Peer Counselor - Psychiatry Dr. Habersham

The Peer Counselor provides support through listening, encouraging, coaching, empowering, and connecting peers to resources that suit their individual recovery needs. Responsibilities include respectful treatment of others, modeling self-responsibility, developing relationships, advocating, team participation, and outreach within the community. The Peer Recovery Specialist will take responsibility for personal recovery at all times and will complete training requirements. This role also involves peer navigation—assisting patients in making necessary appointments for health and recovery—and outreach to community.

The Bridge Program specializes in caring for pregnant, postpartum and parenting people with a history of substance use, including nicotine, alcohol, opioids, and other drugs, as well as those with partners who use substances. Our comprehensive approach includes the peer counselor, who will provide compassionate support throughout the journey to wellness.

• Develop relationships by providing support and encouragement to enhance the patient’s ability to take action against problems instead of being controlled by them.
• Respect the rights and dignity of everyone at all times.
• Develop empowerment skills through self-advocacy.
• Take responsibility for personal recovery at all times and model self-responsibility.
• Participate and assist with patient recruitment for Bridge Program in-person and virtual support groups in collaboration with program Social Workers.
• Participate in-person at weekly Bridge Clinic days and complete tasks as directed.
• Help identify activities as personal medicine for peers and encourage their regular use.
• Be conscious of the language used to describe life and how to recreate troubling events using language that offers more options.
• Coach peers about recovery.
• Identify and outreach to local resources of benefit to the target population.
• Coach partners when necessary.
• Participate with the team and attend meetings as required.
• Assist and escort patients in making necessary appointments for health and recovery.
• Conduct outreach to community locations where patients in the target population are likely to be found, such as mother-baby residential programs.
• Comply with agency policies and procedures in completing any required documentation.
• Demonstrate professional, ethical, and confidential conduct in all work behavior.
   

• High School Diploma or general education degree (GED).
• Group affiliations a strong plus, i.e., NAMI, DBSA, AA, NA, etc.
• Peer Counselor will have completed the New York Certification Board (NYCB) Peer Recovery Advocate Certification.