What are the responsibilities and job description for the Peer Support Specialist Crisis Center, (Community Services Aide III), Grade 18 position at Montgomery County Government?
About the Position
The expected salary range for this role upon hire is $60,513- $85,308.
The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County’s public health and human services that meets the needs of our community’s most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With over 2,000 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.
As a Department, we believe health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods, and healthy food. HHS provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The Crisis Center is currently recruiting for an enthusiastic individual for the position of Community Service Aide III/Peer Support Specialist with experience in mental health and substance use disorders who enjoys working with a diverse population of all ages and a wide range of psychiatric diagnoses and co-occurring disorders. If you have inpatient psychiatric, emergency room, residential or group home experience or have served on a mobile crisis team, our clients could benefit from your skills. If you want to improve your confidence and skill in assessing risk, this is the best program in the county to help you accomplish that goal. Self-motivated, flexible individuals who enjoy crisis work are encouraged to apply.
What You'll Be Doing
This includes working at the main Crisis Center site and/or satellite locations. The primary duties include participating on a mobile crisis outreach team (MCOT) providing outreach to clients in need of mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and providing ongoing support/follow-up for clients identified during a mobile crisis outreach (MCOT) visit.
- The MCOT environment will include some community outreach, working at one or more satellite locations and co-conducting assessments outside, inside, on the street, often going up and down many steps, in inclement weather or poor conditions.
- Other duties include participating in answering phones in the operations room and providing information, resources and education to clients or consumers about mental health and/or substance abuse treatment, providing ongoing support for clients participating in the Residential Crisis Services program (RCS) to include participating in daily routines/therapeutic milieu, facilitates meal prep/putting away laundry, co-leading groups, quick cup urines, escorting clients to medical appts and encouraging residents’ continued participation/engagement to successful program completion.
- Responsibilities for this Crisis Center CSA III, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Position work as a multidisciplinary team member sharing direct service responsibilities with other Crisis Center staff.
- These positions are considered essential personnel for the Department of Health and Human Services during county emergencies.
Minimum Qualifications
Education: Completion of high school or High School Certificate of completion recognized in the State
Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
Some para-professional experience as a mental health or substance use disorder practitioner working with individuals experiencing co-occurring disorders, persistent mental health or substance use disorders.
- Experience working in a crisis center, hospital emergency room, and/or any other 24/7 setting providing behavioral health services.
- Experience working in a residential treatment setting or an inpatient psychiatric hospital setting.
- At least 1 year of experience providing peer recovery support services to individuals with co-occurring disorders, persistent mental illness and/or victimization and trauma.
- Experience providing crisis intervention and/or peer recovery support services during community wide emergencies such as natural disasters, serious accidents, and or other emergency situations that might include Fatalities.
- Experience providing mobile outreach response to psychiatric emergencies that may include death.
- Multilingual Spanish Basic Preferred.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.
Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.
MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.
All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.
If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.
Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Salary : $60,513 - $85,308
