Peer Counselor - BEST Neighborhoods

Job Duties

Essential Job Duties may include, but are not limited to, any combination of these duties as required by the assigned department/unit:

• As part of the BEST Neighborhoods team, provide trauma-informed, culturally aligned, and person-centered peer counseling services for individuals who are unhoused and living with chronic behavioral health conditions who have been referred by the City & County of San Francisco’s Behavioral Health Services - Office of Coordinated Care.
• Work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team of behavioral health clinicians, health workers, and other healthcare professionals to perform consistent and focused outreach and engagement to identified clients.
• Demonstrate competency in utilizing community resources (e.g. hospitals, primary care clinics, shelters, pharmacies, and substance use treatment programs) to provide effective linkage and follow up care as guided by the care plan and as assigned.
• Work with other team members in quickly assessing the needs of identified clients, utilizing their own training, knowledge of multiple systems of care, and lived experience as applicable to help assist in the support of a client. The peer counselor will rely heavily on the Wellness & Recovery model, trauma informed principles, harm-reduction and de-escalation techniques as part of their intervention, as appropriate.
• Must have excellent communication skills and be able to navigate team dynamics and work with multi-disciplinary teams in a collaborative and cohesive approach.
• Utilize safety-training protocols as developed by BEST Neighborhoods program to practice situational awareness and safe outreach practices in the community.
• Document in the Electronic Health Record (Epic), use HIPAA-protected app based communication software (Microsoft Teams, zoom), and train on other electronic platforms as required.
• Work collaboratively with the team on de-briefing procedures and team self-care protocols.
• Must be able travel via public transportation or taxi/ride-share service when accompanying clients to their appointments or to community resources.
• Must be able to maintain regular attendance to assigned shifts
• Must be able to demonstrate a high level of resilience, emotional regulation, and practice of self-care as part of maintaining wellness in a high intensity and emotionally demanding role.
• Maintain timely administrative and service documentation and records related to client care and program-related monitoring, in accordance to standards specified by RAMS policies and oversight agencies (e.g. DPH, etc.)
• Develop and maintain clear, open, timely, cooperative, and diplomatic communications and working relations with all staff, clients, and partner agencies
• Represent RAMS at various stakeholder meetings to provide feedback about best practices of street-based peer services and experiences of the team in their work under this project
• Participate in supervision meetings, case conferences, staff meetings, in-service training and other staff development activities
• Perform other duties as assigned
  
  

Minimum Required Qualifications

• At least a High School Diploma (or GED) required. Associate of Arts (AA) degree or higher from an accredited institution, highly preferred
• At least 2-3 years of direct personal experience with the community behavioral health system or drug treatment program/services preferably in San Francisco
• Completion of an addiction or drug counseling certificate program, mental health certificate or equivalent education AND/OR at least two years of peer counseling or related experience, particularly working with diverse constituencies. Familiarity with homeless populations is highly preferred
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Wellness and Recovery Model, Harm Reduction, and other evidenced based practices such as crisis intervention and de-escalation training, Wellness-Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), Seeking Safety, self-help, addiction counseling, understanding of substance use issues.
• Must be able to travel to and from worksite and other locations within San Francisco
• Must be able to physically walk/stand in San Francisco neighborhoods up to 75% of any assigned shift, as applicable.
• Must be able to physically lift or carry items up to 25 lbs at a time, approximately 25% of the assigned shift
  
  

Other Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in outreach/engagement to targeted at-risk populations, very strongly preferred
• Professional or lived experience working with people struggling with mental health conditions and opioid or other drug misuse
• Excellent communication and organization with the ability to present feedback in a positive and empowering manner
• Ability to organize, manage, and/or work effectively with diverse program staff, community partners, and behavioral health clients
• Strong knowledge and experience with service delivery documentation (including counseling planning), HIPAA standards, utilization review, and data management
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times
• Familiarity with community behavioral health systems of care in San Francisco, including the philosophy of care, levels of care for clinical services, and the delivery of such services, highly preferred
• Familiarity with the San Francisco community resources/services (may include health, mental health, substance abuse, vocational, housing, etc.), highly preferred
• Strong commitment to the philosophy, goals, & mission of RAMS in providing community-based, culturally responsive, and person-centered mental health services to the community
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively, function independently, and interact professionally with a diverse, multicultural, and interdisciplinary staff of all levels
• Ability to provide services in threshold language (Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Russian, Tagalog, Arabic) highly preferred but not required
  
  

BEST Neighborhoods is a collaboration between RAMS, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and other community partners that provides street-based behavioral health care throughout the city, one neighborhood at a time. With carefully created care plans, strong multi-disciplinary teams, street-based medical and psychiatric resources, and the support of other agencies and City departments, we seek to quickly improve the health and quality of life of people experiencing homelessness and living with chronic mental health conditions.

The program’s origins and strong impact so far have been covered by the San Francisco Chronicle’s ‘Fixing Our City’ podcast series. You can read and listen more about it here, from April 25, 2023: https://www.sfchronicle.com/podcasts/article/erica-mcgary-radical-hospitality-17908844.php

The Peer Counselor’s role in BEST Neighborhoods is critical in building rapport and emphasizing compassionate care to the individual as part of the engagement, utilizing one’s own counseling training and lived experience, as applicable, in establishing safety, trust, and reducing trauma for the most vulnerable members of our San Francisco community.