Summary

The Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) Recovery Specialist will work under the primary direction of the OBH Community Wellness Team Manager within the Office of Behavioral Health, Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS). The primary responsibility of the Recovery Specialist will be to ensure that OBH programs, activities, initiatives, and contracted services engage service users to the broadest extent possible, present service user interests and promote recovery principles. The incumbent will function as the OBH recovery liaison to contracted and community providers, including police, courts, payers, evaluators, social services, housing programs and as the OBH liaison to the Allegheny County Coalition for Recovery; family members/caregivers, service users and volunteers. Incumbent will give peer voice to service users on Office program and policy development.

• Provides technical assistance and recovery training to OBH staff.
• Works with OBH staff to promote community integration for providers and people in recovery.
• Provides consultation to OBH management about recovery initiatives and policy development.
• Coordinates Certified Peer Specialist trainings

• Assists in developing pilots with the idea of generalizing them to providers
• Assists in developing recovery-themed materials that can be utilized by multiple providers.
• Assists in developing policies which are recommended for implementation by multiple providers.
• Provides consultation or technical assistance that enables the development of policy or practices by coalitions or professional work groups.
• Provides or organizes trainings for wellness and recovery practices and principles.
• Promotes the hiring by OBH providers of people in recovery to provide an array of peer support and professional services.
• Participates in local, regional and statewide committees, workgroups and advisory committees as assigned.

• Conducts train the trainer activities.
• Promotes peer support activities.
• Creates a structure for leadership development through training and experiential opportunities, specifically facilitating the Certified Peer Specialist trainings
• Facilitates the expansion of recovery initiatives.
• Assists in developing initiatives that promote community integration for people with serious mental illness or other behavioral health issues.
• Provides staff support and technical assistance to stakeholder groups such as the Allegheny County Coalition for Recovery, and other groups as assigned.

• Develops initiatives that change the beliefs and attitudes of people in the broader community toward people with mental illness.
• Assists in developing initiatives that identify people, groups or organizations that are exceptional adaptors.

• Ability to work effectively with consumers of behavioral health services.
• Knowledge of recovery and resilience principles and practices preferred.
• Proficient typist, working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs: Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to write effectively and clearly and the ability to speak in front of a group of people.
• Navigate the community on related work assignments.
• Self-starter and ability to work independently to initiate tasks that need completed for the department and/or the office.
• Lived experience with mental health and/or drug and alcohol recovery, with the ability to share personal life experiences according to the Employee Self-Disclosure Guidance.