Pay is commensurate with experience within a range of $18.75 - $22.32 per hour. Full time, non-exempt, benefits eligible. Bert Nash offers excellent benefits which include medical, dental, vision, KPERS retirement, life insurance, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providing free counseling and resources, and generous PTO.

Caring. Hope. Giving back. Our mission at the Bert Nash Center as the Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) of Douglas County is to advance the health of the community through comprehensive behavioral health services responsive to evolving needs and changing environments. We accomplish this by believing in our team. Each person that works for the Bert Nash Center contributes directly to the success of our clients, organization, and community. Our values of compassion, integrity, equity and hope reflect in everything we do.

Responsibilities: The primary responsibility of the Peer Behavioral Health Specialist position will be to provide supervision, assistance, and support to consumers who are in the active stages of their recovery process in a residential environment. Consistency is a must. Specific duties include but not limited to: 

• maintaining a safe, stable, supportive, and productive environment during the time spent with residents for the purpose of reducing the need for hospitalization;
• working with individuals and groups to identify what works in their recovery;
• providing individualized support within the transitional living environment, assisting with preparation and facilitation of psycho-social groups, as well as providing attendant care services in a variety of settings
• helping consumers regain the ability to make independent choices and take a proactive role in  treatment.  Specific activities may include:
  •   helping consumers discuss questions or concerns about medications, diagnosis or treatment approaches with their treating clinician;
  •   helping consumers articulate in their own words their goals and aspirations in the development of their individualized plan.
• attend staff meetings on Wednesday mornings at 9am and other required staff meetings
• provide crisis on-call services for housing program residents as needed required on-call rotation
• regular and predictable attendance is an essential function of the job
• additional responsibilities may be assigned as circumstances warrant

Qualifications: The Peer Behavioral Health Specialist position requires but not limited to :

• have one year of college course work in the field of human services or one year of experience in the field of human services; or other experiences with adults who have severe and persistent mental illness which can serve as a basis for understanding symptoms and treatment; and/or be a consumer of mental health services with a minimum of one year in the active stage of recovery (i.e. did not require services more intense than medications services, individual therapy or group therapy
• reliable transportation and valid, unrestricted driver's license;
• be 21 years or older;
• complete certification to provide peer support within 6 months of date of hire;
• demonstrated ability to make good decisions in a variety of human service situations;
• although a shift is assigned, there may be occasional need for scheduling flexibility;
• a commitment to interdisciplinary and community mental health center approaches; and
• an energetic and positive approach to the rapidly evolving changes and challenges of a complex work place