Casual Peer Worker

**About us**:
We are leaders in mental health service delivery, specialising in working with adults and young people, and in early childhood intervention.

Stride is a name that expresses our ambition - it's a name that's purposeful and shows awareness of the important role we play in the recovery journey.

As we embark on our next stage, join us to make a difference. We're here to Stride.

**About the service**:
Head to Health Launceston service model is tailored to the needs of the local community and offers a combination of peer-led recovery and clinical support to provide a warm, welcoming and high-quality experience including immediate mental health support for people requiring short to medium term mental health and wellbeing support.

Stride have pioneered the integrated model since 2014 and are looking to expand our innovative and motivated Launceston workforce.

**On Offer**:

- Based in Launceston, TAS
- Multiple casual opportunities available
- Paying on Schads Level 3 plus Super
- May be eligible for salary packaging options (up to $15,899 tax free)
- Stride Rewards - access to discounts from 100s of retailers (fashion, food and fitness)
- Excellent training & career development
- Supportive team environment

**Role overview**:

- Use personal lived experience of mental health recovery to connect with clients and provide support of evidence-based strategies underpinned by recovery-orientated principles to help people experiencing psychological distress or suicidal crisis.
- Provide direct and personalised assistance to clients, provide referrals, link with appropriate services, and monitor and report on progress.
- Sit with clients in distress and discomfort, taking a collaborative approach to supporting people to identify and connect with support they need and want.
- Use your peer-support skills, including purposeful storytelling to connect with clients and promote hope, and recovery.
- Conduct brief interventions including psychosocial support, safety planning, recovery/wellness planning, sensory modulation techniques, advocacy, and mandatory reporting as required.
- Consult, liaise, and connect with internal and external service systems to provide a full range of tailored interventions.
- Serve as a positive role model to the client's support network (family members and friends), staff, and community.
- Build independence in developing and engaging in skills to build distress tolerance and support capacity to alleviate and manage future psychosocial distress and suicidal crisis, with a focus on sharing lived experience of recovery (whilst maintaining professional boundaries).
- Perform Outcome Measures and facilitate other reporting, feedback, and research activities as required.
- Use client management system including self-management of rosters, record time, and sign-off of client activity, input journal entries and case notes.
- Attendance and participation in operational supervision, reflective-practice supervision, professional development opportunities and Critical incident management activities.

**Requirements**:
Qualifications:

- Minimum of a Certificate IV in a Community Services related discipline (ideally Mental Health Peer Worker)
- Hold, or be willing to work towards, a Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Worker and complete Safe Story Telling training

Skills & Experience:

- Personal lived experience of mental health recovery and proactivity in managing your own and others' wellbeing
- Experience supporting people with their mental health challenges
- Ability to think and act calmly and deal sensitively with distressed people
- Effective listening, communication, and empathy skills
- Demonstrated problem solving and organisational skills
- Ability to work autonomously, but also as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- Understanding of the principles of duty of care, rights to privacy, and confidentiality
- Commitment to professional development and willingness to participate in training
- Computer skills, including software proficiency and data entry
- Skills in record keeping and writing case notes
- Must be eligible to apply/currently hold a WWCC

This includes but is not limited to people with a lived-experience of mental health recovery, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities.

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