Organization Overview

Since 1981 CHRIS 180 has been dedicated to healing and recovery for children, youth, adults, and families and is a growing $40 million organization with over 400 employees. CHRIS 180 services include counseling for the community at large; school-based mental health counseling; comprehensive wraparound services; homes for abused, neglected foster children with emotional and behavioral problems who are in state custody and for unaccompanied children in federal foster care; supportive housing for single and parenting young people, ages 17 – 24 who are homeless or aging out of foster care; in-home services and community programs that strengthen families; outreach, drop-in and community housing for older teens, young adults and families with children experiencing homelessness; services in community centers and partnerships with afterschool providers; an adoption program for children in foster care; teen and gun violence reduction programming; and, training for professionals, human service workers, educators, volunteers, individuals who work within the community, in hospitals, other organizations and with children, youth, adults, and families. The goal for all services is to unlock the potential that resides in each person to help them build resiliency and become self-sufficient, contributing adults who have the skills to navigate life’s challenges. Numerous partnerships support this work.

Position Summary

Opportunity for a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) in recovery from a Substance Use Disorder and Mental Illness to work with adolescents, young adults, and their caregiving system to achieve wellness. This person will work for CHRIS 180’s TREE House Program. The TREE House is a 5-year federal grant awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) in September 2018. The TREE House is a no-cost, harm-reduction, ASAM Level 1 and ASAM Level 2.1, Substance Abuse Treatment program serving youth ages 13-24 and their families/caregivers.

The primary function of this role is to serve as a role model and peer in long-term recovery. The CPS will introduce the consumer to the greater recovery community by arranging guest recovery speakers, organizing and facilitating recovery-oriented social support outings, and facilitating individual recovery skills sessions. This person will also co-facilitate Evidenced-Based Substance Abuse Group Skills sessions. The Certified Peer Specialist will promote socialization, recovery, wellness, self-advocacy, development of natural supports, and maintenance of community living skills.

Role and Responsibilities

The primary duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Provide positive role-modeling to consumers with substance use diagnoses’:

  • Promote self-esteem

  • Promote healthy boundaries

  • Promote good hygiene and appropriate personal appearance among youth and young adults

  • Promote self-directed recovery by exploring consumer purpose beyond the identified mental illness

  • Promote the value of self-help, peer support, and personal empowerment to foster recovery

  • Promote information about substance use mental illness and coping skills

  • Promote peer-to-peer training of individual skills, social skills, community resources, and group and individual advocacy

  • Promote the concepts of employment and education to foster self-determination and career advancement

  • Actively seek ongoing consumer input into program and service content to meet each individual’s needs and goals and foster the recovery process

  • View each individual as the director of his/her rehabilitation and recovery process

  • Emphasizing hope and wellness

  • Build individual consumer’s capacity to advocate for themselves

  • Reinforce socially acceptable behaviors (ex: manners, eating habits, safety)

  • Teach and reinforce thoughtful decision-making skills

• Coordinating Services and Collaboration;

  • Make necessary referrals to meet consumers' health, well-being, education, mental health, and employment needs (i.e. Department of Public Health, Department of Family & Children Services, Georgia Department of Labor, employment staffing agencies, local colleges, and tech schools, etc.)

  • Participate in Team Meetings for all consumers/members/residents/young adults

  • Collaborate and communicate with other programs in the CHRIS 180 continuum in the provision of services to consumers

  • Collaborate and consult with other providers and entities in the provision of best care services to consumers

  • Attend RBWO meeting or provide progress in areas for a counseling summary for group home consumers

  • Attend Child & Family Team Meetings (CFTM) or provide progress in areas for a treatment summary for consumers receiving wrap services

  • Advocate on behalf of consumers with other agencies to include coordinating services

  • Monitor the provision of services provided

• Specific services to consumers;

  • Provide activities between and among individuals who have common issues and needs, are consumer motivated, initiated, and/or managed, and assist individuals in living as independently as possible

  • Connect consumers with community recovery supports (ex: Recovery Community Organization and peer-led social support groups)

  • Co-facilitate Substance Abuse Recovery Skills groups

  • Co-facilitated Evidence-Based, curriculum-based Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient groups

  • Exploring possibilities of recovery, by tapping into consumer strengths related to illness self-management (including developing skills and resources and using tools related to communicating recovery strengths, communicating health needs/concerns, and self-monitoring progress)

  • Assisting consumers in developing and working toward the achievement of specific personal recovery goals (which may include attaining meaningful employment if desired by the individual)

  • Assisting consumers with relapse prevention planning

  • Ensuring that consumers participating in the service at any given time must have the opportunity to participate in and make decisions about the activities that are conducted or services offered

