Peer Mentor

HealthRIGHT 360 gives hope, builds health, and changes lives for people in need by providing comprehensive, integrated, compassionate care that includes primary medical care, mental health services, and substance use disorder treatment.

Benefits and perks:

• HR360 offers a robust benefits package, including PTO, 15 paid holidays, commuter benefits, retirement plans, and more!
• Employees qualify for public loan forgiveness programs
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Work with mission driven, compassionate colleagues and make a difference every day in the work that you do.

Job Overview

This is a union position.

The Peer Mentor is employed by Asian American Recovery Services (AARS) a program of HealthRIGHT 360 to deliver and coordinate services for adult clients referred by the Santa Clara County Department of Behavioral Health Services (BHSD) Substance Use Treatment Services Division. The Peer Mentor will be an individual whose lived experience resembles the target population – ex-offenders, substance use history, etc. The Peer Mentor will act as liaison to clients, help find community resources, and support organizing pro-social recreational activities and monthly family nights. The Peer Mentor will support clients as they enter the program, throughout their treatment, and link clients to peer support in our continuing care program. 

The Peer Mentor will help link clients in our continuing care programs who are well established in their recovery, to clients who are preparing to complete the program. This linkage will play a critical role in clients continued recovery process by connecting individuals to a recovery community. The Peer Mentor will also connect clients to other supportive community resources. These relationships will enable clients to build responsible, fruitful friendships with their peers who may serve as role models, conduits to other service, and linkage to continuum care. 

Key Responsibilities

• Provides individual peer support to clients to assist in engaging clients to enter and/or remain in treatment, and to provide support to client in preparation for discharge.
• Coordinates Peer Support/Continuing Care/Peer Mentor led groups.
• Conducts community outreach and education workshops.
• Attends required trainings and meetings.
• Plans and facilitates client celebrations and special events as assigned (ie. Completion Ceremonies, Pro-Social activities and Family Nights).
• In addition to providing services at agency main site, services may be provided off site in order to assist in engaging clients to treatment.
• Possibility of home visits and/or in-custody peer support services and case management. Collaborates with Case Manager, Care Coordinator, client and other available internal and external resources to assist in developing/maintaining care plans, transition plans, progress notes and appropriate updates in support of the health and recovery needs of the client as appropriate.
• Peer Mentor will be back-up for Intake Coordinator.
• Be responsive and pro-active in all correspondences with referring parties, judges, probation and parole officers, social workers, and the Quality Improvement Dept. via treatment status reports, phone calls, faxes, etc as appropriate.
• Will work with Case Manager or Clinician to provide informed, written status reports to the above entities as appropriate. 

Education and Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
 
 Education:

• Lived experience similar to that of targeted population.
• Valid California driver’s license.
• First Aid/ CPR Certified within 60 days of employment.

Knowledge:

• Working knowledge of peer support services.
• Knowledge of the criminal justice system.
• Knowledge of mental health and substance abuse recovery principles and resources; including Co-occurring disorders and trauma informed treatment.
• Knowledge of cultural stigmas of counseling and treatment services.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, specifically Word Outlook.

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to engage and motivate criminal justice involved populations.
• Ability to enter data into various paper and electronic systems while maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the data.
• Professionalism, punctuality, flexibility and reliability are imperative.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills.
• Integrity to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner.
• Ability to work cooperatively and effectively as part of interdisciplinary team and independently assume responsibility.
• Able to work within a frequently changing project scope while maintaining overall direction and structured priorities.
• Ability to work a flexible work week schedule, including at minimum one late day (until 8pm).
• Willing to work towards State Peer Mentor certification.