BHRS Peer Counselor II, Bilingual (Spanish/English) Required

Job Description:

BHRS Peer Counselor II, Bilingual (Spanish/English) Required

Description

ABOUT US

At the County of Marin, our employees overwhelmingly report feeling their work is meaningful, they like the work they do, and they are proud to tell people “I work for the County of Marin.” Discover more about us, our values and our organizational culture on the Department of Human Resources website . Read on to find out more about this opportunity.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES:

At Health & Human Services, we serve our community through the values of support, unity, trust and excellence with one common goal: to promote and protect the health, well-being, safety and self-sufficiency of all in Marin. Join our team of bright, committed, and energetic people who also want to make an impact through public service.

ABOUT THE POSITION

There is currently one (1) full-time regular Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Peer Support Counselor II (Bilingual required, English and Spanish) (“Peer Counselor”) with the IMPACT North Program. The program provides mental health treatment services to Marin Medi-Cal residents diagnosed with moderate to severe mental illness. Under the direction of the BHRS IMPACT North Unit Supervisor, the Peer Counselor works to provide peer and family partner support for consumers who receive intensive psychiatric case management through IMPACT North. This position will be filled with someone who has lived experience in the behavioral health system. Services provided will prioritize underserved and unserved populations.

The overall purpose of the Peer Counselor position is to incorporate peer input, expertise, knowledge, and lived experience (having experienced behavioral health/recovery directly or by supporting a family member through behavioral health/recovery) and to support children and youth and their system of support by contributing to their individual functioning and connecting them to BHRS programs and other community resources.

Under the direction of the BHRS IMPACT North Unit Supervisor, the Peer Counselor works to provide peer and family partner support for consumers who receive intensive outpatient mental health services both in the clinic and out in the field. This position will be filled with someone who has lived experience in the behavioral health system. The Peer Counselor position incorporates peer input, expertise, knowledge, and lived experience (having experienced behavioral health/recovery directly or by supporting a family member through behavioral health/recovery) to support client engagement with services and navigation of complex systems. The Peer Counselor will provide field-based services in the following ways, education, information sharing, brokerage and linkage, warm hand-off’s, community engagement and mental health supportive services. The Peer Counselor works collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) team of professionals including behavioral health practitioners and other clinical staff, support services workers and internal and external BHRS stakeholders. This position requires administrative duties including but not limited to documenting communication with clients and family members in the clients Electronic HealthCare Record (EHR) and Microsoft Office to send email correspondence to clinical team, community members and stakeholders.

Required: Bilingual skills in Spanish and English.

BILINGUAL TESTING/CERTIFICATION : The successful candidate must possess bilingual skills and must demonstrate proficiency in both Spanish and English prior to appointment. A bilingual proficiency exam will be administered to ensure the candidates possess the appropriate skill level to meet the requirements.

ABOUT YOU

Our Highly Qualified Candidate:

The ideal candidate for the position will have experience working with individuals and/or their families providing direct services such as case management, peer counseling, independent living skills support, linkage services or training within a behavioral health setting or related social services field. The successful candidate will have experience navigating behavioral health services within a county public system and be comfortable meeting with clients in their environment (field, telehealth or office based as indicated) to provide education, training, and support.

The successful candidate will have excellent written and oral communication skills and will have the ability to work independently, be self-directed, as well as work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Our highly qualified candidate will have excellent judgment and decision-making skills. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in and have experience using computers including Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Excel and Word). The ideal candidate will understand the importance of collaboration and will strive to build and maintain strong working relationships with team members, clients, families, volunteers, other Health and Human Services providers and community partners. The ideal candidate will be bilingual in English and Spanish and have experience working with Latine consumers, families and community members.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Needs and difficulties faced by diverse consumers, caregivers, and families of consumers of services.
• Public and/or private agency services available for families, children and adults for assigned area.
• Self-help and consumer oriented treatment models.
• Methods to effectively communicate with consumers, family/caregivers, the community and multidisciplinary teams.

