PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORKER II/SS

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS A REPOSTING TO ADD SPECIAL INFORMATION

DEFINITION:
Performs a wide variety of professional social work services in connection with the treatment of clients in need of mental health services.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:
Positions allocable to this journey-level class are assigned to community mental health facilities, psychiatric hospital wards, outpatient mental health clinics, and specialized mental health treatment programs and work under the general supervision of a higher level psychiatric social worker position, supervisory mental health position, or a psychiatrist. Within agency guidelines and professional standards, incumbents function independently to formulate differential diagnoses concerning the nature of the mental illness, in order to develop an effective intervention and to determine the appropriate psychotherapeutic methods to be utilized. Positions at this level are characterized primarily by assignments that require that the incumbents be able to consistently and effectively apply a wide variety of psychotherapeutic techniques and methods in the treatment of clients with a wide range of mental illnesses. Such psychotherapeutic methods include group, family, individual and conjoint therapy, clinical case management, and crisis intervention. Positions allocable to this class also provide mental health consultation services to other health disciplines and to community agencies, and participate in social work student affiliate programs for training professional social work students. Duties and responsibilities of this position require the application of professional skills and possession of extensive knowledge pertaining to the principles, practices, and theory of psychiatric social work.  Training-related duties and responsibilities require the application of basic leadership and training principles to provide program direction for both graduate students and unlicensed clinical staff.

 

Interviews individuals, their families and/or significant others to obtain a family, social, employment, medical, substance abuse and mental health treatment history.

 Assesses client's functioning in his/her environmental setting.

Develops a Client Care Coordination Plan (CCCP) designed to resolve or cope with the mental or emotional problem, which may include individual, group, family or marital counseling, case management, and/or referral to another treatment source such as a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a vocational or rehabilitation counselor, or another agency. 

 Determines the duration of therapy, priorities of the problems to be dealt with, therapy methods to be used, and necessity of modifying treatment goals at successive intervals during the treatment process. 

Provides psychotherapy to individuals, groups, families, and significant others.

Provides case management services to secure resources for clients, families and significant others to achieve treatment goals.

Assists clients, families, and significant others by discussing their reactions and attitudes concerning mental health problems and co-occurring substance abuse disorders; explains need for treatment; and encourages all concerned parties to work together cooperatively to resolve the problem and minimize the stresses that impact social functioning.

Works with families and significant others toward gaining their acceptance of and participation in treatment recommendations. 

 

Interviews persons seeking psychiatric assistance on an emergency basis and utilizes crisis intervention techniques to prevent hospitalization and to aid the person in dealing with the emotional crisis.

Serves as a member of a mental health emergency intervention team and/or a joint law enforcement/mental health emergency intervention team by evaluating the behavior of persons to determine if they are, as a result of a mental disorder, dangerous to themselves, others, or gravely disabled.

Initiates procedure on application for immediate 72-hour detention at a hospital facility and, depending upon the apparent seriousness of the situation, schedules an appointment for evaluation and treatment at a Mental Health Clinic or makes referral to another community treatment agency.

Participates in multi-disciplinary team conferences to discuss and evaluate the nature of the client's problem and to evaluate the client's progress. 

Participates in social work student affiliate programs for training professional social work students through case assignments and technical instruction; assesses and evaluates students' progress and professional development.

Provides in-service training to social work staff and participates in mental health training programs for medical students and students in the allied health fields.

Instructs community agencies regarding the utilization of mental health principles to identify and to treat mental health problems encountered by the agency.

Participates in or conducts research to increase knowledge of mental health problems and to improve therapeutic treatment methods.

May review treatment authorization requests from hospitals, contracted network and/or legal entity community-based providers/programs and recommend approval or denial of requests per specified state and Department of Mental Health contract compliance requirements.

 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

A valid and active License as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker issued by the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Proficiency in speaking, reading and writing in Spanish Language.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: 

Post-licensed experience in individual, group or family psychotherapy.

Physical Class II –Light: Light physical effort which may include occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit, and some bending, stooping or squatting. Considerable walking may be involved.
TRANSCRIPTS:  In order to receive credit for any college coursework, or any type of college degree, such as a  master degree or higher, you must provide a legible copy of the official diploma, official transcripts or official letter from the accredited* institution which shows the area of specialization, at the time of filing.

ACCREDITATION INFORMATION:
*Accreditation: Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies which are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or The Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE).
 

SPECIAL INFORMATION:  

All County workforce members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Successful candidates for this position will be required to submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or request an exemption for qualifying medical or religious reasons during the onboarding process. Candidates should not present proof of vaccination until instructed to do so by the hiring department.

Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, holidays or weekends.
Past and present mental health clients and family members are encouraged to apply.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION: This examination will consist of an evaluation of training, experience and desirable qualifications based upon application information weighted 100% and a qualifying Spanish/English proficiency test.

The proficiency test will consist of speaking, reading and writing. Candidates possessing a valid Los Angeles County Language Proficiency certificate MUST attach a copy of the certificate to their application at the time of filing.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the evaluation of training and experience and a minimum qualifying score on the language proficiency test in order to be placed on the eligible register.

Bilingual Certificate: If you do not currently possess a bilingual certificate issued by the County of Los Angeles indicating you are proficient in reading, speaking and writing Spanish, the Exams Analyst will schedule you for an exam.

VACANCY INFORMATION:  The resulting eligible register for this examination will be used to fill vacancies throughout the Department of Mental Health.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: The names of candidates receiving a passing grade on the examination will be added to the eligible register and will appear in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of eligibility.

Application and Filing Information
All applicants are required to submit a Standard County of Los Angeles Employment Application online only. Resumes cannot be accepted in lieu of applications, although resumes may be uploaded as attachments to the applications. This examination will remain open until the need of the services are met, and is subject to closure without prior notice.

You MUST complete the filing process ONLINE (via electronic submission) ONLY.

Instructions for Filing: A standard County of Los Angeles Employment Application for this examination must be completed online and submitted electronically. Applications electronically received after 5:00 pm, PST on the last day of filing will not be accepted.
APPLICANTS MUST COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THEIR JOB APPLICATIONS AND UPLOAD REQUIRED OR ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS (e.g.,diploma/official transcripts, license) AS ATTACHMENT(S) AT THE TIME OF FILING.

Additional documents may be sent by emailed to exams@dmh.lacounty.gov , please include exam number and exam title in the subject line.

The acceptance of your application will depend on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Minimum Requirements. Please be sure your application indicates complete information, including dates for education and jobs held which relate to this position.  For each job held, give the name and addresses of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, description of work performed, total number of hours worked (full or part-time) and salary earned. Resumes showing training and experience may be attached to the Los Angeles County Application. All information and records are subject to verification.

Falsification of records can result in disqualification from the examination or termination of employment.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER LANGUAGE
All applicants must enter a valid social security number at the time of filing. Entering anything other than a valid social security number (i.e. 000-00-0000, 111-11-1111, etc.) will result in an automatic rejection of your application.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD
All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

Department Contact Name:          Heleodora "Lola" Sacks
Department Contact Phone:         (213) 972-7034
Department Contact Email:            exams@dmh.lacounty.gov
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
Teletype Phone:                              (800) 899-4099

Salary : $87,955 - $112,272