and engagement of youth participants within the youth's respective program, and interrupting oppressive, maladaptive, and inappropriate behavior(s).
• Provide support and model self-advocacy in a variety of settings; settings included but not limited to: Child and Family team meetings, schools, courtroom, child welfare reunification planning, treatment reviews (inpatient and outpatient), other medical/therapeutic appointments.
• Referring youth to community-based resources, support, and opportunities.
• Documenting and reporting cases of abuse or neglect to the Oregon Department of Human Services.
• Attending weekly staff meetings, reporting to and communicating with supervisor.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience

• High School diploma or equivalent required. Peer Support Specialist Certification preferred.
• Must have lived experience as a youth who has experienced mental, emotional, and/or behavioral health problems and/or has had multiple child systems services involvement.
• Be familiar with issues of poverty, ethnicity, mental health/addictions, and the impact those issues place on day-to-day life for families. Some knowledge and experience of Intensive Treatment Services including psychiatric residential services, psychiatric day treatment, State Hospital Secure Children's Inpatient Program (SCIP), Secure Adolescent Inpatient Program (SAIP), and treatment foster care. Some knowledge, understanding, and/or experience with case management.
• Possess some knowledge of case management and time management.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Bilingual - Spanish

Competencies

• Strong oral and written communication
• Time Management skills
• Computer skill

What We Offer

• Generous benefits: We cover 90% of your premiums for full Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance for you and your dependents.
• Paid time off: 11 paid holidays, plus sick and vacation time accrual to keep your work-life balance in check.
• Top-tier retirement plan: We contribute 9% of the amount of your salary to retirement, with vesting at 6 months—no employee contribution required (optional if you wish).
• Unique perks: Group pet insurance to make caring for your furry friends more affordable. Corporate membership to the YMCA for you & your family.

If you're ready to take your leadership skills to the next level and create a meaningful impact in the field of mental health, we'd love to hear from you!