Job: Community Support Specialist

Summary:
Provides peer support, personal assistance and other supportive services, to aid in membersrecovery from mental illness and/or addiction disorders.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Travels to members residences to provide peer support, personal assistance and other supportive in-home services.
2. Reviews medication instructions with members, and assists members in tracking their compliance in taking medications, as prescribed.
3. Ensures safety of members living environment (personal safety, food supply, utilities and appliances working, adequacy of furnishings, and lack of fire hazards).
4. Provides instruction in activities of daily living (nutrition, meal planning, shopping, and meal preparation; budgeting; home cleaning and organization; personal grooming and laundry).
5. Transports members to and from appointments (within an agency vehicle), as appropriate.
6. Completes documentation for behavioral health record in accordance with agency and funding source requirements.
7. Completes a basic mental status examination regarding orientation to time and place, danger to self and others, as needed; and reports impressions to treatment team.
8. Communicates with clinical team regarding members level of independent functioning and current levels of support provided.
9. Advocates for members, as needed, to ensure delivery of necessary services.
10. Provides crisis intervention, as needed, and notifies Supervisor and treatment team.
11. Performs other related activities as required.
Additional Duties of Assessment Community Support Specialist:
1. Meets with new members providing peer support and orientation to CPSA, CODAC and site(s).
2. Assists member in completion of legal consents and benefits eligibility screening,
3. Answers members questions using Customer Service Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and CODAC policies and procedures as guides.
4. Schedules follow-up case management appointments for members.

Position Requirements: Pre-employment Competencies/requirements
Education: Associates Degree; Graduate from the Recovery Support Institute a plus
Valid Arizona Driver's license and Proof of automobile insurance
CPR and First Aid
Extensive knowledge of community resources.
Extensive knowledge of behavioral health challenges which include knowledge of the impacts of mental illness, domestic violence, and the dynamics of addictive behavior.
Familiarity with various ethnic and cultural groups.
Intermediate to advanced computer and keyboarding skills using MS Office products, Word, Excel, Access, etc., importing/exporting data to/from applications.