Peer Recovery Specialist

Project 180 Overview

Mission: SSG-Project 180 provides practical and clinical behavioral health, re-entry, and diversion solutions that empower justice-involved Angelenos to achieve lasting personal transformation and reclaim their lives.

Org. Summary: Project 180 is a leader in the forensic treatment space, offering high-quality, specialized treatment programs that serve thousands of justice-involved individuals. Our programs span criminal justice intercepts and include pre-arrest interventions, court-based diversions, jail in-reach, and intensive post-release services. Project 180 operates in partnership with Los Angeles County agencies including the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Department of Health Services (DHS), and the Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD). Annually, we serve over 1,500 justice-involved individuals.

At the heart of our organization are our core values - our fundamental, non-negotiable beliefs that guide how we make decisions and work with one another in service of our mission:

Humanity: We lead with a people-centered focus, seeking to understand and value the lived experience of others and centering their human dignity. 

Integrity: We honor the trust placed in us by doing what is right while fulfilling our commitments - even when no one is watching.

Adaptability: We embrace the pivot, evolving to meet the complex needs of our community. 

Empowerment: We cultivate the tools, confidence, resilience, optimism, and agency within every individual to lead their own transformation.

Equity: We honor everyone’s unique journey, meet them where they are and commit to providing the targeted support and resources that allow each individual to contribute and thrive.

Interdependence: We move as a unified team, trading silos for collective strength, recognizing that our greatest impact is achieved together. 

The Program

Project 180’s DMH programs provide intensive wraparound, field-based behavioral health services to individuals with significant mental health problems. Clients are served at an intensive outpatient level of care and receive co-occurring services delivered by a multidisciplinary treatment team. Services include, but are not limited to, psychotherapy, case management, medication management, substance counseling, employment, and housing services. Services are provided in partnership with LA County Probation, LA County Department of Mental Health, and LA Superior Court. 

The AB109 program provides intensive, wraparound behavioral health treatment to a forensic population. Through Assembly Bill 109, individuals convicted of a felony crime serve a portion of their sentence in jail or prison and are released early with 1 year of community supervision. If appropriate, participants are mandated to behavioral health treatment by LA County Probation. The program aims to reduce recidivism and support clients with personal recovery goals. The program is funded by the Department of Mental Health (DMH), and operates in collaboration with LA County Probation and LA Superior Court.

The Full Service Partnership (FSP) program adopts a “whatever it takes” approach to provide intensive, wraparound, field based services to adults who have significant mental health problems. The FSP program assists with housing, employment and education in addition to providing mental health services and integrated treatment for individuals who have a co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorder. Services can be provided to individuals in their homes, the community and other locations.

The Position

The Peer Recovery Specialist is a member of the multidisciplinary team providing recovery-oriented services to individuals with a forensic background. This position reports to the DMH Program Supervisor and, using lived experience, the Peer Recovery Specialist promotes hope, engagement, and self-determination while supporting clients with engagement, skill building, community integration and helping clients to access behavioral health services, housing, benefits, and community resources. The Peer Recovery Specialist conducts individual and group sessions and works collaboratively with the treatment team and supports clients in making measurable progress towards their individualized goals.

Essential Functions:

Provide peer-to-peer support and counseling drawing from lived experience

• Actively engage clients in services through the development of strong rapport, consistent contact and use of motivational interviewing. Provide outreach services as needed, meeting clients “where they are at” (service location, client’s point of view).
• Maintain a visible and supportive presence within the clinic by welcoming clients, conducting check-ins, triaging immediate support needs and facilitating hand-offs to the appropriate team members.
• Respond to and deescalate behavioral health situations using trauma-informed approaches while collaborating with the supervisor and the treatment team to ensure client safety.
• Provide individual and group psychoeducation related to recovery skills. Services to target cornerstones of recovery-oriented care (instilling hope, empowerment, self-responsibility and engaging in meaningful roles).
• Service delivery is consistent with ethical standards and a harm reduction, strength based, trauma informed framework. 
• Shares life experiences and successes with history of homelessness, incarceration and substance use/mental health recovery when clinically appropriate.

