Mental Health Specialist- Center for Hope and Healing

Responsible for delivering paraprofessional mental health care under direct supervision.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Obtain certification in BLS within 30 days of hire date
• State criminal background check and Federal (if applicable), as required for regulated areas
• Two (2) years of college study OR two (2) years of experience in inpatient acute psychiatric care

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Social Work, or Nursing
• Valid driver's license

Responsibilities

• Facilitates or co-facilitates the therapeutic group process
• Applies effective communication techniques in collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team and in interacting with clients and significant others in therapeutic relationships
• Assists clients to structure their lives in a therapeutic manner
• Serves as an active member of the mental health team, taking developmental age of the client into account (as determined and directed by the master treatment plan)
• Provides community based mental health care, which includes providing care to clients in a manner that considers safety and patients’ rights and comfort
• Utilizes the master treatment plan for assistance in identifying and implementing developmental age-appropriate interventions with clients
• Therapeutically supports and reinforces clients’ appropriate and pro-social behavior; negatively reinforces and sets limits in a therapeutic and consistent manner for clients’ inappropriate and antisocial behavior, within program guidelines
• Identifies verbal and non-verbal cues for potential aggressive behavior and applies de-escalation techniques to the situation
• Implements appropriate interventions and documents clients’ responses in the medical record
• Identifies thought patterns and behaviors associated with different types of psychiatric diagnoses and developmental ages and intervenes appropriately utilizing the master treatment plan
• Provides assistance to clients’ family members and other supportive individuals in accordance with program standards
• Performs basic medical tasks (i.e. obtains and documents vital signs, collects urine and stool samples, weighs clients, witnessing controlled substance wastes, obtaining blood glucose levels) and exhibits a willingness to learn additional tasks
• Assists clients in their activities of daily living (bathing, toileting, eating and ambulation) as needed
• May transport and supervise clients to appointments and activities
• Organizes and facilitates specific recreation, physical fitness and age appropriate leisure time activities
• Answers the phone and responds to all calls, including Helpline calls, in an appropriate and professional manner

Skills

• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work successfully under highly stressful conditions
• Capability of adapting to varying workloads and work assignments on a constant basis
• Ability to make sound, independent judgments based on scientific principles
• Ability to collaborate with other multi-disciplinary team members in an appropriate fashion

Physical Requirements

• Heavy/hard work: Requires strength and or stamina, lifting, moving, stooping, reaching, standing, walking, and occasionally physical restraint of a client

Working Environment

• Inpatient setting or work within homes and living spaces of community based clientele

Schedule

16 scheduled weekly hours, weekend shift