BIS Group 5 - Cost Pool

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Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) benefits and proudly supports more than 4,000 individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities, mental illness and traumatic brain injury. It is the mission of FREE to support people of all abilities reach their full potential and thrive in their communities. FREE provides a diverse array of supports and services including: housing; recovery services; transition to work; employment; day, community and family services; respite; crisis services; education and after school support; specialty health services; and advocacy.

Summary/Objective
Under the supervision of the Assistant Director(s) of Behavior Support, the Behavior Intervention Specialist (BIS) is responsible for the development, delivery, and evaluation of all behavior support services for the people they support. This includes, but is not limited to: psychological evaluations, functional assessment, behavior support programs and strategies, crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, case reviews and other interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, training and consultation with other team members. The BIS will work in collaboration with the Person and their circle of support to ensure the highest quality of clinical services in a manner that is consistent and aligned with agency mission and vision, and the philosophy of the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL).

Essential Job Functions

• Review and analyze baseline data on target maladaptive behavior to establish current frequency, duration and existing contingencies.
• Analyze potential existing functions of maladaptive behavior (including any current, unplanned and planned contingencies) utilizing baseline procedures and formulating a written Functional Behavioral Assessment.
• Recognize and operationally define individuals’ maladaptive behavior and possible alternate adaptive behavior based on direct observations of behavior, review of records, and verbal/written input from the Person receiving services, and team members, including direct support staff.
• Develop, implement, and assist in the training of team members in the implementation of formal Behavior Modification Programs (e.g. Behavior Support Plan, Behavior Support Staff Action, Behavior Support Symptom Management Plan, Behavior Support Desensitization Plan, etc.).
• Monitor individuals’ progress on, and team members implementation of behavior support plans by providing staff observation and feedback; make timely revisions of plans as indicated to ensure that the individuals are progressing.
• Instruct staff in specific, proactive, active, reactive, and data collection procedures that emphasize proactive interventions to encourage the development of adaptive skills that will serve the same function as the target maladaptive behavior.
• Provide regular and as needed consultation regarding issues such as crisis intervention, behavior modification programs, diagnostics, and teaching/training programs for the individuals.
• Assist with the preparation and presentation all required paperwork for Human Rights Committee meetings and other committee meetings, as needed.
• Assist with obtaining informed consent from individuals/families for the use of restrictive behavior support plans and psychotropic medications, as needed.
• Facilitate completion of applicable Informed Consent evaluations.
• Provide written and verbal reports to individuals’ psychiatrists and other consultant clinicians to assist in accurate diagnosis and treatment.
• Attend psychiatric and therapy appointments as needed.
• Assist with facilitation of identified necessary clinical services that can address areas such as human sexuality, social skills, stress management, anger control etc.
• Provide crisis support, as indicated, to assist individuals in coping with various psychological stressors.
• Candidates that qualify and receive the licensure enhancement are expected to provide licensure supervision to other team members.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Obtain/maintain required training certifications including but not limited to CPR, First Aid, SCIP-R, as needed per Agency policy.
• Attend Interdisciplinary Treatment Team meetings, Clinical Supervision meetings, Behavior Support Department meetings and other Clinical Services meetings as clinically necessary.
• Administer, score, and interpret major standardized Intelligence Tests (i.e. WAIS-R, WISC-III, Stanford-Binet IV, Leiter International Performance Scale, etc.), as applicable, when clinically indicated and/or required by regulation or Agency policy and procedure, with approval from the Assistant Director of Behavior Support.
• Administer, score and interpret major standardized Adaptive Behavior Scales (i.e. Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, etc.), as applicable, when clinically indicated and/or required by regulation or Agency policy and procedure, with approval from the Assistant Director of Behavior Support.
• Attend in-service training programs, clinical and academic conferences and workshops and other educational presentations to maintain current knowledge of relevant clinical issues and techniques as requested or directed by the assigned supervisor.
• Address emergency situations as they occur in the program according to established policies and procedures, and ensure communication of such situations in a timely fashion.
• In partnership with management, recommend and facilitate referrals for individuals to clinics and private psychologists for individual, conjoint, family, and/or group therapy, when indicated.
• Complete and submit all required paper work both paper and/or electronic per compliance regulations (e.g. clinical progress notes, semi- and annual summaries, psychological reports, summaries for psychiatrists and other clinicians, weekly reports, frequency data, etc.) accurately, completely, and on-time, as required by policy, regulations and individuals’ needs.
• Perform additional responsibilities as requested and/or necessary, including supporting alternate locations when assigned.

Education, Work Experience, and Competencies
To meet the criteria to function as a Behavior Intervention Specialist, the employee must meet the qualifications as follows:

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s preferred in;
• behavior analysis; or
• a field closely related to clinical or community psychology which is approved by OPWDD.
• The qualifying Master’s degrees referenced above including any degree obtained through an online educational or distance learning program, must have been awarded be a regionally accredited college or university, or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If the Master’s degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, the party must provide independent verification of equivalency from one of the approved entities used by the NYS Department of Civil Service for educational equivalency reviews.

FREE is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other protected characteristic. In addition to federal law requirements, FREE complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in all of its locations. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Family Residences and Essential Enterprises’ affirmative action efforts related to protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are set out and described in our affirmative action plan for protected veterans and individuals with a disability. If you have any questions or would like to view the affirmative action plan, please visit our website www.familyres.org