This information brief provides an example of how one locally-initiated program has implemented the Peer Support Specialist role for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions. The brief covers aspects of training, coaching, supervision, role definition and financing; and describes challenges and solutions

Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures

Youth Empowerment Support Program

English

PDXScholar (Portland State University)

Portland State University PDXScholar Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations School of Social Work 2013 Implementing the Peer Support Specialist Role: Providing Direct, Individualized Support in a Local Program Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures Youth Empowerment Support Program Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/socwork_fac  Part of the Social Work Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Citation Details Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures and Youth & Youth Empowerment Support Program. (2013). Implementing the Peer Support Specialist Role: Providing Direct, Individualized Support in a Local Program. Portland, OR: Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures, Portland State University. This Report is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu.                               Implementing the Peer Support Specialist Role: Providing Direct, Individualized Support in a Local Program This information briefprovides an exampleof how one locally-initiatedprogram has implemented thePeer Support Specialist rolefor youth and young adultswith serious mental healthconditions. The brief coversaspects of training, coaching,supervision, role definitionand financing; and describeschallenges and solutions. Overview of the Program The Youth Empowerment Support (YES!) Program provides opportunities and trainings for community and system transformation as well as direct support, groups, and leadershipopportunities for young people at risk of, in, or emancipating out of system services. YES! began in 2007 in Auburn, CA. The program was originally funded by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, but with the support of Placer County, YES! was able to find more sustainablefunding through the Mental Health Services Act and Wraparound funding (state legislationknown as SB-163 and often referred to as the “millionaire’s tax”). The YES! program is part of an organization named Whole Person Learn-ing, which provides support and guidance in areas such as navigating policies, budgeting, grants, and human resources. YES! hires staff that are 18 years or older and: “...no longer receive any system services fromChildren’s System of Care, so that would belike child welfare or probation. We also state1                                                                                             that they need to have a strong work ethic;be dependable, flexible, and able to adapt todaily changes and challenges. That’s mainlybecause of the atmosphere we work in and ev-ery day they come in and it’s something differ-ent. They also need to have knowledge of andability to learn positive youth development,strengths-based practice and cultural compe-tence; the ability to work cooperatively anddecisively with individuals and groups with dif-ferent educational, economic, cultural and ra-cial backgrounds; and…also must pass a crimi-nal background check and drug screening.”Currently, there are two full-time (includingthe Program Manager) and one part-time staff, all with lived experience. Staff are trained in Motivational Interviewing, suicide prevention,and cultural competency, and they also receive training from California’s Youth Development Institute. Other training is provided as needed,and county and community partners provide affordable trainings as well as online resources.YES! staff have prior experience with and knowledge of the various systems YES! works with. These include experiences with the child welfare, juvenile justice, and/or mental health systems. The Program Manager, along with the Director of Whole Person Learning, co-Role of Youth Coordinators supervise the Youth Coordinators. The use of two supervisors ensures a collaborative, team approach that provides support for differentaspects of the job. The youth referred to this program come from various sources. In the beginning, the youth were referred through county services.As the program has gained a positive reputa-tion, though, many youth are self-referring or referring their peers. The youth served are 12-26 years old. YES! is dedicated to providing individualized services that do not replicatesupport that is already available within the community. “We try to find other resources to meet [theyouth’s] need and link that young person upwith [a resource], but if there isn’t a serviceor support in the community or county thatwould meet that need then we try to fill inthat gap. We’d also bring that informationback to the county and community throughvarious meetings that our coordinators are in,leadership meetings or system change proj-ects, and so we’re constantly trying to loopour feedback from doing direct support in thecommunity and our own lived experience backto the county and the community to make im-provement.” YES! Youth Coordinators provide individual-ized support for youth in three phases. Thefirst phase, called the “intro phase,” involvesthe Youth Coordinator getting to know a youth,developing trust, becoming familiar with theyouth’s culture, and focusing on what the youthhopes to achieve during their time together.During this phase, the Youth Coordinator is ableto learn what resources will best suit the youthand what level of support will help the youthsucceed. The next phase, “intensive” or “periodic sup-port,” really focuses on supporting youth andconnecting them with various community re-sources as well as assisting them in learninghow to navigate systems independently.“So for example if a youth comes into ourprogram and they’re homeless, and let’s saythey were adopted and they don’t qualifyfor certain programs or let’s say they neverentered the system but they bounce around,2                                                                                                                                                        they don’t have any family support and nowthey’re homeless. We would have to do a lotmore work with that individual than, say, withsomebody who comes in and maybe quali-fies for a lot of services because they grewup in the system and emancipated out. So wewould link one person up with services thatwould be periodic, and the other homelessyouth – we would be trying to meet their basicneeds, working multiple days trying to meettheir needs.” The final phase, the “transition phase,” involvesevaluating the services that have been provid-ed and checking in with the youth to find out if they have achieved what they wanted during their time at YES!. Also, the final phase is a time for making sure the youth have the resources they need to continue to move forward withChallenges their goals, and for celebration for what has been accomplished. Youth Coordinators also sit in on meetings suchas Individual Education Planning, PlacementPlanning, and Family Team Meetings. In thesesettings, the Youth Coordinator provides infor-mation to the family members and the youthso that they are prepared and know what to ex-pect. The Youth Coordinators encourage youthto advocate for themselves, but in instanceswhen perhaps the youth is not being heard oris not ready to speak up, they will support theyouth in whatever manner is most comfortablefor the youth. It is the hope of the Youth Coor-dinators that this modeling will further encour-age the youth to advocate for themselves. TheYouth Coordinator is continuously working withthe youth to improve existing skills and buildnew ones. As with most programs with Youth Coordinatorroles, there have been challenges to creatingand sustaining the role. In the beginning, therewas quite a bit of stigma from adult profession-als. Because YES! hires youth who have experi-ence with systems such as child welfare, mentalhealth, and juvenile justice, some staff were notvery supportive of hiring them for professionalroles.“There’s a lot of stigma around our work andbreaking down those barriers in both ourcounty and community has been a challengeat times and I always say the only reasons wehave sustainable staff is because people cometo this job with the passion that they want tomake a change. The bad experiences you’vehad are going to come up in this job for surebecause you’re working with the county andseeing its flaws, but you also get to see thestrengths… I think when people go throughthis system and they first take a job trying towork on system transformation, they come inwith their own bias and stigma towards thesystem so it goes both ways.” Additionally, there is a need to support theYouth Coordinators during their own time oftransition into a professional role. The Youth Co-ordinators are valuable because of their expe-riences, but these experiences may also meanthe Youth Coordinators require extra supportfrom supervisors.The YES! Program Manager and the Directorof Whole Person Learning emphasize the im-portance of providing a safe workplace thatencourages debriefing. They also encourageYouth Coordinators to participate in trainingsand community relationship building in order tobuild their skills and relationships and continuetheir growth as advocates and professionals. 3                             “Our staff – we come with our lived experienceand we may, to some degree, have work his-tory we bring with us, but we’re not necessar-ily coming with a degree so I think it’s reallyimportant to have an employer who will findFuture Work Many of the youth who have received supportfrom YES! have voiced a desire to have a drop-in center where they can socialize and accessa variety of resources in one place. YES! will belooking into possibilities to make this a reality.Currently, YES! will be launching a cloud plat-Acknowledgment those resources for you. I think that’s impor-tant – to have an employer who is willing tofind those things for your program and sup-port you in that.“ form where youth can store their vital docu-ments and have them all in one safe locationcalled HealthShack. This is especially impor-tant for youth who move often or do not havestable housing. Thanks to YES! for providing information about their program for this peer support case study. Funded by Project funded by National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, United States Department of Education, and the Center for Mental Health Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services (NIDRR grant H133B090019). Suggested Citation Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures and Youth & Youth Empowerment Support Program. (2013). Implementingthe Peer Support Specialist Role: Providing Direct, Individualized Supportin a Local Program. Portland, OR: Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures, Portland State University. www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu 4 

Implementing the Peer Support Specialist Role: Providing Direct, Individualized Support in a Local Program

https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1444&amp;context=socwork_fac

Implementing the Peer Support Specialist Role: Providing Direct, Individualized Support in a Local Program

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

PDXScholar (Portland State University)