Community Peer Connector -

Community Peer Connector

Job Description

A Peer Connector is someone who is living with mental illness, has established stability and is committed to their own recovery. In this role, they will provide non-clinical support, hope, and encouragement to program participants from their lived experience with mental illness.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

The Peer connector will perform the following duties including but not limited to the following:

- Connector draw upon their lived experience with mental illness to support a participant assigned to them.
- Connector will be a role model in their commitment to their own wellness and recovery
  - For up to four (4) months the Peer connector will provide support to the Participant in the following ways:
  - Initiate two (2) phone calls per week from a Peer, lasting 15 – 30 minutes
- Schedule and meet with the participant once a week for 1–3 hours within the local community (Santa Clara County).
- The peer connector will meet their participant in an agreed upon location within Santa Clara County for their weekly in person meetings using either a personal or public transportation.
- During the weekly visits, the peer connector will facilitate the participants in setting goals, practice self-care techniques, and become more independent.
- They will build a rapport with their participant and explore lifestyle changes and habits with their participant to reach their wellness goals.
- The peer connector will share resources, promote self-advocacy, and present options for growth according to the participant’s needs.
- They will create a safe and non-judgmental space for their participant and facilitate their growth without fixing, advising, saving or setting them straight.
- Attend the mandatory weekly trainings on a Thursday between 2-3pm in addition to required trainings and meetings with the supervisor.
- They will maintain accurate records of their phone calls and in-person meetings with the participant and report them on their timesheets.
- Connector will respond to any emails and/or phone messages from the Community Peer Connector Coordinator within 48 hours.
- At no time, will the Connector act as a counselor, case manager, or therapist.
- Connector will be in regular communication with their supervisor and will report any issues or concerns related to assigned matches.

Qualification:

Education:

- Completion of NAMI Peer-To-Peer Education Course (Required)

Knowledge, skills and abilities:

- Must have a lived experience of mental illness from which to draw upon as an example of living in wellness and recovery (Required)
- Agree to an employee background screening (Required)
- Ability to travel to independently using either a personal vehicle or public transportation (e.g., bus). (Required)
- Must have a strong knowledge base coming from NAMI’s Peer-to-Peer class, the WRAP process, and/or other related training experiences.
- Must be comfortable with using a computer for email notifications and filing activity reports.
- Be familiar with NAMI programs, basic knowledge of mental health conditions, treatments, and resources in Santa Clara County.

Proficiency in the use of computers for:

- Microsoft Office 2010 (Outlook, Excel, Teams)
- E-mail
- Internet

Personal characteristics:

- Listening skills: Must have strong active listening skills with the ability to listen without judgment and provide empathetic support.
- Communicate Effectively: Speak and write in a respectful and clear way, and reply to emails and messages in a timely manner.
- Maintain Confidentiality: Must have a demonstrated ability to maintain strict confidentiality. Information related to participants should be discussed only your supervisor.
- Ability to maintain and model professional boundaries in accordance with the program guidelines.
- Be inclusive: Ability to work respectfully with all people who may be from different races, ethnicities, identities, and religions. Connectors should never discriminate based on any of these areas.
- Must have proven organizational skills and complete required paperwork in a timely manner.
- Be willing to take feedback and direction from a supervisor and work collaboratively with CPP team.
- Demonstrated reliability, professionalism, and punctuality.