Employment Specialist

## Description

**Position Summary:**

This position provides vocational education, training, and support to clients served by the Early Psychosis Intervention Collaborative. The EPIC team provides treatment to youth and adults, with Severe and Persist Mental illness-who may also have co-occurring substance-related disorders, in their homes and other community settings. The EPIC program provides 24/7 service to individuals who need frequent support, often daily, to manage their symptoms sufficiently to remain out of the hospital. This position has a crisis intervention on call component.

**Job Responsibilities and Performance Standards:**

• Vocation Specialists work with at-risk youth, emerging adults, and families who have experienced mental health or substance abuse diagnoses, or developmental disabilities, with securing and maintaining employment. The Specialists work with these clients at various stages in their lives and assist them by exercising several strategies toward gainful employment such as career exploration, job skills assessments, interviewing skills, social skills, and improving problem-solving skills. Vocation Specialists may provide advice about entering a new career or develop specific plans with goals directed towards successfully transitioning to a career despite mental/behavioral health diagnoses.
• Assist clients with mental health or developmental disabilities diagnoses and/or alcohol and drug recovery goals in order to secure and maintain employment.
• Education and Employment Specialist will expand school and community collaboration within the regions serviced, by establishing a greater presence in local interagency planning meetings and other community support meetings, identifying and nurturing key relationships with staff in current school systems, develop and operationalize local social marketing, collaborate with community partners for educational and employment supports for at-risk you and emerging adults.
• Assist clients with developing a resume and completing job applications on paper and online.
• Regularly communicate and/or collaborate with the Department of Labor, VR Services, Goodwill, and other job agencies to locate job fairs/opportunities for clients.
• Regularly search for, communicate with, and build relationships with businesses that could be prospective employers of ABHS clients.
• Develop treatment plans and Educational/Career Assessments for all clients. Provide training, technical assistance and workforce development opportunities to clients and family members, implement a wide community training curriculum that would incorporate training on evidence-based programs for partner organizations/families.
• Provide ongoing job support and coaching to assist the clients with maintaining successful job performance.
• Provide job readiness assessments and opportunities for career exploration, job seeking skills, interview skills, resume writing, and completing job applications.
• Assist client with transportation needs by collaboration with ABHS or community linkages.
• Implement and organize the delivery of specific social services within the community
• Assist clients in locating and utilizing community resources including legal, medical, financial assistance, and other referral services
• Accompany client(s) to their worksite and perform job training and assists with orienting the client to the position, job culture, and work duties.
• Make assessments of any special accommodation needs due to physical, spiritual, cultural, ethnic, or gender related traits and discuss with staff to make efforts of assisting the client.
• Education and Employment Specialist will provide outpatient and/or in-home services, including individual and family skill building, group skill building and may perform psychosocial assessments, crisis assessments, ANSA, CANS, and treatment plans. The vocation specialist will also be responsible for updating individual service and treatment plans, communicating with carious referral agencies including DFACS, Juvenile Courts, and Schools, and working with a team of Community Support Individuals and collaborating with other mental health professionals.
• Assist with personal development and work performance of the client, and other behavioral, therapeutic interventions and support. Support and intervene in crisis situations. Provide documentation notes that relate to the customer-driven mental health treatment plan.
• Prepare and submit vocational reports, monthly summaries and reports according to DBHDD regulations, and daily progress notes according to Agency standards.
• Interviews patient/client/consumer and/or families using acceptable techniques appropriate for the individual's level of functioning in accordance with established guidelines.
• Contact other health care professionals within or outside the organization to obtain consumer background information in accordance with established guidelines.
• Review patients/clients/consumers chart to obtain background information necessary to complete an assessment within established timeframe.
• Complete and place in patient's/client's/consumer's chart a written individual/family intake profile and updates information according to accepted standards and time frames.
• Comply with regulations on confidentiality of patient/client/consumer information as specified by established policy.
• Thoroughly observe patient's/client's/consumer's progress for compliance to and in obtaining treatment plan goals through one-on-one interviews and other contacts/interactions.
• Write concise, accurate and clear observation notes in patients/clients/consumers charts as required by departmental policy.
• Promptly notify appropriate professionals of any unusual patient/client/consumer incident/situation.
• May be shadowed by peers on the job.
• Attend any required clinical supervision and departmental staff meetings.
• Attend required Agency staff meetings and training.

## Qualifications

**Minimum Qualifications**

High school diploma or GED OR Two years of experience in a social services related position.

**Preferred Qualifications:**

Bachelor's degree in a social services related field from an accredited college or university. A commitment and dedication to working with adults with severe and persistent mental illness and a willingness to provide treatment to clients in their homes and other community settings.

**Knowledge:**

• Knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws
• Outpatient psychiatric/mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse resources
• DBHDD/APS/Medicaid clinical policies, procedures and regulations preferred
• Out-patient mental/behavioral health clinic operations and procedure

**Skills:**

• Resourcefulness
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment; and ability to multi-task and handle varying tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines
• Problem solving; Must be able to think critically, creatively, and analytically; Organizational skills.
• Mathematical and reading skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to Interact with all types of individuals (clients and co-workers) of varying educational or intellectual levels; open to diversity.
• Effective oral and written communication skills; great interpersonal skills including listening, patience, etc.
• Work as a part of a team, with other nurses and/or clinical members.
• Attention to detail.

**Abilities:**

• Accompany and transport clients to and from work.
• Employ various attempts and strategies to train clients successfully at job readiness skills.

**Experience:**

• Experience with mental/behavioral health, developmental disability, and substance abuse clients.
• Experience providing in-clinic and/or psychiatric outpatient and supported employment services.
• Experience with DBHDD regulations, Medicaid billing procedures, Individual Service Plans (ISPs), and Behavioral health assessments.