Forensic Certified Peer Support Specialist

Forensic Certified Peer Support Specialist

At First Step House, "We help people build lives of meaning, purpose, and recovery," and we are dedicated to this mission. We are hiring a full-time Forensic Certified Peer Support Specialist in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Forensic Certified Peer Support Specialist (F-CPSS) will develop relationships with reentry staff at the local county jail and at the prison as a liaison to First Step House. Liaisons will meet with incarcerated individuals with severe mental illness who are within 90 days of expected release date and who have expressed interest in employment. The liaison will act as a peer to engage the individuals and to use lived experience to anticipate and address challenges related to reentry and employment. The liaison may join meetings and support the individual as Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services begin. F-CPSS/IPS liaisons will work with the Office of Substance Use and Mental Health (SUMH) program staff to create presentations outlining the project and outcomes to provide training to IPS and IPS-like teams, MH clinicians, peer support specialists, and to jails as they implement the Medicaid justice waiver. The F-CPSS/IPS liaisons will be expected to report on progress, barriers and outcomes at the jail diversion steering committee quarterly meetings. Tired of working 40+ hours per week? Join our team and enjoy a standardized 36-hour work week. Pay rate $44,000 - $46,000 per year. Monday - Friday flexible hours. Our full-time benefits include: robust paid time off program with enhanced benefits as you grow with us, 15 paid holidays annually, including your birthday, 401(k) employer match, opportunity for annual merit increase and annual bonus, medical, dental, vision, life insurance. Education and experience: an active license in the State of Utah as a certified peer support specialist (CPSS) or family peer support specialist (FPSS), at least 2 years' experience as a CPSS/FPSS, forensic enhancement for CPSS/FPSS preferred, but not required, experience in both substance abuse and mental health treatment field strongly preferred. Duties include but are not limited to: attending all relevant employee training classes and clinical staff meetings, coordinating with reentry staff at jails and prisons to provide peer support related to employment goals, collect and enter data consistent with program measurement goals and submit results quarterly to SUMH, meet with EPP team and SUMH program staff for guidance and support while staying focused on program expectations, utilize software programs (e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Word, etc.) to maintain communication, scheduling, and developing presentations, collaborate and consult with supervisors, team members, community partners, and other relevant parties concerning client goals, facilitate referrals for job seekers exiting the carceral system into IPS programming.