Ability to:

• Understand the fundamentals of the assigned area and effectively work within the system.
• Effectively represent and advocate for the consumer perspective within the community and the system in the assigned area.
• Understand and articulate the cultural and social factors affecting behavior patterns.
• Effectively explain the workings of the system of the assigned area to consumers, parents, family members and caregivers.
• Demonstrate tact, diplomacy, patience, compassion, and discretion.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Obtain and record accurate information for case documentation and other reports.
• Prepare clear, accurate, and concise reports and other written material.

Minimum Qualifications and Certifications & Licenses

BHRS Peer Counselor I

• Current or previous lived experience (e.g., special experiential knowledge) as a consumer of services or as a family member/caregiver of a former or current consumer AND
• Graduation from high school or possession of an acceptable equivalency certificate, such as the General Educational Development Certificate AND
• At least 12 units of college course work in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, or related field OR
• Successful completion of intermediate coursework level in a Peer Counseling or Substance Use Educational Certificate Program as defined by the program of attendance OR
• One year of volunteer or internship experience of at least 10 hours per week at a public behavioral healthcare setting.

BHRS Peer Counselor II (In addition to above)

• One year of experience comparable to the BHRS Peer Counselor I AND
• At least 24 units of college course work in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling related field OR
• Two years of volunteer, internship or work experience of at least 20 hours per week at a public behavioral healthcare setting.

Certificates and Licenses

Depending on assignment, may require travel between various County and business-related locations. Employees who drive on County business to carry out job-related duties must possess a valid California driver's license for the class of vehicle driven and meet automobile insurability requirements of the County, including review of a recent DMV history. If a driver's license is required, at the time of the selection interview by the appointing authority, applicants will have to furnish a recent DMV driving record.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

All applicants will receive email notifications regarding their status in the recruitment process. Please be sure to check your spam settings to allow our emails to reach you. You may also log into your Governmentjobs.com account to view these emails.

Testing and Eligible List: Depending on the number of qualified applications received, the examination may consist of a highly qualified review, application screening, online assessment, written examination, oral examination, performance examination, or any combination to determine which candidates' names will be placed on the eligible list. The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill the current vacancy, and any future vacancies for open, fixed-term, full-time or part-time positions which may occur while the list remains active.
LiveScan:
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTSCandidates selected are subject to fingerprinting by the Sheriff's Department and must pass a Department of Justice LiveScan background check prior to appointment.
Disaster Service Workers: All County of Marin employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: If you have questions regarding equal employment opportunities, please contact Roger Crawford, Equal Employment Opportunity Director, at 415-473-2095. If you have questions concerning this position announcement, please contact Cassie Folan at cassie.folan@marincounty.gov .

PLEASE NOTE: The benefits described herein do not apply to temporary (contingent) or to part-time employees that work less than 50%.

COUNTY OF MARIN BENEFITS: GENERAL
Below are some of the excellent benefits the County offers. More information about our benefits can be found on the Marin County's Benefits Homepage .

Paid Time Off : Competitive vacation accrual; 12 holidays per year; and generous sick leave accruals. Additional types of paid leaves are available for some bargaining units.

Health Plan : Choice of four health plans (two Kaiser HMOs, Western Health Advantage HMO, and an Anthem Blue Cross PPO) along with dental through Delta Dental PPO, and vision through Vision Service Plan (VSP). There is a County contribution toward the premiums (the contribution amount varies depending on coverage tier elected such as employee only, employee + 1, employee + family). Plus, the County offers excellent Life Insurance, Disability, Flexible Spending Plans, a Dependent Care Assistance Program, professional development and more.

Retirement : Defined benefit plan under the County Employees Retirement Act of 1937. More information can be found online at www.mcera.org.

IRS 457 Plan : Choice of pre-tax or post-tax (Roth) employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical : The County provides access to group health plan coverage to eligible retirees.

For specific questions regarding the employment process, please contact Human Resources at (415) 473-6104. For additional details about the benefits or retirement, please contact the Benefits Division at (415) 473-2197.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 2/7/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$55,848.00 - $67,860.00 Annually