Mental Health Specialist

Description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Mental Health Counselor provides quality mental health and substance abuse treatment services to inmate patients in accordance with all established philosophy.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Education

• Graduate from an accredited school facility with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology, social work, or related mental health field.
• Master’s Degree preferred.
• Current, unrestricted license to practice as Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Master’s Social Worker (LMSW) or Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state the facility is located (maintain a current copy of license on file at the facility at all times).

Minimum Work Experience

• At least one year of professional experience, in-group and individual therapy, crisis intervention and psychological evaluation and substance abuse treatment experience.
• Previous correctional health care environment preferred.

Required Skills

• Strong critical thinking and assessment skills.
• Ability to make decisions independently.
• Assertive, empathetic and able to provide care objectively.
• Strong interpersonal communication and customer service skills.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to function independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to command the respect and confidence of inmates and staff; and philosophically committed to the objectives of the facility.
• Maintains an active Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.

ORGANIZATIONAL EXPECTATIONS

• Provides a positive and professional representation of CFG Health Systems, LLC.
• Keeps patient information confidential and respects patient’s right to privacy.
• Promotes culture of safety for patients and employees through proper identification, reporting documentation, and prevention.
• Maintains competency and knowledge of current standards of practice, trends, and developments in related scope of job role or practice.
• Adheres to infection control policies and protocols.
• Participates in ongoing quality improvement activities.
• Completes required orientation and trainings directed by facility.
• Follows facility and OSHA safety rules and procedures while on assignment.
• Follows facility and CFG Health Systems Occurrence Protocol.
• Adheres to PREA regulations.
• Punctual and dependent for assigned/confirmed shifts.
• Maintains security clearance for the assigned facility.
• Identifies and utilized appropriate channels of communication with supervising staff.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Performs and documents mental health and substance abuse evaluations on inmate patients of the assigned correctional facility consistent with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) standards of care, American Psychology Association (APA), NJ 10-A, American Correctional Association (ACA) and Performance Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) as appropriate.
• Develops treatment plans based on individual need to include, but not limited to housing location, medication referral, brief counseling, and referrals for ongoing mental health or substance abuse treatment.
• Conducts an initial clinical assessment within ten (10) days on all individuals who are identified as “high-risk”.
• Reports reactions to treatments and medications, as well as changes in the inmates’ emotional or physical condition.
• Provides brief individual or group counseling when clinically appropriate.
• Collaborates with the Multidisciplinary Mental Health Treatment Team in order to determine a patient's appropriate level of mental health care to include discharge planning.
• Assists mentally ill individuals in accessing services at the time of release.
• Records all care information concisely, accurately and completely, in a timely manner, in the appropriate format and on the appropriate forms.
• Maintains daily and monthly statistics in collecting documentation of services for audits and participates in the Continuous Quality Improvement process (CQI).
• Promotes a therapeutic environment to ensure inmates are treated in a professional, ethical and tactful manner.
• Performs other position-related duties as assigned, depending on assignment setting.
• Attends scheduled in-service programs and staff meetings as scheduled.

Qualifications

POSITION REQUIRMENTS: 

Master’s degree preferred.  Professional certification required, license preferred. Must possess knowledge of: the judicial, correctional and mental health systems; clinical theory and practice with emphasis on crisis intervention; community resources and how to access them.  Should have basic skills in assessment, interviewing, and counseling techniques.  Should have basic knowledge in the recognition and treatment of serious and persistent mental illness, and an awareness of interventions to manage behaviorally disordered individuals.  Should have basic knowledge and awareness of information about suicide prevention.  Have the professional skills to work in the context of a multi-disciplinary team, and work cooperatively with medical and custody staff.  Should be available for on-call support to facility during off-hours. Must be skilled in communicating both verbally and in writing.    

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the

essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the

essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and talk or hear. The employee

frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and climb or

balance. The employee is occasionally required to sit and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or

move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision,

peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.