Community Support Specialist ACT Team
About The Position
Prairie Ridge Integrated Behavioral Healthcare is hiring a Community Support Specialist for its new Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team serving the Marshalltown area. ACT is a team-based approach to supporting adults living with serious and persistent mental illness. The team provides treatment and practical support in people’s homes and community settings, helping them manage symptoms, navigate challenges, and pursue personal goals. The Community Support Specialist helps individuals develop the skills and supports needed to live more independently in the community. The role involves working with individuals on personalized goals, coordinating services, connecting them with community resources, and supporting needs related to daily living, health, housing, employment, and education. Other duties include advocacy, transportation, crisis response, and participation in the team’s on-call rotation.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in social work, human services, sociology, psychology, education, or a related field.
- Demonstrated decision-making skills and competencies for working with adults with severe and persistent mental illness.
- Familiarity with psychotropic medications and their side effects.
- Problem-solving experience and discretion in crisis mediation situations.
- Valid vehicle operator license, proof of liability insurance, and ability to drive for organization business.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and/or weekends if necessary.
- Ability to travel as required for a community-based position.
- Support for Prairie Ridge’s mission and the patients it serves.
- Proficiency in oral and written communication and documentation requirements.
- Technology skills sufficient to use an electronic health record.
- Physical ability to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and talk or hear. The role frequently requires walking and stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling, and often requires standing, reaching, and climbing or balancing.
- Ability to infrequently lift or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 35 pounds; required vision abilities include close, distance, and color vision and adjusting focus.
Nice To Haves
- Two years of experience providing community-based rehabilitation, behavioral health, or related human services.
Responsibilities
- Develop an Integrated Treatment Team Plan (ITTP) and facilitate implementation of individual program goals, which may include community living, daily living, interpersonal, vocational or educational skills, medication management, physical health care, mental health services, substance use services, resource acquisition, and psychiatric emergency or relapse goals.
- Conduct needs assessments and provide direct, face-to-face, community-based services to individuals with severe and persistent mental illness in their homes and other community settings.
- Arrange and provide transportation to facilitate treatment plan goals and access to services.
- Develop crisis plans; assess and respond to psychiatric crises, including acute symptoms or instability; and develop plans of action with the client and treatment team.
- Monitor client progress and facilitate updates to individual service goals.
- Coordinate treatment activities and services with the Treatment Team, participate in the on-call rotation, and respond to urgent patient needs as required.
- Complete timely and accurate documentation of services, assessments, client progress, and other required information.
- Advocate for clients with other service providers and help coordinate resources.
- Develop and coordinate discharge planning with the client and treatment team.
- Treat individuals with dignity and respect while maintaining confidentiality, professionalism, and objectivity.
- Maintain HIPAA and 42 CFR confidentiality requirements and comply with CARF policies and procedures.
- Comply with agency policies, procedures, and regulatory standards.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
