Job Posting Title:

Amplify Peer Support Specialist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

----

Hiring Department:

Department of Psychiatry

----

Position Open To:

All Applicants

----

Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

----

FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

----

Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

----

Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Dec 31, 2024

----

Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

----

Job Details:

This is a grant funded position with an end date of 12/31/2024 renewable based on availability of funding and work performance. Funding is expected to continue.

Purpose

The Peer Support Specialist will serve as a key member of a multidisciplinary team in an innovative, pilot mental health clinic that is focused on improving mental health services for young adults. This clinic is being built out of an exciting partnership between Austin Community College and the University of Texas Dell Medical School. The Peer Support Specialist will have the opportunity to contribute to and build this first-of-its-kind clinic in Texas and will coordinate care with primary care and social services providers in partnership with other community organizations.

The Peer Support Specialist (PSS) will use their personal lived experience with mental health challenges to connect with, validate, and provide support to young adults experiencing mild to moderate mental health conditions. The PSS will empower clients through non-judgmental listening, and will assist clients with developing and achieving their individual goals. The PSS will meet with clients to facilitate wellbeing by providing support and training around such topics as coping skills, problem solving, conflict resolution, self-advocacy, and treatment engagement. Work with clients is done individually and in groups, and is conducted at the clinic, in the community, and virtually.

The Peer Support Specialist also increases community awareness of mental health challenges among young adults and what helps young people cope with and manage these challenges.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with clients experiencing mental health conditions to support engagement in services and to identify and create personal goals for treatment. Assist clients with skill building related to mental health and wellness, strengthening self-awareness, and connecting to community and support systems.

Participate in community awareness, education, and outreach activities. Increase community awareness of young adult mental health needs and preferences, and Amplify services.

Work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team and provide discipline-specific knowledge around mental health and innovative ways to approach social and emotional needs of young adults.

Participate in tracking and reporting of young adult goals, needs, and outcomes. Maintain current, accurate, and timely clinical documentation in accordance with law, ethics, and Amplify and UTHA policies. 

Additional Duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

Ability/ willingness to disclose own experiences with mental health challenges and mental health service utilization for the purpose of engaging and building relationships with young adults. Good interpersonal communications skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to and effectively work with participants of mental health services. Ability to exercise resourcefulness and good judgment. Ability to manage multiple streams of work. Ability to effectively handle challenging situations. Exceptional interpersonal communication skills; written and communication skills; organizational, planning, follow-up/follow-through, and time management skills.

Certification as a Peer Specialist is required, OR the individual should have the ability to obtain provisional certification within 6 months and standard certification within 12 months of being hired.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working in the mental health sector including mental health services and support systems. 2+ years of engagement in mental health services and supports. Either personal or professional experience interacting with various systems (e.g., mental health, school, criminal justice, child welfare, etc.) Bilingual in English and Spanish. Experience working with young adults from underserved populations (e.g., individuals experiencing homelessness, with criminal justice involvement; people with disabilities and/or mental illness). Knowledge of mental health diagnoses, predictors and indicators of mental health challenges (especially in young adulthood), best practices in serving young adults with mental health needs. Experience with the provision of diagnostic tools and assessments.

Salary Range

$45,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

Use of manual dexterity

Occasional weekend, overtime and evening work to meet deadlines

Field work as necessary

Required Materials

Resume/CV

3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

----

Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

----

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

----

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

----

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

----

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

----

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

----

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

----

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.