Coordinate community-based substance treatment services

• Assist in developing community living skills, including navigating public systems, accessing resources, and building natural supports.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with residential, sobering/detox centers for client referrals.
• Link clients to needed community resources to support independence (e.g. employment, education, recovery). Monitor ongoing participation in services/use of resources and facilitate problem solving to target barriers. Accompany clients to linkage appointments when appropriate. 
• Collaborate with external partners (i.e. DMH, DPH- SAPC, probation, primary care clinics, etc.) to ensure high quality, integrated care. Facilitate linkage to DPH-SAPC, as needed. 

Engage with multidisciplinary treatment team to coordinate client care

• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings with but not limited to residential sites, sobering/detox centers, housing staff, and probation. 
• Conduct pro-active outreach and engagement to individuals in the community alongside with members of the treatment team.
• Maintain awareness of environmental and situational safety risks during client engagement and take appropriate action to ensure the safety of clients, staff, and community members.
• Actively contribute to planning and execution of clinical interventions in collaboration with the treatment team, ensuring services are person-centered and recovery-focused. Leverage unique skills and abilities of team members in service delivery.  
• Coordinate crisis response with treatment team and support with linkage to available community resources.

Documentation and reporting

• Maintain comprehensive case notes in the electronic health record per program guidelines.
• Maintain and submit billing records per program guidelines 
• Participate in program data collection per program guidelines.
• Adhere to mandated reporting requirements.

Fulfill baseline Project 180 staff expectations

• Regular attendance required. Holiday or weekend work may be required.
• Maintain and uphold the Agency mission statement, values, policies, procedures, and principles.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.  
• Maintain active license and/or registrations as applicable (i.e. BBS, CCAPP, Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification)

Skills and Abilities

• Empathetic and able to develop strong relationships with clients
• Communication skills: Clearly conveys information, builds rapport, and effectively engages with clients.
• Culturally competent: Understands and is sensitive to diverse backgrounds and need
• Deescalation skills to help stabilize situations to promote safety
• Customer service skills to provide a welcoming, professional and responsive experience client
• Collaborative: Able to work in diverse teams to solve complex issues 
• Adaptive to changing circumstances and client needs in a dynamic environment
• Strong critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Detail-oriented, organized and has strong time management skills

Minimum Qualifications

Required: 

• Lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery and willingness to share recovery experience
• California Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification is required upon hire or must be obtained within 90 days of the employees start date.
• Experience working with culturally diverse populations.
• Valid CA driver’s license, proof of insurance and own vehicle required. Ability to transport clients in their personal vehicle.
• Must not be on any type of legal supervision (probation or parole).
• Verification of Employment Eligibility and Background Check.
• Basic computer skills

Preferred: 

• Experience working with the forensic and/or dual diagnosed populations.
• Experience working on an interdisciplinary team in a mental health or outpatient setting.
• Knowledge of and experience with providing trauma informed services. 
• Spanish speaking

Supervisory Responsibilities

None

Environmental Conditions (Working Conditions)

Job duties are to be performed both in office and field settings, including Project 180’s interim housing sites. Shifts to be scheduled during evenings and or weekends. 

Physical Requirements  

The employee is expected to move about the worksite throughout the day, which may involve walking, standing, and climbing stairs, or using a mobility device, or similar. The employee is expected to drive, carry a maximum of 20 lbs, listen, and speak in order to complete job requirements. 

Mental Requirements 

The employee must be able to do any/all of the following: perform complex and varied tasks such as synthesizing information and making decisions without immediate supervision; handle routine distractions, interruptions, noise, and uncontrollable changes in priorities/work schedules; interact professionally and diplomatically in high-stress situations; create and follow plans; meet deadlines.