Behavioral Health Specialist III, IV - Central District Administration

About the role

This posting is being used to fill Behavioral Health Specialist positions that provide services to students at various schools within the Central District as needed and assigned by the Central District Office. The authorized level of these positions is Behavioral Health Specialist IV.

Responsibilities

• Assess, through established professional protocol, when and why an individual is engaging in problem behavior by collecting and reviewing the individual’s history through personal interviews with the individual and his/her family, discussions with school personnel/employers and others, and review of written records such as results of aptitude or psychological tests, and other reports regarding medical and social-familial aspects and adaptive behavior.
• Develop an individualized behavior intervention/management plan focused on interrupting the development or continuation of problem behavior. Such a plan specifies techniques, methods and strategies to be employed, alternative skills to be taught, crisis prevention and intervention services, and lifestyle interventions that include long-term maintenance of alternative skills.
• Work collaboratively with school personnel/employers and other professionals involved in the development/implementation of the behavior intervention/management plan.
• Conduct behavior management counseling and skill training sessions for individuals and groups in order to achieve behavior management goals. Counseling and skill training may also include sessions to improve attention span, communication, social, recreational, coping, anger management, problem solving and other functional daily living skills through verbal instruction, modeling behavior, coaching, role-playing behavior practice and other appropriate modalities.
• Conduct regular sessions with the individual together with his/her family designed to improve the individual/family functioning that allows the individual to reasonably benefit from his/her education, work and other functional activities. Assist the family to develop and maintain appropriate structure within the home, develop parenting skills and child management techniques, facilitate effective communication and problem solving between family members or between family members and the school/employer.
• Advise school personnel/employers and others on the use of appropriate techniques, methods and strategies to be employed in order to facilitate achievement of behavior intervention/management plan goals.
• Participate in the integration of services to the individual in a variety of settings to the extent appropriate for the individual.
• Prepare and maintain assigned individual’s case records, correspondence and other reports in accordance with established rules, policies and procedures, including those regarding confidentiality of the individual’s case/services records.

Requirements

Basic Education Requirements: Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in counseling, marriage/family therapy, psychology or social work. NOTE: If you will graduate within six (6) months of application from an accredited university and will meet the Education Requirement upon your graduation, you must provide a letter attesting to such from your department chair or university, along with your most current official transcripts. Final official transcript showing receipt of the degree must be submitted upon graduation.

Qualifications

• Level III: None.
• Level IV: One (1) year of progressively responsible professional post-Master's work experience providing counseling and/or therapy to individuals and/or their families which included assisting individuals resolve behavioral problems. This experience must have involved counseling or guidance in situations where individuals had difficulty in grasping or understanding the nature of their problem(s), choosing between various possible courses of action, adjusting to environmental conditions and/or acquiring or sustaining appropriate individual control or motivation.

Desirable Qualifications

• Possession of a current National Certified Counselor credential from the National Board of Certified Counselors.

Salary

The advertised salary is based on full-time employment and includes shortage and school year differentials, if applicable. Salary Range: Behavioral Health Specialist III, SR-20: $5,107.00 - $6,221.00 Behavioral Health Specialist IV, SR-22: $5,753.00 - $6,468.00

Benefits

Examples of benefits include:

• Holidays: You may be eligible for 13 paid holidays each year; 14 holidays during an election year.
• Vacation: Employees of Bargaining Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13 earn 21 days per year.
• Sick Leave: Employees of Bargaining Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13 earn 21 days per year.
• Health Insurance: If eligible, the State pays a part of the premiums for each employee's enrollment in a State sponsored Medical, Drug, Vision, and Adult Dental Plan.
• Group Life Insurance: The State provides a free life insurance policy for employees and retirees.
• Premium Conversion Plan: Participating employees may increase their take-home pay by having the State deduct the cost of health care premiums before payroll taxes are withheld.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Eligible employees can reduce their federal and state income taxes and social security taxes through a tax-savings benefit program called Island Flex. This program allows employees to set aside money from their paychecks to pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and eligible dependent care expenses on a BEFORE-TAX basis.
• Retirement Plan: The State contributes to a retirement plan for eligible employees.
• Tax Shelter Annuity (TSA): If eligible, Department employees are able to participate in a tax shelter annuity program. The TSA plan allows eligible employees to contribute pre-tax dollars to an employee-selected investment service provider authorized to provide TSA products.
• Deferred Compensation: The State offers employees a tax deferred (sheltered) retirement investment program. This program is an opportunity to build a retirement nest egg through voluntary payroll deductions.
• Several investment options are available.