ICL Inc.·New York
Peer Specialists serve as role models who provide supportive counseling, teach coping and symptom management skills, and assist residents in achieving recovery goals. They also facilitate access to community resources, perform crisis intervention, and maintain accurate case records.
Under the general supervision of the Team Leader/Evening Coordinator or designee, Peer Specialists serve as role models, educate recipients about self-help techniques and self-help group processes, teach effective coping strategies based on personal experience, teach symptom management skills, assist in clarifying rehabilitation and recovery goals and assist in the development of community support systems and networks.
The Peer Specialist assists assigned individuals in developing and maintaining viable living, working and social situations in the community by obtaining needed medical, social, psychosocial, educational, financial, vocational and other services.
Participates in the provision of crisis intervention services to participants.
The majority of duties are often performed independently under general supervision.
The Peer Specialist assists residents through supportive counseling to participate as fully as possible in the life of the community with the intent of achieving individual goals that foster personal growth and the highest level of independence possible and desired.
Counsels residents regarding plans for meeting service needs, and aids the recipients to mobilize inner capabilities and environmental resources to attain life goals including goals of goals of housing.
Educates residents about self-help techniques and self-help group processes
Teaches residents effective coping strategies based on personal experience
Teaches symptom management skills
Assists in clarifying rehabilitation and recovery goals.
Assists in maintaining up-to-date, accurate individual case records on each resident.
Assists in obtaining and developing resource information for residents in all aspects of their care; disseminates this information to recipients in a manner that is clear and understandable.
Assist the resident in meeting service plan goals.
Helps facilitate individualized services to the resident that meet the diverse needs of the recipient and focus on the discharge-planning goal of housing.
Explains the types of clinical services, and ICL programs available to recipients; helps instruct the recipient in daily living skills, socialization skill enhancement, conflict resolution and most importantly, housing readiness.
Performs crisis assessment and nonverbal and verbal crisis intervention.
Assists in referring residents to community resources and other organizations. Accompanies recipients on regularly scheduled or emergency visits to medical treatment facilities, social agencies, government offices, or other locations associated with the treatment or assistance of the resident.
Advocates on behalf of recipient with outside service providers and within ICL.
Assists resident in finding and getting into vocational training or other training opportunities, and works with other team members in addressing the needs of residents.
Immediately reports serious incidents, serious incident allegations, incidents or sensitive situations to supervisors. Completes incident reports in accordance with ICL policy. Accounts for residents and files missing person reports on recipients not accounted for in accordance with ICL policy and procedure.
Complies with attendance and timekeeping rules and reports reliably and regularly to work on an on-going basis.
Attends regularly scheduled clinical meetings, staff meetings and supervision as well as in-service training and development activities.
Complies with agency infection control policies.
Other job-related duties that may be assigned.
Candidates should have experience in providing advocacy services to individuals who are mentally ill or homeless, with a preference for those who are past or current recipients of such services. Strong communication skills, the ability to work independently, and the capacity to document services accurately are required.
Market context
In New York, peer specialist roles are often tied to behavioral health and housing-support settings, where demand is shaped by agencies serving people who are mentally ill or homeless. These jobs are competitive because employers value lived experience, strong communication, independent work habits, and accurate documentation; this platform’s AI-summarized requirements and benefits help you review the original posting faster. If you have advocacy experience, tailor your application to show how you supported clients and documented services clearly.