Peer Specialist, Substance Use

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Reporting to the Clinical Coordinator, as a member of a Mental Health & Substance Use Services (MH&SUS) multidisciplinary team, the Peer Specialist identifies themselves as a person with lived experience, provides outreach community-based support services, assists in mental health and substance use recovery, provides life skills training, coaching, advocacy, and support from a lived experience perspective. The Peer Specialist collaborates with the assigned team to ensure the client’s self-identified goals for recovery and community connection are supported and are consistent with the values of self-determination and harm reduction. Provides services in a variety of environments dependent on the needs of the client. Motivates and assists clients with the activities of daily living, reports clients’ progress and condition in medical record.

1. Establishes a dignifying and purposeful relationship with the client, contacting and getting to know the client as a unique individual, and clarifying the role of the Peer Specialist in relation to the client.
2. During engagement will help client identify priorities, goals, capacities & needs while activating resiliency & help seeking behaviours.
3. Provides feedback and suggested recommendations to the client’s co-developed care plans.
4. Reports regularly to the team on the interactions, observations and care needs of clients and their families and network supports.
5. Provides support services, coaching and behaviour modeling for the client and their families and network supports.
6. Assists the client towards self-managing all aspects of their life, including their mental wellness, substance use and other health conditions by such methods as sharing information and lived experience perspective, practical problem-solving, and linkages to appropriate supports and services.
7. Consults and collaborates cooperatively with community agencies and families and network supports to maintain coordination in the service and treatment process.
8. Acts as an advocate for the client in dispute situations by responding to and/or coordinating response to problems regarding landlord-tenant issues, financial assistance, or accessing community resources and housing, and developing workable solutions that meet the needs of the client.
9. Observes and monitors clients in accordance with recovery care plan, assesses and responds in potential emergency or crisis situations in accordance with established procedures i.e., administering naloxone and calling 911. Provides feedback and recommendations to the recovery care plan, including strategies to resolve situations, and referring for professional intervention, as required. Documents client progress to maintain permanent record of client activity according to established methods and procedures.
10. Participates in providing substance use service connection, accessing emergency shelter, income and food security, housing, and general housing support (moving, packing, cleaning), individual and personal care services.
11. Provides individual vocational supportive counselling and other work-related supportive services.
12. Maintains an awareness of community resources, including health care services, social, economic, recreational, employment, and educational services and resources, and other agencies and shares that information as required.
13. Using current standardized guidelines, Peer Specialists teach clients and families, and network supports how to use Naloxone, access safe supplies, download and use “safe use” apps, access drug-checking, and support connections to addiction medicine.
14. Facilitates client attendance at appointments, programs, and services including accompanying client to appointments, peer support groups, and for shopping and leisure activities, including providing transportation. Participates in and supervises social and recreational activities as required.
15. Teaches, demonstrates, models, and supports home maintenance and household management methods. Provides basic information to clients related to activities of daily living, e.g., housekeeping, yard maintenance, meal planning, and preparation, grocery shopping, and managing monthly living expenses.
16. Ensures a safe and healthy working environment by observing universal precautions and infection control procedures; removing obvious hazards; reporting faulty equipment, accidents, injuries, and near misses; and adhering to and enforcing rules regarding safety.
17. Participates in staff meetings, quality improvement initiatives, committees, and in-services, and maintains up-to-date knowledge through involvement in work-related continuing education, as required.
18. Shares unique lived experience perspective to support service enhancements and the growth and development of the care team and overall system.
19. Assists with orientation of new staff and education experiences of students, as well as sharing expertise with other members of the team, as required.
20. Performs other related duties as required.

Education, Training, and Experience:

Two years of lived experience in recovery from substance.

Training in Peer Support, completion of a Substance Use Counselling or Social Services certificate, and one year of recent related work/peer support experience in substance use, mental health, homelessness, or health services navigation, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Current valid Class Five BC Driver’s License and access to personal vehicle for business related purposes, as required.

Current CPR and/or Naloxone training.

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability and willingness to share lived experience of substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental illness.
• Awareness of legislation such as the Mental Health Act and the Guardianship Act.
• Knowledge of available programs, their interrelationships, and their function in delivering care in the community.
• Knowledge of recovery approaches.
• Works in alignment with philosophies of Trauma and Resiliency Informed Practice and Harm Reduction.
• Ability to provide culturally safe services and help foster a culturally safe work environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to deal with others effectively.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries.
• Ability to prioritize and organize client demands made and care needs.
• Ability to problem solve.
• Ability to model and teach life skills.
• Ability to observe and recognize changes in clients.
• Sound judgment and good observation skills.
• Ability to demonstrate an appropriate level of initiative and independence.
• Conflict resolution and crisis intervention skills.
• Ability to work cooperatively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to promote positive change and independence.
• Physical and ability to perform the duties of the position.
• Ability to operate related equipment.
• Advocacy skills.

Fraser Health is the heart of health care for over two million people in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations and is home to 32 First Nations within the Fraser Salish region.

People - those we care for and those who care for them - are at the heart of everything we do. Our hospital and community-based services are delivered by a team of 48,000+ staff, medical staff and volunteers.

We are committed to planetary health and value diversity in the work force. We strive to maintain an environment of respect, caring and trust. Fraser Health’s hiring practices aspire to ensure all individuals are treated in an inclusive, equitable and culturally safe manner.

Together, we are the heart of health care.

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