Certified Peer Counselor - Forensics

Grow your career here! 

Sound Behavioral Health is growing, and we are hiring a certified peer counselor in Seattle, WA! Sound is one of King County’s most comprehensive providers of quality mental health and addiction treatment services, supporting our area’s most vulnerable populations. A central tenet of our work is Reaching Recovery, an evidence-based clinical care model.

Certified peers work alongside professional team members to provide a living example of hope that recovery is possible for others living with disorders. Peers' personal experiences can be a valuable asset to the clinical team. Their first-person knowledge and their stories of recovery enhance and extend services, as well as infuse clients with hope and self-determination. 

Certified peers provide flexible services that are customized to the needs of the client and that allow the peer to act as a role model of recovery. Certified peer assist professional team members in the delivery of conventional health services and a service model built on principles of mutuality, empowerment, and informality.

Location: Capitol Hill clinic (1600 E Olive St, Seattle, WA 98122)

Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm (40 Hours)

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES

• Identifies services and activities that promote recovery and resilience.
• Assist clients with navigating the behavioral health and criminal justice systems.
• Assists clients in building self-advocacy skills and developing coping skills.
• Assists clients with navigating the mental health and other systems.
• Assists clients in building and maintaining community living skills and accessing community resources.
• Assists clients with finding and retaining employment, education, and volunteer work.
• Assists clients with finding other meaningful activities that promote a sense of purpose, structure, and inclusion in the community.
• Assists clients to identify strengths, recognize successes, and build hope.
• Assists in reducing the sense of isolation and helplessness that clients and families often feel.
• Articulates their own recovery and resilience stories in ways that are relevant to the obstacles faced by clients of mental health services.
• Utilizes recovery tools and resources in the delivery of services.
• Facilitates classes and individual plan development.
• Provide drop-in support to clients as needed for peer connection and engagement.
• Support client participation in Pathways to Wellness activities, including assistance with laundry and showering.
• Facilitate or co-facilitate peer groups focused on recovery, community building, and skill development.
• Accompany clients to community appointments, such as DSHS or other resource agencies.
• Conduct outreach to community partners to maintain relationships and support client engagement.
• Assist clients with transportation or accompaniment to community resources such as local food banks.
• Perform additional peer tasks as assigned by the supervisor to support program needs and client engagement.

KEY WORK RELATIONSHIPS

Establishes and maintains positive, ethical, and professional working relationships with clinical team members, clients, and outside organizations. Relates to a wide variety of people, including members of ethnic and sexual minority populations and is respectful of individual and cultural differences.

ADVOCACY AND REENTRY SUPPORT

• Collaborates with case managers and clinicians to support clients transitioning from incarceration to community living.
• Assists clients in understanding conditions of release, probation, or supervision, and connects them to community reentry supports.
• Promotes self-advocacy and empowerment in interactions with probation officers, courts, and other legal entities.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• High School Diploma, GED or in active pursuit of diploma or GED preferred but not required.
• Lived experience with jail or prison involvement is required.
• Experience working or volunteering in behavioral health, social services, or peer support settings and demonstrated ability to use personal experience to inspire hope and support recovery is preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES, AND SKILLS

• Follows direction from supervisor and maintains professional boundaries with both clients and team members.
• Uses personal experience to build empathy and rapport.
• Validates and provides information, emotional support and encouragement.
• Understands dual relationships and role conflicts.
• Maintains confidentiality.
• Knows when to seek consultation and supervision within the scope of their training.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES & REGISTRATIONS

• Must be a Certified Peer Counselor, having completed the training, passed the exam, and be in possession of the confirmation letter from DSHS/DBHR.
• Must be able to obtain a WA State Agency Affiliated Counselor credential within the first 60 days of hire.
• Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record required.
• Must pass a criminal background check.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

To successfully perform the essential duties of this job, an individual must be able to sit at a desk for four or more hours a day and use office equipment, including phones and computer keyboards, for four or more hours per day. Individuals must be able to engage vendors, team members, clients, and others over the phone and in person by voice. Regular attendance is an essential function of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to assist individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMER

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work performed; it is not intended as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and required skills for the job. Team members will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with federal and state laws. Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and/or abilities necessary to perform each duty proficiently. Continued employment remains on an 'at-will' basis.

All Team Members at Sound working 40 hours per week will be eligible for the following benefits:

• 100% Paid Medical & Dental Insurance
  • Full time Team Member and child(ren) coverage until child's 26th birthday
  • Spouse/Domestic Partner coverage available (team member pays full cost)
• Paid Life Insurance
  
  • 2x annual salary + additional $25,000
• Long Term Disability Insurance (60% monthly salary)
  
  • 100% premiums paid by Sound
• 18 Days of Paid Rest and Relaxation (Vacation) - beginning first year
• 12 Days of Paid Sick Leave
• 9 Days of Paid Holidays
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
  
  • for health care (limited) and dependent day care costs (pre-tax)
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
  
  • The Standard
• Sound retirement plan:
  
  • 401(k) plan (organization contribution) – Sound contributes 3% to team members plan even if you don’t.  
  • Team members are 100% vested; team members may contribute to their own plan
• Paid Training
  
  • Free in-house professional training and $400 annually + 3 paid days off-site training
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Free Supervision Hours -  Washington State Licensure
• Service Award - at 5,10,15,20 & 25 years of service

Compensation: $25.52-$26.82 per hour.