Peer Specialist

The CASES Young Adult ACT team provides mobile community based mental health treatment to promote the recovery and community integration of individuals ages 18 to 25 with serious mental illnesses, high rates of co-occurring substance use disorders and histories of criminal legal system involvement. The Employment Specialist is an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team of mental health clinicians delivering services such as supported employment, wellness self-management counseling, integrated co-occurring disorder treatment, daily living skills and general case management.

The Employment Specialist has lead responsibility on the team for integrating vocational goals and services with the tasks of all team members to support consumers to participation in vocational training, adult education, and competitive employment. We are looking for a professional clinician with extensive experience in vocational assessment, job exploration, and skills development in choosing, getting, and maintaining employment. This is a field-based position and requires at least 80% of services to be provided to participants in their homes, shelters, places of employment, vocational and education settings and other community settings.

• Attend and participate in daily team meetings to discuss clients’ clinical and case management issues and needs
• Complete documentations required by the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH) licensing guidelines, NYS Medicaid billing guidelines as well as per CASES ACT Policy and Procedures
• Complete Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP), safety, relapse prevention plans
• Identify the treatment services consumers should receive based on stage of change, immediate needs, and psychiatric presentation
• Use motivational interviewing, recovery and trauma-informed approaches when delivering peer services to address housing, income support, education and vocational training, social supports, employment, and primary care needs
• Work effectively and involve family, significant others, as well as other service providers in the consumer’s treatment with the YA ACT team
• Provide individual peer support and wellness counseling, harm reduction counseling based on motivational interviewing
• Act as advocate and liaison for consumers in income support and access to resources to support service plan goals
• Provide 24-hour crisis intervention on-call services on rotating basis
• Provide culturally competent services in accordance with CASES policies and practice.

What We Are Looking For: