Family Peer Support Specialist Mental Health

Who We Are

Founded in 1999, Maryland Coalition of Families (MCF) is a statewide nonprofit with a central office in Columbia, Md., and staff located in communities throughout the state. Using personal experience as parents, caregivers, youth and other loved ones, we connect, support and empower Maryland’s families. Our staff provide one-to-one support to parents and caregivers of people with mental health, substance use or gambling issues. We also advocate to improve systems that impact individuals with behavioral health challenges.

Overview

Maryland Coalition of Families (MCF) has a full-time (40 hours per week) employment opportunity for a Family Peer Support Specialist (FPSS) to serve families in PG County. The candidate must have personal (not work-related) experience as a primary caregiver of a transition youth (18-26 y/o) who has/had mental health needs. After training and orientation, the Family Peer Support Specialist will provide family-to-family support, education, advocacy, coaching, information, referrals and follow-up to families seeking assistance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide support, encouragement, and education to help families, caregivers, and allies who care about someone transitioning from youth to adulthood, who have experienced or are experiencing mental health needs, navigate behavioral health, social, legal, educational, and health care systems.
• Offer a strengths-based, non-judgmental, solutions-oriented approach to helping families, caregivers and allies identify challenges and needs and develop a plan to overcome them.
• Provide opportunities for families, caregivers, and allies to engage in activities which help and encourage them to build a natural support network.
• Educate families, caregivers and allies about available resources and facilitate access as needed.
• Educate families, caregivers, and allies regarding their rights in various systems.
• Advocate on behalf of the families, caregivers, and allies with key stakeholders in various systems with they are involved to ensure needs are met.
• Support families, caregivers, and allies to be equal partners in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating plans of care or service.
• Facilitate educational workshops for families, caregivers and allies related to behavioral health topics or other subjects relevant to the community.
• Build and maintain strong, positive partnerships with behavioral health, child-serving agencies, and other service providers.
• Act as an ambassador to disseminate information and raise awareness about all MCF programs and services.
• Contribute relevant and timely information to a centralized directory of various types of resources, including behavioral health, financial, legal, housing, and basic needs as well as curate resources specific to program focus area (i.e., substance use, …