PEER ADVOCATE (HELPS) Position Available In Albany, New York

POSITION

Peer Advocate

DEPARTMENT

Albany County Department of Mental Health SALARY:

$41,943

LOCATION & HOURS:

260 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12202, 8:30A-4:00P

BENEFITS

► Paid Time-Off ► Tuition Reimbursement ► NYS Retirement ► Health, Dental, Vision and Hearing ► Employee Assistance Program

DESCRIPTION

Albany County Department of Mental Health is seeking applications for a Peer Advocate for its Street Psychiatry program. The new Street Psychiatry Pilot Pro- gram will provide behavioral health services to homeless or unhoused residents in Albany County. Street Psychiatry is a nationally recognized model of engaging individuals in need who have traditionally been unable or reluctant to engage with traditional office-based behavioral health services. The Street Psychiatry Pro- gram will go beyond traditional models and meet people where they are at. The ACDMH team will meet people directly on the streets, in parks, or in other public places. They will perform psychiatric evaluations in the field for behavioral health (chronic, serious mental illness and/or addiction), provide case management services, and prescribe medications. The Peer Advocate will provide guidance, mentoring, and aid in removing barriers/obstacles to behavioral health recovery for individuals in any stage of recovery from (and/or co-occurring) mental health or substance use disorder issues. The Peer Advocate will assist others in improving their functioning in areas of living, learning, working, and socialization. Utilizing their recovery expertise, professional training, and lived experience, they will help individuals become more independent and connect them to much-needed recovery and treatment resources. They will work alongside clinical staff in helping indi- viduals achieve their goals. This work will be performed under the supervision of the program coordinator and administrators, as well as with other program staff with the Albany County Department of Mental Health and/or partner agencies. Does related work as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EITHER A.Possession of a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma AND possession of a Certified Peer Recovery Advocate (CRPA) credential; OR, B.Possession of a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma AND possession of a NY State Peer Specialist Certification.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT

At time of appointment and throughout employment: ∙Successful clearance of criminal background check facilitated through New York State Office of Mental Health. ∙Successful clearance from the State Central Registry in the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and the State Justice Center for the Protec- tion of People with Special Needs (Background investigations are conducted by the appointing authority). ∙Possession of a valid New York State driver’s license. Please submit your resume and letter of interest with this application.

POINT OF CONTACT FOR INQUIRIES

Cindy.hoffman@albanycountyny.gov Candidates will not have to take an exam for this title. This is a Hiring Emergency Limited Placement (HELP) Pro-gram-designated title. The HELP Program is a temporary program designed to help local government employers ad-dress current staffing issues. Traditionally, the titles filled under the HELP Program required job candidates to compete in a competitive exam to be considered for employment. For the duration of the program, this title will be classified as non-competitive and categorized as a “HELP Program” position. At the close of the program, this position will revert to competitive class status. Employees occupying positions filled through the HELP Program will be granted competitive class status without the need to participate in a competitive exam.