  • Provide skill maintenance and enhancement

  • Support each individual to “get a life” using community resources to replace the resources of the mental health system no longer needed

  • Support each individual to fully integrate into accepting communities in the least intrusive environment that promotes housing of his/her choice

  • Coordinate and facilitate Recovery Support Outings at least once a month

  • Demonstrate exceptional engagement skills in providing trauma-focused mental health treatment to a target consumer population

  • Provide evidence-based trauma-informed individual treatment to consumers of all ages who meet the criteria for trauma services

  • Manage caseload. The number of consumers on caseload is based on the frequency of sessions

  • Identification, with the consumer, of strengths that may aid in achieving resilience, as well as barriers that impede the development of skills necessary for age-appropriate functioning in school, with peers, and with family

  • Support to facilitate enhanced natural and age-appropriate supports

  • Assistance in the development of interpersonal, community coping, and functional skills (including adaptation to home, school, and healthy social environments)

  • Encouraging the development and eventual succession of natural supports in living, learning, working, and other social environments

  • Assistance in the acquisition of skills for the consumer to self-recognize emotional triggers and self-manage behaviors related to identified stressors or symptoms

  • Assistance with personal development, school performance, work performance, and functioning in the social and family environment through teaching skills/strategies to ameliorate the effect of behavioral health symptoms;

  • Assistance in enhancing social and coping skills that ameliorate life stresses resulting from the stressors or behavioral symptoms

  • Service and resource coordination to assist the consumer and family in gaining access to necessary rehabilitative, medical, social, and other services and supports

  • Assistance to consumers and other supporting natural resources with illness understanding and self-management;

  • Assist the consumer/family in managing or preventing crises;

  • Use preventive intervention techniques when needed to prevent injury (to self or others)

  • Must be willing to work in the community neighborhoods, the home, school, and public housing community

  • Must be flexible in providing additional services for programs/contracts/grants (MAAC, PSSF, CCFA, SOC, Wraparound, etc)

Qualifications/Competencies

• GED High school diploma, or higher ed.

• Certified Peer Specialist credential. (Preference given to CPS-AD)

• Must be in long-term (at least 2 years) solid recovery from a Substance Use Disorder and actively engaged in the recovery community

• An understanding of the concepts of Substance Use Disorder and Mental Illness

• Skilled in assisting and maintaining consumers in their family homes and/or community,

• Ability to effectively relate to consumers, parents/custodians of all social, economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds, with firmness, fairness, and concern,

• Solid decision-making ability as related to the safety and well-being of consumers, families, community, and staff,

• Be guided by precedent and established policy and procedure in decision-making. This person will be required to analyze and react to difficult situations, often while under considerable stress and pressure,

• Dependability, emotional stability, and physically capable.

• Ability to recognize when assistance and consultation are needed.

• Ability and/or experience in working with severely emotionally disturbed children, adolescents, and their families

• Must be free to travel as the position demands,

• A valid driver’s license in the State of Georgia

• Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age

Benefits we offer:

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Short and Long Term Disability
• Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance and AD&D
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flex Spending Account
• Health Savings Account
• 403 (b) plan
• Paid Time Off

• Other

• Must be willing to work in the community neighborhoods, the home, school, and public housing communities

• Must be flexible in providing additional services for programs/contracts/grants (MAAC, PSSF, CCFA, SOC, Wraparound, etc)

• Maintain detailed files, documentation, and billing requirements promptly by CHRIS 180 policy and compliance standard

• Attend and participate in all meetings and supervision as required and by CHRIS 180 policy and procedures.

• Adhere to CHRIS 180 Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics, and GA Code

• Maintain consumers’ confidentiality according to the 42 C.F.R Part 2 and HIPPA

• Support and maintain an environment of emotional and physical safety for consumers, staff, and other stakeholders at all times

• Demonstrate exceptional customer service

• Maintain certifications/training associated with the position and accrediting agencies and provide information to HR and Training promptly

• Participate in training and supervision activities

• Provide outreach to the community in various settings.

• Develop and implement marketing plans

Schedule

This is a part-time position working no more than 20 hours/week, Monday - Friday between the hours of 8:30 am - 8:00 pm. Two evenings a week are required. Must be able to work at least one Saturday a month. Schedules are flexible based on need and site assignment. Schedules may vary based on site assignment/operating hours. Flexibility is a requirement and schedules are apt to change (with notice) based on clinic needs, grants, projects, or site assignments.

Travel

This is a split community and office-based position. Local travel will be required to meet consumers in the community. Travel is reimbursed at $0.54/per mile. A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation are required.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds