Job Information
Western Mass Training Consortium Afiya Advocate in Northampton, Massachusetts
THE CONSORTIUM - WILDFLOWER ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES A JOB OPENING FOR THE POSITION OF Afiya Advocate PROGRAM: Wildflower Alliance - Afiya (peer respite) Work Location: Northampton Hours: 11.25 and 12.25 hours/week Pay Range: \$19 - \$21 per hour based on completion of core training and bilingual/bicultural experience. This will include weekday and weekend shifts that can be long Afiya\'s primary mission and purpose is to support people who are struggling to avoid hospitalization and other more invasive interventions, while also creating space for them to shift what often gets called \"crises\" into a learning opportunity. Are you someone who is energized by intense conversations? Are you able to sit with someone who is thinking seriously about suicide, own your own fear, and stay present? Are you open to conversations exploring self-injury and how it is or is not working for someone? Can you listen and stay curious, even when someone is going through something you don\'t fully understand or that sounds scary to you? Does the idea of supporting someone to make meaning of voices or visions sound like something you would be good at? If so, then this job may be for you. REQUIREMENTS: MUST have first-hand experience with psychiatric diagnosis, trauma, homelessness, problems with substances, and/or other life-interrupting challenges. (This means that you yourself must have been diagnosed, survived trauma, been homeless, struggled with addiction or problems with substances, and/or similar.) A commitment to raising awareness of and undoing racism, transphobia, ableism, psychiatric oppression, and other forms of systemic oppression is also required. Ability to remain present in intense/really difficult conversations and situations absolutely required. PREFERRED/A PLUS: Experience being hospitalized on a psychiatric unit or being incarcerated is preferred. Bilingual/bicultural (Spanish/English, ASL/English, etc.) a big plus. Training in Intentional Peer Support, Hearing Voices, Alternatives to Suicide, or similar a plus. Some past experience offering paid peer support and/or familiarity with psychiatric survivors, human rights, cross-disability and/or other related movements a plus. TO APPLY: Afiya is a part of the Wildflower Alliance (under the umbrella of the Western Mass Training Consortium). Resume and cover letter should be submitted to info@wildfloweralliance.org and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. AA/EOE Please include how you meet the basic requirements of the job in your cover letter. Applications that do not include a cover letter will be discarded.