Youth Peer Support Specialist/Trainee & CANS Screener - WISe Program

About the job

Frontier Behavioral Health is hiring a full-time Youth Peer Support Specialist/Trainee and CANS Screener for its WISe (Wraparound with Intensive Services) program in Spokane Valley. WISe gives team-based, community-based behavioral health services to Medicaid-eligible young people age 21 or younger and their families. The role mixes peer support with CANS screening: on average 10 to 15 screens a week plus a small caseload of 5 to 8 clients.

Frontier Behavioral Health is a non-profit that has served Spokane for more than 100 years, providing evidence-based treatment for adults, youth and seniors with a wide range of behavioral health issues. Its services include outpatient, inpatient, community outreach and crisis services, along with partnerships with schools and law enforcement.

What you'll do

• Do initial CANS screenings with youth and caregivers, mostly by phone from the office but sometimes in person at home or in the community, to decide whether they qualify for WISe
• Explain WISe, its service intensity and eligibility rules to people seeking services so referrals fit, and for youth who qualify, set next steps with the WISe Enrollment team and complete enrollment
• For youth who don't qualify, explain other community services that fit the family's needs and preferences and refer them as appropriate
• As part of a wraparound team, work with children at home and in the community, involving the whole family and focusing on strengths, age and cultural heritage, to help prevent out-of-home placement
• Draw on shared experience as a peer to give ongoing support to WISe families, encouraging them to regain hope and control over their lives and to take an active part in their child's care
• Advocate for youth and families so each child and family is heard, youth have a voice in their own care, and families gain the knowledge and skills to guide their child's treatment
• Provide individual and group services to enrolled clients, including recovery groups, and help clinicians set treatment objectives and interventions
• Engage clients and families before discharge from inpatient psychiatric care, take part in discharge planning when appropriate, and help families through the move back home and into the community
• Help families in need or in crisis find resources for stabilization in the least restrictive setting, and prepare youth and families to graduate from WISe services
• Build ties with community resources, keep CANS assessments, progress notes and other records timely, accurate and confidential, and stay in close touch with the WISe team and other staff

What you need

• Self-identify as someone who had emotional and behavioral challenges as a youth and took part in behavioral health services, with at least one year in recovery
• From the WA State Department of Health, a Certified Peer Support Specialist credential or a Certified Peer Support Specialist Trainee credential
• Applicants without an active or pending credential of either kind must apply within 90 days of their start date for the Certified Peer Support Specialist Trainee credential
• A high school diploma or equivalent
• A valid, unrestricted driver's license and active car insurance, plus willingness to drive a personal vehicle for work
• Daily client work in community settings such as homes, group living sites, hospitals, shelters and the streets, some not ideal for cleanliness or habitability
• Ability to drive, cover distances of up to several city blocks on varied terrain, use stairs and get in and out of vehicles often
• Daily computer use
• May need to lift 10 to 20 pounds
• Applicants holding an active Certified Peer Support Specialist credential at offer are hired at that level, and those with an active trainee credential as Certified Peer Support Specialist Trainees
• Applicants who have not yet applied for either credential, or whose credential is pending, are hired as Peer Support Specialist Trainees; pay depends on the level

Preferred

• Two years of experience in a community behavioral health setting

Schedule

• Full-time
• A flexible 24/7 schedule, rotating with other clinical staff on the WISe team
• An on-call supervisor rotation, including evenings and weekends, supporting and consulting with the on-call WISe clinical provider on crisis calls
• Daily travel to clients in the community and between work sites, in FBH vehicles or a personal vehicle

Benefits

• Paid time off, accruing up to 26 days in the first year, plus 9 paid federal holidays
• Paid sick and safe time and extended sick leave
• A compressed workweek option for some positions, adding up to 26 more days off a year
• Medical, dental and vision coverage and flexible spending accounts
• A 403b retirement plan with a 3% employer contribution and an additional 3% employer match
• Company-paid life insurance starting the first of the month after 6 months from hire
• A sign-on bonus
• No-cost licensure supervision for staff pursuing clinical licensure
• Federal and state loan forgiveness for qualifying programs
• Reimbursement of the license or certification application fee the position requires
• A free Employee Assistance Program and staff discounts with FBH partners around Spokane