Addiction Specialist (Behavioral Health Services)

Vinfen•Somerville, MA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

This member of the Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) multidisciplinary team is responsible for providing a range of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services; and sharing shift management responsibility with other staff. The PACT Addictions Specialist functions as the team’s substance abuse specialist; leads design of intervention strategies & relapse prevention plans; works with persons served on sobriety issues, using motivational interviewing techniques and stages of change model, under the supervision of the Team Leader.

Requirements

Sensitivity to cultural, religious, racial, disability, and gender issues
Knowledge and use of advocacy techniques
Knowledge and use of different communication styles
Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with program persons served
Respect for person served rights and personal preferences in treatment
Knowledge of human, legal, civil rights, community, and other resources
Skills and competence in the use of formal and informal assessment tools and practices
Ability to work independently as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team
Skills and competence to use crisis intervention techniques
Strong commitment to the right and ability of program persons served to live, work, and seek supports as the general population at large
Knowledge of therapy and teaching modalities
Clinical skills
CPR required within two weeks of hire
First Aid required within two weeks of hire
CPSS required
NET required
PACT Module Training required within 3 months of hire
Driving is a requirement for this position using either a Vinfen van or personal vehicle.
If using a personal vehicle, you must possess and maintain adequate insurance as well as maintain a safe driving record which is subject to annual checks.
A valid driver’s license must be presented at the time of employment.
Incumbents must be at least 21 years of age, have maintained a valid US driver’s license for at least six months, and must be able to pass a driver’s screening background check.
Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, stoop, crouch, crawl, climb as this is a very physically active position.
Must be able to lift at least 25 pounds using proper lifting techniques or the use of a two person lift.
Ability to operate a computer and other office equipment such as a calculator, copier, and printer.
Ability to sit, reach, climb stairs, and maneuver through narrow spaces or hallways.
Ability to assist persons served with tasks of daily living.
Ability to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time as needed.
Ability to bend, reach, file, sit, stand, and move around the facility.
Ability to speak, hear, and communicate with persons served, staff, and external representatives.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Responsibilities

Provide case management for an assigned group of persons served, including coordinating and monitoring the activities of the individual treatment team (ITT); assume primary responsibility for developing, writing, implementing, evaluating, and revising overall Individual Action Planning (IAP) goals and plans in conjunction with the ITT, providing individual supportive therapy and symptom management, ensuring immediate changes are made in the treatment plans as persons served needs change, educating and supporting persons served families, and advocating for persons served rights and preferences.
Conduct a comprehensive assessment of psychiatric history (e.g., onset, course and effect of illness, past treatment and responses, and risk behaviors), mental status, and diagnosis; physical health and dental health; use of drugs or alcohol; education and employment; social development and functioning activities of daily living (e.g., self-care, living situation, nutrition, money management); and family structure and relationships.
Consult with community agencies and families to maintain coordination in the treatment process.
Perform shift management in coordination with other PACT shift managers according to established policies and procedures.
Provide on-call crisis intervention covering weekend and nighttime hours.
Document persons served progress to maintain a permanent record of persons served activity according to established methods and procedures.
Participate in daily staff organizational meetings and IAP review meetings.
Participate in treatment, rehabilitation, and support services.
Perform other related duties, as required.
Provide ongoing assessment of persons served mental illness symptoms and persons served response to treatment. Make appropriate changes in IAPs to ensure immediate and appropriate interventions are provided in response to changes in mental status or behavior which put persons served at risk.
Provide symptom education to enable persons served to identify their mental illness symptoms.
Provide direct clinical services including individual support therapy and psychotherapy to persons served on an individual, group, and family basis in the office and in community settings; to teach behavioral symptom-management techniques to alleviate and manage symptoms not reduced with medication and to promote personal growth and development by assisting persons served to cope with internal external stresses.
Provide individual and group treatment in the office and in community settings in stage-based treatment model that is non-confrontational, considers interactions of mental illness and substance abuse and has person-determined goals.
Coordinate with outside inpatient services to detoxify person served and establish linkage to outpatient treatment, self-help programs, outpatient services, and residential facilities.
Take a lead role or participate in the provision of rehabilitation services.
Provide ongoing assessment, problem solving, side-by-side services, skill training, supervision, and environmental adaptations to assist persons served with activities of daily living.
Assist persons served to find and maintain a safe and affordable place to live.
Assist and support persons served to carry out personal hygiene and grooming tasks.
Provide nutrition education and assistance with meal planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation.
Assist and support persons served to perform household activities, including house cleaning and laundry.
Ensure that persons served have adequate financial support.
Teach money-management skills.
Help persons served to access reliable transportation.
Assist and support persons served to have and effectively use a personal primary care physician, dentist, and other medical specialists as required.
Provide individual supportive therapy, social skill development, and assertiveness training to increase persons served social and interpersonal activities in community settings.
Plan, structure, and prompt social and leisure-time activities on evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Provide side-by-side support and coaching to help persons served socialize.
Provide practical help and supports, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem solving, direct assistance, training, and supervision to help persons served obtain the necessities of daily living including medical and dental health care; legal and advocacy services; financial support such as entitlements or housing subsidies; money management services; and transportation.
Provide individual vocational-supportive counseling to enable persons served to identify vocational strengths and problems, establish vocational or career goals and plans to reach them, and recognize and target symptoms of mental illness that interfere with work.
Plan and provide work-related supportive services, such as assistance with grooming and personal hygiene, securing of appropriate clothing, wake-up calls, and transportation.
Teach job-seeking skills.