Peer Support Specialist - Los Angeles, United States - Painted Brain

Description

The mission of Painted Brain (PB) is to create lasting community-based solutions to mental health challenges and the impact of social injustice through arts, advocacy, and enterprise.

Painted Brain is an innovative peer-run mental health art and tech-forward organization that uses a peer model focused on recovery.

Painted Brain defines a peer as any person with lived mental health challenges and or trauma, including but not limited to social injustice, interpersonal violence, and/or societal exclusion.

Our primary focus over the years has always been using the arts to help people learn to interact socially and effectively while experiencing the impacts of trauma, psychosis, depression, autism, anxiety, and other mental health experiences.

Under the supervision of the Program Director, the Peer Support Specialists will support the California Reinvestment Grant "CRG" and other PB programs as needed.

CRG is a forensic treatment program intended to provide psychotherapy, case management, peer counseling, peer support groups, therapeutic art groups, and collaborative community-based mental health services to combat mental health and employment barriers for individuals who have been impacted by the criminal justice system and are experiencing mental health challenges.

The Peer Support Specialist will be expected to work with individuals, families, and groups, providing outreach and non-clinical forensic treatment services and/or emotional support through various modalities such as 1:1 peer support sessions, group sessions, and sessions hosted in person, by telephone and/or online.

The group counseling sessions will be regularly held group meetings focused on specific topics led by at least one support specialist.

• Facilitate oneonone and group sessions for emotional and social support and sharing of available community resources inperson and/or using digital platforms.
• Provide written documentation of outreach engagements and individual and group sessions through EHR documentation systems.
• Coordinate and facilitate oneonone counseling, support groups, activities and programming with other Peer Support Specialists and Supervisor(s).
• Conduct community outreach to educate the general community about PB Peer Support Programs and to get eligible and non eligible Medi-Cal program participants.
• Represent Painted Brain in the community and network with other agencies and partners.
• Provide presentations to community groups on PB community programming and linkage to resources.
• All non clinical staff in counseling/program/training positions must take 80 hour Peer Support Specialist training.
• This position requires traveling to multiple locations as needed.
• May be required to work some evenings and weekends in Los Angeles or in surrounding areas as needed.
• Regular and predictable attendance is required.
• Employees may be asked to perform other duties as assigned.
• Follow safety standards and protocols.
• Maintain HIPAA compliance and protect sensitive information.

• May Assist Program Managers/Directors with special events and activities.
• Employees may be asked to perform other duties as assigned

• Be at least 18 years of age
• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Peer Training & Certification
• Certified Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist (CMPSS)
• OR 80hour Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certificate training (Certificate of Completion required)
• OR Training/Certification inprogress
• Have Personal Lived Experience:
• Be selfidentified as having experience with the process of recovery from a mental illness or substance use disorder, either as a consumer of these services or as the parent, caregiver or family member of a peer.
• Willing to take the 80 hour Peer Support Specialist training.
• Reliable personal transportation is readily available throughout the workday.
• A valid class "C" California Driver's license
• An auto insurance policy that meets or exceeds the minimum legal standards in California.

• Strong Knowledge on how to use EHR documentation systems.
• Working knowledge of forensic treatment services.
• Have knowledge of the LA human services landscape.
• Group leadership skills/experience.
• Conflict resolution skills/experience.
• Ability to work in a flexible work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work with multiethnic populations and populations with mental illness.
• Demonstrate cultural competency and a deep understanding of social determinants of health.
• Ability to use smart devices and navigate digital platforms and data forms for data collection.
• Must be able to use computers with a