About the Role
Baltic Street Wellness Solutions is seeking an experienced and passionate Senior Peer Specialist to provide advanced peer support and leadership within our Peer-Based Supported Education Program. This role supports participants' educational goals, mentors peer staff, and acts as a liaison between participants, the peer team, and program leadership, promoting recovery-oriented, person-centered, and trauma-informed practices.
Responsibilities
- Provide one-on-one and group peer support to program participants pursuing educational goals.
- Assist participants with developing and following individualized education plans.
- Support participants in navigating educational institutions, employment settings, and related community resources.
- Advocate with and on behalf of participants for reasonable accommodation, access to services, and self-empowerment.
- Serve as a mentor and role model for peer specialists, offering guidance on best practices in peer support, documentation, boundaries, and ethical standards.
- Audit progress notes of all education counselors daily for accuracy, timeliness, and grammar.
- Provide informal coaching and assist with onboarding and training of new peer staff.
- Support a positive and collaborative team culture that values lived experience and peer principles.
- Assist the program director with implementing program workflows, activities, and special initiatives.
- Provide formal supervision and spot coaching to all education counselors.
- Assist program director in case reviews, team meetings, and quality improvement efforts.
- Help ensure services are delivered in alignment with program values: recovery, inclusion, equity, and cultural responsiveness.
- Assist program director to represent the peer team in meetings with external partners, such as educational institutions, employers, and community service providers.
- Assist the program director in building collaborative relationships with community stakeholders to strengthen participant support.
- Assist the program director in organizing events in the community to create and or maintain referrals in the direct community.
- Maintain accurate, timely records of peer support activities in accordance with program and funding requirements, including monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting to the Funder.
- Contribute to data collection and evaluation efforts to measure program outcomes and participant satisfaction.
- Ensure that monthly supervision and annual evaluations are completed on frontline staff.
Requirements
- Lived experience of mental health recovery and/or substance use recovery, with a demonstrated ability to use lived experience to support others.
- BA or BS in related area of study is required.
- Minimum of 2 years of experience providing peer support in mental health, substance use, supported education, supported employment, or related services preferred.
- Certification as a peer specialist (or willingness to obtain certification within the first 8 months of employment).
- Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build supportive relationships with participants, peer staff, and community partners.
- Knowledge of recovery principles, trauma-informed care, and person-centered practices.
- Ability to work independently, take initiative, and manage multiple responsibilities effectively.
- Experience mentoring or supervising other peer support workers.
- Experience providing peer support in educational or employment settings.
- Familiarity with local education, employment, mental health, and social service systems.
- Selected candidates are required to submit proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19 and having received a booster shot.
- Regularly required to talk or hear.
- Frequently required to use hands or finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
- Occasionally required to stand, walk, sit.
- Occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
Skills
- Peer support
- Mentorship
- Supervision
- Documentation
- Interpersonal skills
- Trauma-informed care
- Person-centered practices
- Advocacy
- Coaching
- Program development
- Community outreach
Location
- Community travel expected
Work Type
- Full-time
- Occasional evening or weekend hours may be required
Experience Level
- Senior
- Minimum of 2 years of experience providing peer support preferred
Education Level
- BA or BS in related area of study required
About the Company
- Baltic Street Wellness Solutions is committed to providing peer recovery, person-centered, trauma-informed, and compassionate services to those with mental health lived experiences.
- Our vision is to drive a cultural transformation within the mental health community by advocating for the underserved, educating for change, and inspiring wellness.
- We approach our role with cultural humility and mindfulness of oppressive systems.
- We value a mentoring philosophy delivered by staff with peer-lived experiences.
- We value the recovery journey of every individual with a mental health diagnosis.
- We value the personal and professional experiences of our staff and board members.
- We value community action to change societal views to break the stigma of mental health through advocacy within all systems.
- We value everyone's desire to have opportunities to obtain their visions of wellness.
- We value education and training to enhance an individual's opportunities for growth in one's journey to self-discovery.
