Mental Health Practitioner
Objective:
To provide professional, quality program services to the clients served by the ACCESS team. Work with other members of the team to assist clients in obtaining and maintaining an optimum quality of life consistent with client needs and strengths of the homeless population. Emphasis is placed on working with clients in community settings and directly providing the services necessary to assist clients in achieving their goals.
Qualifications:
• Bachelors Degree in Behavioral Sciences or related field.
• 2,000 hours supervised experience working with individuals with Mental Illness.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Meet with clients to explain Access services, assess client needs and establish a case plan to address those needs and arrange for resources necessary for community transition.
• Coordinate case with other county or community agencies including Intake, Mental Health Case Management, Adult Protection, Income Maintenance, Crisis Center, community hospitals.
• Schedule and conduct client intakes through shelter referrals and outreach at Ramsey County Emergency Shelters and Drop-in Centers.
• Develop an individualized emergency support plan coordinated with community emergency support services.
• Develop appropriate care plans for clients.
• Initial assessment to determine presence of mental illness chemical dependency or behavioral problems.
• Provide follow-up and assistance once client has vacated shelter to ensure community stabilization.
• Monitor clients who may decline active services who represent a potential danger to self or others to ensure referral for emergency psychiatric or other crisis intervention services as needed.
• Implement SMHS Shelter-Plus-Care Program to arrange and secure subsidized housing for participants and provide on-going tracking of required supportive services.
• Coordinate Access service provisions with other service providers to ensure smooth, prompt, consistent and quality delivery of services to clients.
• Exchange pertinent client information with other involved providers in accordance with Data Privacy Regulations.
• Close cases within sixty to ninety days of stable community placement OR after thirty days of last contact in cases in which client is unavailable for case review or follow-up.
• Shelter-plus-Care Cases shall be kept open to ensure required tracking of support services until the client ceases to be a Shelter-Plus-Care Program participant.
• Intervene and provide information for referral and assistance in managing mental health crises that may arise within the Ramsey County Shelter System.
• Assess mental health crisis in terms of their urgency and potential harm to said client(s) or others.
• Refer urgent cases where there is risk of harm to self or others to the appropriate hospital emergency room.
• Provide information and referral, intervention strategies and assistance in deescalating the crisis, if there is no imminent risk of harm to self or others.
• Assess the need for hospitalization or St Paul Detox.
• Provide supportive housing services after placement to ensure stability and reduce likelihood of eviction.
• Provide Client Advocacy and Information and Referral to clients and agencies to ensure protection of civil rights and welfare of clients.
• Refer cases to Adult Protection and Child Protection where there is evidence of neglect and/or abuse of Vulnerable Adults and/or children.
• Assist clients in obtaining needed legal and/or advocacy services.
• Provide training, information and referral to clients and interested parties regarding special needs and issues if homeless adults, mental illness, crisis intervention and procedures for accessing relevant community resources.
• File all legally required reports with Vulnerable Adults, the Ombudsman and Child Protection.
• Provide education to clients regarding the symptoms, course and treatment of their illness.
• Provide ON-CALL Crisis intervention as scheduled.
• Attend required staff meetings and trainings as scheduled.
• Must be able to transport clients in the community.
• Complete all paperwork, reports, and charting contemporaneously and in an organized manner.
• Maintain a pattern of regular work hours.
• Participate actively in on-going professional growth and development; maintain appropriate professional behavior and participate in appropriate supervision.
• Other duties as assigned.
CEU Requirements:
• 30 Continuing Education (CEU) Credits every 2 years.
Competencies:
• Knowledge of symptoms and course of serious and persistent mental illness as well as medications and other therapies.
• Have knowledge of evidence-based clinical practices.
• Be knowledgeable about and utilize various substance abuse treatment modalities such as harm reduction and motivational interviewing.
• Have demonstrable working knowledge of vulnerable adult’s laws and other pertinent rules and regulations.
• Knowledge of current principles, practices and techniques of case management.
• Knowledge of community resources.
• Knowledge of supportive counseling techniques, independent living skills/teaching and crisis intervention techniques.
• Utilize crisis assessment tools for suicidal and aggressive behavior.
• Develop appropriate therapeutic relationship with clients.
• Able to use a computer for word-processing and data base management.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Be able to speak, clearly understand and write the English language.
• Must have a car, MN driver’s license and be able to drive, day and evening hours.
• Be able to accommodate flexible working hours.
Essential Physical Functions:
• Type frequently.
• Drive frequently.
• Sit often.
• Stand occasionally.
• Walk frequently
• Climb flights of stairs.
• Lift 40 pounds or more.
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