POSITION SUMMARY
The Assertive Community Treatment team (ACT) Program is an innovative treatment program.
The program serves adults with severely and persistently mentally ill diagnoses.
The Peer Specialist will work .5 FTE as part of an ACT with program participants, family
members, and all other team members. The Peer Specialist serves a unique role on the team.
By drawing on his or her own lived experience of overcoming challenges with mental illness, the
Peer Specialist can instill hope in clients and families. Walking alongside clients on their
recovery journeys, the Peer Specialist is an ally, mentor, and advocate for clients as they
contend with the difficulties and uncertainties of mental illness.
The Peer Specialist uses his or her lived experience to contribute to treatment planning for each
participant, and facilitating the teams development and maintenance of a culture of respect.
The Peer Specialist can provide an essential framework for highlighting the potential that each
client has for achieving a successful recovery trajectory. Because of their experiences as
service recipients, peer specialists are in a unique position to serve as role models, educate
recipients about self-help techniques and self-help group processes, teach effective coping
strategies based on personal experience, teach symptom management skills, assist in clarifying
rehabilitation and recovery goals, and assist in the development of community support systems
and networks.
In addition to attending team meetings, Peer Specialists often work directly with other team
members to provide support and assistance to program participants. Peer Specialists will
provide in person support to clients and assist with client engagement.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be
assigned. Employees are expected to be awake and alert while working.
Engage individuals and establish trusting, collaborative relationships directed toward the
goals clients identify on their treatment plans.
Contribute to client treatment plans, advocating for clients' needs.
Participate in daily treatment team meetings.
Provide individual face to face support either alone or with team members.
Spend 70% or more of scheduled work hours in community settings.
Meet with collateral contacts to provide psychoeducation about serious mental illness
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
This position has no supervisory responsibilities.
LEADERSHIP
Functions as an independent contributor without specific responsibility to give direction or
supervision to other staff.
Position Description
ACT Peer Specialist
SUPERVISION RECEIVED
General supervision: routine duties are performed with minimal supervision; standard practices
or procedures allow to proceed alone at routine work; occasional check of work while in
progress; work is reviewed upon completion. Work is reviewed by supervisor for soundness of
judgment and overall adequacy and accuracy.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty
satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or
ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
Requires a High School diploma or GED; additional education preferred.
CERTIFICATION / LICENSURE
Drivers license is required.
Requires NY Peer Specialist Certification, or eligible for a peer specialist certification.
KNOWLEDGE
Solid knowledge of a variety of direct care/caregiving, office, quality, customer service, or
maintenance procedures.
COMMUNICATION and CONTACT with OTHERS
Requires effective communication skills. Communication involves interpersonal contacts with
clients/families or programs/departments to coordinate service, treatment, or other work.
Frequent telephone contact or written correspondence inside the program/department and/or
outside the organization involving communication of standard procedures or discussions of noncontroversial
matters. Regularly training/teaching clients, customers, or new employees in
standardized programs or procedures.
DECISION MAKING
Work is primarily performed independently, but under general direction for assigned duties and
responsibilities. Initiative is encouraged in planning and carrying out work, but guidance and
assistance are readily available. Suggestions for decisions and resolutions that are within
accepted guidelines are encouraged.
CONSEQUENCES of ERRORS
Image/Reputation: Errors could cause adverse effect to clients, could cause client- or agencyrelated
image/reputation concerns, inaccurate reports/records, and/or could result in
dissemination of inaccurate or incomplete information. Such errors may be detected inside or
outside the organization and could result in obligating the organization to take a risk or some
financial obligation or loss.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, understand and implement documents such as care instructions, procedure
manuals, operating instructions, and safety rules. Ability to write routine reports and
Position Description
ACT Peer Specialist
correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of
organization.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations
where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of information/instructions
furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
ORGANIZATIONAL SCOPE and IMPACT
This position is not a functional head of a program or department.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY
Responsible for limited financial transactions. May be responsible for petty cash, flex funds, or
similar types of financial transactions.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers,
common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and
interpret bar graphs.
TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
Intermediate competency in Windows operating environment using MS Office applications,
database, e-mail and internet programs.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee
encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
Work requires over 50% community travel/visits. Drivers license is required.
Travel requires use of own vehicle in transporting clients.
Possible exposure to blood borne pathogens. Possible exposure to verbal and/or physical
aggression.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an
employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions.
The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work, with some
walking; standing; bending; carrying of items such as papers, books, small parts; driving an
automobile; etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.
EMPLOYER'S DISCLAIMER
All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals
with disabilities.
Position Description
ACT Peer Specialist
This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by
the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related
instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor.
Furthermore, the agency reserves the right to add to or revise an employee's job duties at any
time at its sole discretion.
This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an at
will employment relationship.
Employee Name (please print)
Employee Signature and Acknowledgement Date
