Peer Counselor - PACT

The Peer Counselor is an integral member of the PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) team, delivering recovery-oriented services through outreach and interventions in community settings, including clients' homes and other environments of their choosing. Using lived experience, this role supports client stabilization, psychiatric rehabilitation, and recovery by providing individualized, strengths-based services that promote engagement, skill development, independent living, and connection to community resources. The Peer Counselor contributes to a shared caseload model, offers consultation from a lived experience perspective, supports families and natural supports as appropriate, and serves as a liaison to community providers. This position participates in crisis intervention and stabilization services under the supervision of the Program Manager and is part of the team's rotating on-call schedule to ensure continuity of care and 24/7 coverage consistent with PACT fidelity standards.

Responsibilities:

• Meets weekly with the designated Peer Approved Supervisor and as needed for consultation.
• Provides the team with expertise and consultation from a mental health consumer perspective regarding clients' experiences with mental illness symptoms, the effects and side effects of medications, perspectives on treatment, and the recovery process.
• Acts as an interpreter to help non-mental health consumer team members better understand and empathize with each client's unique and subjective experiences and perceptions.
• Collaborates with the team to promote a culture in which each client's point of view, experiences, and preferences are recognized, understood, and respected, and in which client self-determination and decision-making in treatment planning are maximized and supported.
• Provides strengths-based, client-centered, goal-oriented, and supportive services to help clients develop interests, independent living skills, and personal identity outside of the mental health system.
• Helps clients and team members identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness.
• Assists with transportation, psychosocial support, and activities of daily living.
• Assists with linking clients to and accessing community resources for basic needs, including housing, behavioral health services, education, financial support, vocational services, and transportation as needed.
• Provides continuity of care in support of established client/therapist relationships and best practices, and coordinates care with internal and external providers with a Release of Information.
• Completes appropriate documentation for services provided within required timeframes.
• Establishes and maintains working relationships with Catholic Charities staff, community resources, and other providers.
• Coordinates consumer treatment with other providers and initiates referrals to medical providers and other community resources when appropriate.
• Reports and documents all services in the Electronic Medical Record, as well as in other contractually required systems, and maintains contact logs on a Google spreadsheet.
• Attends all required individual supervision, group supervision, staff meetings, clinical trainings, and other trainings or community meetings as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:

The following requirements are those that are normally required for performance of this position. Any disabled applicant or incumbent who does not meet or more of the physical requirements, but who can perform the essential function of the job (with or without reasonable accommodations) shall be deemed to meet these requirements.

Physical Requirements:

This position normally requires that physical demands of standing, walking, bending, lifting or performing other work requiring low physical exertion, talking and hearing on a regular basis to perform the job requirements. These physical demands are required up to 80% of the time. Position also requires ability to drive with adequate vision and skill.

Non-Physical Requirements:

Education

• High School Diploma
• Completion of Certified Peer Support Specialist training program and exam

Experience

• Lived experience with serious mental health and/or substance use recovery, including at least two (2) years of active, sustained recovery.

Special Skills

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Previous recipient of mental health or substance use services and currently stable in recovery.
• Must have a strong commitment to the right and the ability of each person with a severe mental illness to live in the community.
• Skill and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with persons with severe and persistent mental illnesses.
• Strong computer skills and ability to document in an electronic record.
• Ability to be self-motivated, work independently and as a team member.
• Ability to represent the agencies in a professional manner within the community.
• Flexible hours to meet the day to day stabilization needs of consumers.
• Willingness to be on-call to support team in 24/7 availability.

Licensure, Registration, Certification

• Certified Peer Support Specialist or Trainee credential in Washington, or able to obtain credential within 6 months of employment.
• Valid Washington State driver's license and required minimum liability insurance for WA State.
• Must be deemed insurable as determined by Catholic Charities' liability insurance provider.

Employment is conditional upon:

• Being cleared by criminal background check and fingerprinting when required.

Wage Range: $22.26 - $27.56, depending on experience

Work Schedule: Tuesday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., with one overnight weekday shift every other week and participation in an on-call rotation one weekend out of every eight.

Benefits:

• 13 paid holidays, 12 days of vacation, 12 days of sick leave per year
• Health insurance including medical & prescription coverage, with optional dental and vision insurance plans. Majority of premiums paid by Catholic Charities
• Retirement 403(b) Plan: employee contributions commence upon employment; Catholic Charities contributes 2% of monthly income and matches up to 4% of employee contributions following 6 months of employment
• Basic Life Insurance paid 100% by Catholic Charities
• Flexible Spending Account eligibility following 6 months of employment
• Education Assistance Program reimbursing up to $5,250 per year for approved continuing education after 6 months of employment
• Additional voluntary insurances including supplemental life, accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D), critical illness, long term disability, accident, and ID theft
• Employee Assistance Program includes 3 counseling sessions per year, legal consultations, financial coaching, and other wellbeing tools
• Annual longevity awards begin at 5 years of employment

It is the practice of Catholic Charities to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, citizenship status, marital status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, sexual orientation, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We gladly offer reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities to support participation in the hiring process and employment.