Placement Support Specialist, IPS

About the Role

Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center is attuned to the healthcare issues that matter to the people of North Brooklyn. Woodhull focuses on preventing disease and promoting healthy lifestyles by reaching out to the community at various convenient locations. At NYC Health + Hospitals, our mission is to deliver high-quality care health services, without exception. Every employee takes a person-centered approach that exemplifies the ICARE values (Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence) through empathic communication and partnerships between all persons.

Responsibilities

Under general supervision, the Placement Support Specialist is responsible for establishing supportive relationships with clients to achieve their vocational and educational objectives. Provides personalized job placement support and assists clients in navigating post-secondary education and training programs. Integrates job placement and education support services with the client's mental health treatment team and spends the majority of work hours in the community.

• Engages clients and establishes trusting, collaborative relationships directed toward the goal of education or competitive employment in community job settings.
• Provides job development and job search services directed toward positions that are individualized to the interests and uniqueness of the clients in the assigned caseload.
• Follows the principles and procedures of the individual placement and support approach to supported employment.
• Conducts a minimum of six (6) employer contacts per week.
• Provides support for education goals in the community, including contact with staff at high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions.
• Provides individualized support to assist clients in maintaining employment or education.
• Arranges access to benefits counseling.
• Spends 65% or more of scheduled work hours in the community; meeting clients at community locations (e.g., home, workplace, school, coffee shop, library, etc.); taking clients to apply for jobs; investigating local employment options; or meeting with employers regarding job development.
• Provides individualized follow-along supports to assist clients in maintaining employment.
• Writes job support plans with clients and incorporates input from family members (with client permission) and the mental health team. Adjusts plan according to clients’ needs and preferences.
• Provides outreach services as necessary to clients who appear to disengage from the service using a variety of methods.
• Provides timely interventions, including returning client phone calls within twenty-four (24) hours, addressing job loss or job problems with employers within 24 hours, following up on job leads within forty-eight (48) hours, and meeting with clients within one (1) week prior to job starts and within three days after job starts.
• Participates in weekly meetings with the mental health treatment team and communicates individually with team members between meetings to coordinate and integrate vocational services with mental health treatment.
• Maintains records of service contacts.
• Attends high school meetings with teachers, such as Individualized Education Program (IEP), 504 Plan, and Transition Plan meetings, to discuss how students learn best and ways to support the students’ education.
• Assists clients in learning about different education and vocational training programs related to client interests and academic aptitudes, focusing on mainstream education and certificate training programs only.
• Provides support with financial aid, including the annual Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), understanding loan obligations, applying for scholarships, and obtaining tools, equipment, and computers.
• Supports clients prior to the beginning of education programs, including accompanying them on campus/school tours, buying books or supplies, applying for services with the Office of Disability Services, signing up for seminars on effective study skills, and discussing where to study between classes.
• Assists in managing clients’ school schedules, including due dates for assignments, reserving time to study for exams, and keeping track of class drop dates.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university and two (2) years of experience in community-centered activities related to the duties described; or
• High School diploma or its educational equivalent and six (6) years of experience in community work or community-centered activities related to the duties described; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to the above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in the first option.

Preferred Qualifications

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree and two (2) years of experience in vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, or working with people with intellectual disabilities, mental health disorders, and/or substance use disorders.
• Experience in mental health and service delivery to adults.
• Good verbal and writing skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Ability to understand and be understood in English. Proficiency in a second language is preferred.

Skills

• Ability to operate general office equipment (e.g., computer, scanner, printer, phones).