Purpose: Under the direction of the Clinical Supervisor, the ARMHS Worker provides direct services to adult clients with severe mental illness. This position will focus primarily on helping clients develop basic living and social skills and assisting with advocacy through community intervention within an individual and/or group basis. This includes helping the client to develop a realistic vision of improved functioning as well as the skills to manage their illness in order to minimize its impact. The person will have assigned clients; with each client, the ARMHS Worker will be given direction on the skills and goals using the Functional Assessment Packet and Individual Treatment Plan that identifies skills the clients need or wishes to increase and will work with the clients on these goals. The job is performed in the clinic and in the community in a variety of situations, both in the recipient’s home and in community programs in all geographical areas of the community, including both high- and low-crime areas.
Essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Provide client-centered services that include (either in an individual or group setting):
- budgeting & shopping skills
- healthy lifestyle skills
- household management skills
- interpersonal communication skills
- transportation skills
- crisis support
- medication skills
- mental illness symptom management skills
- community resource utilization and integration skills
- relapse prevention skills
- health care directives
- employment related skills
- transition to community living services
- Assess client skills, knowledge and needs, and contribute to the development of the overall treatment of the client using the diagnostic assessment and other available records. Responsible for documentation and developing the following by connecting with each client at minimum once per week:
- Develop and Complete Functional Assessment and LOCUS at intake and Individual Treatment plan within 30 days of Functional Assessment; Update Functional Assessment/Individual Treatment Plan at a maximum of 180 days or as needed based on client’s status and changes in functioning
- Complete other mandatory state and agency documentation on timely basis
- Act as advocate and work with the people significant to the client in support of their recovery.
- Complete Authorization of Release with individuals, providers, friends/family relevant to client recovery, communicate and collaborate with these connections
- Include relevant individuals in client meetings as client is comfortable
- Complete all required written documentation;
- Charts each ARMHS meeting according to Goal, Intervention, Response, Plan, and Substantial Observation
- Document data required according to federal requirements for billing purposes and submit on required time lines (within 48 hours of meeting completion),
- Progress notes reflect accuracy and consistency with actual recipient contact relevant to individual treatment plans and goals.
- Receive and participate in clinical supervision from a Mental Health Professional at least monthly, but most often weekly individually or in small groups to discuss:
- Treatment topics of interest
- Treatment plans of recipients and approve by signature and document in recipient’s file any plan updates
- Request consultation by telephone or in person as needed for the purpose of service provision to recipients.
- Participate in staff meetings, all required WebMed Mental Health training, and meetings with clinical supervisors; Monitor own schedule to assure that all required trainings are completed each year
- Demonstrate positive and supportive interactions with other program staff, in an effort to build a cohesive team approach
- Actively participate in individual and group supervision led by the clinical supervisor.
- Follow all Agency, state regulatory, program policies and procedures;
- Conduct duties in an unbiased manner in accordance with the agency’s mission statement and guiding principles by which all clients, volunteers and staff are treated equally regardless of race, gender, religion, age, physical and mental abilities and/or sexual orientation.
- Respond to in-office crisis and emergency situations
- Perform other related duties as requested by the Clinical Supervisor of Community Support Programming
- Perform non-routine duties related to the overall functioning of the services.
Required Skills and Abilities:
- Use an effective communication model in working relationships with each other, clients, and the community.
- Demonstrate good listening skills and ability to positively accept feedback from supervisors and co-workers. Incorporate feedback and demonstrate appropriate self-care methods on the job. WebMed Mental Health is opposed to violence and offensive behavior in the workplace. Clients participating in this program, however, may experience anxiety, mental illness, physical illness, frustration and helplessness in their daily lives which occasionally results in inappropriate verbal and physical expressions of anger, threats or violence towards employees. Training is available to staff on verbal crisis intervention and prevention. Employees are expected to be able to serve angry and disgruntled clients with patience and courtesy.
- Language Skills: Ability to write reports, log entries, and correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from medical professionals, management, staff and clients. Bilingual skills are a plus, but not required.
- Reasoning Ability: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization may exist. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.
- Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, stand, climb stairs, bend, kneel, or crouch, use hands to write, use computers, and perform verbal crisis prevention/intervention techniques. An employee in this position may need to lift at least twenty-five pounds. Successful performance requires vision, ability to complete logs and charts, and ability to drive a car with a valid driver’s license
- Ability to work in fast paced, quickly changing environment
- Must be able to think and react quickly and decisively
- Strong social and leadership skills
- Ability to work independently with little direction
- Proficient in the use of computers and databases
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries with clientele
Minimum Qualifications:
Must meet DHS qualifications for Mental Health Practitioner in one of the following ways:
- Has completed at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours in behavioral sciences or related fields and has at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience in the delivery of services to adults or children with:
- Mental illness, substance use disorder, or emotional disturbance, or
- Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes training on mental illness, recovery from mental illness, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects
- Has at least 4,000 hours of supervised work experience in the delivery of services to adults or children with any of the following:
- Mental illness, substance use disorder, or emotional disturbance, or
- Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes training on mental illness, recovery from mental illness, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects
- Has at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience in the delivery of services to adults or children with any of the following:
- Mental illness, substance use disorder, or emotional disturbance, or
- Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes training on mental illness, recovery from mental illness, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects; and receives clinical supervision as required at least once a week from a mental health professional until the requirement of 4,000 hours of supervised experience is met.
- Has a graduate student internship or a bachelor’s or master’s degree and is a graduate student in behavioral sciences or related fields and is formally assigned by an accredited college or university to an agency or facility for clinical training
- Has a bachelor’s or master’s degree with any of the following:
- Holds a master’s or other graduate degree in behavioral sciences or related fields
- Holds a bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences or related fields and completes a practicum or internship that (1) requires direct interaction with adults or children served, and (2) is focused on behavioral sciences or related fields.
Mental Health Practitioners Who Are Qualified as Clinical Trainees
A mental health practitioner working as a clinical trainee must:
- 1. Be complying with requirements for licensure or board certification as a mental health professional including supervised practice in the delivery of mental health services for the treatment of mental illness; OR
- 2. Be a student in a bona fide field placement or internship under a program leading to completion of the requirements for licensure as a mental health professional.
- The clinical trainee’s clinical supervision experience helps the practitioner gain knowledge and skills necessary to practice effectively and independently and may include supervision of:
- Direct practice
- Treatment team collaboration
- Continued professional learning
- Job management
Other Qualifications:
- Ability to successfully pass a background check process
- Current and valid drivers license
