Location: Various Counties

Salary Range: $15.00

This is a very important position, in that a Peer Specialist has a perspective of individuals coming to receive treatment services that few professionals have, experiencing and receiving treatment services in treatment settings. It is not uncommon for people with similar lived experiences to offer each other practical advice and suggestions for strategies that professionals may not offer, or even know about. Those personal experiences are what makes the Peer Specialist and empowering helper, through the sharing of their stories of recovery and their willingness to share tools they have used to succeed. Peer Specialists provide hope, support, education, and assist persons served in seeing that they are more than their disorder.

A Peer Specialist models recovery, teach skills, and offers support to help people struggling to lead meaningful lives in the community. The Peer Specialist is someone with sustained recovery from substance abuse, mental health, or co-occurring disorders. This individual can provide understanding during a time when a person may feel alienated and hopeless. This person must be able to work independently and have the ability to work well with other agencies, such as the courts, jails, and community partners.

Substance use and Mental Health Peer Positions are available in many of our programs including Mobile Response, OTP, Homeless Recovery, Case Management, Family Services, Forensic, Crisis programs and Substance Recovery. We generally have part time and full time positions available in Gainesville, Lake City, Lake Butler, Chiefland, Live Oak and surrounding areas.

Minimum Qualifications:

Substance Use Programs:

The Peer Specialist will be a consumer who is in recovery from substance abuse/dependence for at least 2 years. Recovery support specialists and recovery peer specialists are allowed one year from the date of their employment to obtain certification through the Florida Certification Board. High School Diploma required.

Mental Health Programs:

The Peer Specialist will be a consumer who is in recovery from substance abuse/dependence for at least 2 years.

Mobile Response Team

The Peer Specialist will have experience and training in crisis intervention and follow-up. The Peer Specialist will be a consumer who has been involved in crisis situations and has successful experience with recovery activities either by personal experience or as a caregiver to a family member. Some positions may include parents, students or young adults, or others with personal lived experience.

Driver Requirement:

Must have a current Florida Driver's License with a clean driving record while meeting company insurance requirements

In order to qualify as a Center Driver, the candidate must at least 21 years of age and have an active Florida Driver's license. Motor Vehicle Record will be reviewed for eligibility. No more than 3 moving violations and/or accidents within the past 3 years and no major violations during the past 5 years. Drivers over 65 years old must provide a current doctor's note stating they have no driving limitations.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

1. Provide practical real world support in coping with life's day to day demands through teaching, modeling and coaching approaches to rehabilitation.

2. Promote the value of self-help, peer support and personal empowerment to foster recovery.

3. Support each consumer to "get a life" using natural occurring resources to replace the resources of the mental health system.

4. Promote information about mental illness and substance abuse.

5. Maintain close relationships with Meridian Staff and others to best facilitate the participant's treatment.

6. Complete electronic documentation in a timely manner.

7. Comply with Meridian's policies and procedures.

8. Meet required service hours on a weekly basis.

9. Function as an advocate for consumers and model self-advocacy skills.

10. Performs other duties as required to meet program and departmental goals and objectives.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

Specific competencies required are identified on a department/program specific basis and identified in each employee's Competency Checklist. The following are general and apply to all positions with this title.

Language Skills:

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

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.

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 instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Physical Demand: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.

Meridian is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. We are fully committed to attracting, retaining, developing and promoting the most qualified employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, status as a parent, national origin, age, marital status, disability (physical or mental), family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service or because they are a protected veteran or other non-merit based factors.