Vocational and Educational Support Specialist

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Arlington County requires all applicants to thoroughly complete each section of the application, including prior job responsibilities, duties, and supplemental questions. While you may attach a resume, it will not replace a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) , Behavioral Healthcare Division (BHD) is seeking an experienced Vocational and Educational Support Specialist to provide community-based services to adults with a diagnosed Serious Mental Illness (SMI). The Specialist is part of the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team and will provide clients with vocational and educational support, direct case management services, and work with clients who are severely mentally ill. The Specialist will collaborate with multidisciplinary providers who work primarily in the community providing an array of Mental Health and Substance Use services. At least 75% of services take place in the community and client’s homes with some interventions directed or performed by staff with specialty training and skills.

The goal of ACT is to promote independence, rehabilitation, and recovery, with an emphasis on home visits and coordinated, interdisciplinary support to prevent homelessness, unnecessary hospitalization, and other negative outcomes. This role involves working as part of an interdisciplinary team, attending daily team meetings, collaborating with team members and other service providers, and delivering the majority of services independently in clients' homes, shelters, or other community locations. ACT is a highly collaborative, evidence-based model of treatment in which each team member works with all clients assigned to the team.

Specific duties include:

• Providing individual vocational and educational support services based on diagnosis and functional needs of client including working with client to effectively identify strengths and barriers toward client's vocational and educational goals;
• Conducting comprehensive clinical assessments of clients including developing, writing, implementing and evaluating overall treatment goals and plans in conjunction with the team;
• Planning and providing work-related supportive services including assistance with grooming, personal hygiene, clothing, transportation, etc. and performing on-going assessments of activities of daily living (ADL);
• Coordinating with state vocational rehabilitation and other employment services and working with community employers to develop jobs that meet client's needs, abilities, and interests and conducting on-the-job performance assessments, evaluations and review sessions with clients and their employers;
• Working with clients and providing encouragement of functional skills such as money management and other self-help tasks and linking clients to various resources in the community or within the agency based on their needs, such as employment, housing, healthcare, food security, benefits, and social supports
• Coordinating services with internal and external partners, families, and clients;
• Documenting client progress in Electronic Health Record (EHR) and according to standards, maintaining a permanent record of treatment and services delivered;
• Working with the ACT Team to identify and arrange need for crisis intervention;
• Providing on-call crisis intervention covering nighttime hours and serving as back-up to evening and weekend staff on a rotating bases (approximately every 4-7 weeks); and
Performing shift management in coordination with ACT managers according to established policies and procedures.

The ideal candidate will be flexible, able to work under pressure, perform as a team player, possess strong communication and documentation skills and be familiar with vocational and educational support services, recovery principles, and person-centered care.

Arlington County DHS is committed to delivering client services effectively, equitably, respectfully, and trauma informed. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring our clients are approached, engaged, and cared for in ways that demonstrate competency, sensitivity, and awareness of factors that impact the client experience, including but not limited to: cultural identity, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, religious/spiritual ascription, physical capability, cognitive and literacy levels, sexual orientation, and linguistic needs.

NOTE : This recruitment may be used to fill similar vacancies, both bilingual and non-bilingual.

Minimum:

• Bachelor’s degree in a clinical discipline such as Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, Art Therapy, or other directly related clinical discipline; and
• Two (2) years of experience providing behavioral health services.

Substitution: A Master’s degree may substitute for the experience requirement.

Desirable : Preference may be given to candidates with a Master's degree in a clinical discipline and one or more of the following:

• Experience providing case management services including vocational and/or educational support services to seriously mentally ill adults in an outpatient setting;
• Experience providing services to clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders;
• Experience providing ACT services including assessing emergent needs or crisis situations; and
• Bilingual (Spanish and English).

Possession of one or more of the following Licenses preferred:

• Virginia Licensed Clinical Social Worker;
• Licensed Professional Counselor;
• Licensed Clinical Psychologist; or
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

Special Requirements

Selected candidate must meet the criteria of and register with the State as a Qualified Mental Health Professional- Adult (QMHP-A) within 60 days of hire. For more information, please go to: Virginia Board of Counseling-Forms

Applicant must possess, or obtain by time of appointment, a valid driver's license, or the applicant must have the ability to use alternative methods of transportation to perform duties at locations other than the primary worksite. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon a favorable review of the applicant's driving record.

A pre-hire background check will be made on all candidates selected for employment. It may include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit history. Applicants may be required to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain your background information. A State of Virginia Central Registry check will be required upon hire.

Must complete pre-hire federal background check and State of Virginia Central Registry check.

Employment restrictions : To ensure that dual relationships are avoided and that employees who are also clients do not relate to their service provider as co-professionals, employees will not be hired by the County to provide or support services to the team or program in which they are current clients:

• You cannot concurrently receive behavioral health services from Arlington County Community Service Board (CSB) programs while employed in an Arlington County CSB program (exception Crisis Intervention services).
• At least 24 months must have passed between receipt of CSB services from Arlington County and employment in an Arlington County CSB program.

Additional Information

Work Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, including some evening and weekend hours and rotating on-call and holiday hours. Limited teleworking opportunity.

The official title of this position is Behavioral Health Specialist. This is a grant funded position and is contingent upon funding availability.

As an Employer of Choice, Arlington County offers a generous benefits package. For more information, click here .

Arlington County is committed to advancing diversity, equity, access, and inclusion across all our services, activities, and programs. Click here to learn more about our commitment.

Each section of the application must be completed including the supplemental questions. A resume may be attached; however, it will not substitute for the completed application. Incomplete applications may not be considered.

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