Tasks/duties
The peer will:
·
Work
collaboratively with clients, co-workers and the community.
·
Advocate
on behalf of clients and help clients to navigate the health and social
services systems.
·
Work
closely with clients to address problems and answer questions, gather and provide information and advice, and connect
clients to resources
and to the community.
·
Meet
clients both in the hospital and in
the community.
·
Initiate,
establish and maintain relationships with clients while developing trust and
rapport.
·
Act
as a coach and mentor, and help
clients to set goals and work toward
developing skills.
·
Share
and discuss common experiences with clients.
·
Help
to build a collective sense of community for clients, and help clients to
create meaningful lives in the community.
·
Be
responsible for planning, organizing, developing, leading and facilitating
group activities, including education and awareness building efforts.
·
Complete
administrative duties, such as
sending and receiving email and
telephone calls, and completing required documentation.
·
Communicate
and work collaboratively with team members, attend team meetings, and meet with supervisors to discuss performance.
Qualifications
Candidates must have:
·
Experience
of mental health and/ or addiction problems.
They should have:
·
Knowledge/familiarity
of the mental health and social service systems, and an understanding of client
rights.
·
Possess
a holistic perspective of “health.”
·
The
ability to work effectively in a wide range of settings with people from
diverse backgrounds, including clients and co-workers.
·
Be comfortable
working either one-on-one or in group settings.
·
Excellent
interpersonal skills and should be able to adapt to changing situations.
·
Active
involvement in the community and a willingness to collaborate with others. Excellent
communication skills.
·
Comfort
with public speaking and facilitation of group workshops or activities.
·
Comfort
coaching others
·
Negotiation
skills.
·
Organizational
skills.
·
Some
experience planning and designing events and activities.
This job description suggests that
candidates for the peer position require more than experience with mental
health and/or addiction problems and familiarity with the mental health and
social service systems through which clients must navigate. Expectations of the
job indicate that strong communication skills are of paramount importance to
the position. Because of the collaborative nature of the position, peers must
be able to work in changing situations with a diverse group of people, interacting either in groups
or individually. They should be actively involved in the
community and willing to take on leadership and public speaking activities.
Coaching and negotiation skills are assets for this position, as are planning,
organization and computer skills. These job requirements describe the high
level of skills necessary to be an effective peer support worker. They
also highlight the areas in which there are opportunities for training for peer
support workers before they enter their positions as well as ongoing training
to help them hone their skills.
It
is also important to note that although job descriptions are extremely useful,
they should not be considered fixed. Programs must be
prepared to assess and reassess their
own needs and local context, including the skills and experience of the peer
workforce. Peer programming will evolve, as will the individuals employed as
peers, and job descriptions should be adjusted to reflect this evolution. The
job description in this article may not be appropriate for all settings, but it
will contribute to a better understanding of the peer support worker position,
the skills required, and the types of expectations that could define successful fulfillment of the role.
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