Life Skills Specialist, Permanent Supportive Housing

The Centers•Cleveland, OH

About The Position

Under the supervision of the Manager, Permanent Supportive Housing, the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist (PRS) assists individuals residing in Permanent Supportive Housing to compensate for or eliminate functional deficits and interpersonal and/or mental health barriers associated with an individual's behavioral health diagnosis.

Requirements

High school diploma with appropriate mental health experience and/or other relevant experience
A valid driver license in the state of Ohio, having access to an insured vehicle for client transportation
The ability and desire to work closely with other team members
The ability to form effective therapeutic relationships, to engage clients in the mutual assessment of problems and goalsetting, and to help coordinate care plans from initial contact through the end of service
Effective oral and written communication skills
The ability to make sound decisions under stressful conditions
Ability to organize and prioritize tasks
An awareness of and sensitivity to the cultural diversity of the populations served
Using creativity and a drive for results, act as a liaison for the client to receive community resources
Working knowledge of the stages of growth and development and family dynamics
Working knowledge of the stages of change
The ability to understand and accept a team approach to service delivery and agency and program philosophy and goals
Travel within the Cleveland area as needed for training and technical assistance. In addition, community travel is necessary to satisfy needs of clients.

Responsibilities

Provides individualized interventions in living, learning, working, and other social environments, as indicated in individualized service plan
Identifies, with the person, strengths that may aid clients in achieving recovery, as well as barriers that impede the development of skills necessary for functioning in work, with peers, and with family and/or friends
Supports skills development to build natural supports (including support/assistance with defining what wellness means to the person to assist him or her with recovery-based goal setting and attainment)
Assists in the development of interpersonal, community coping, and functional skills (which may include adaptation to home, adaptation to work, adaptation to healthy social environments, learning/practicing skills, such as personal financial management, medication self-monitoring, symptom self-monitoring, etc.)
Assists in the acquisition of skills for the person to self-recognize emotional triggers and self-manage behaviors related to the behavioral health issue
Assists with personal development, work performance, and functioning in social and family environments through teaching skills/strategies to ameliorate the effect of behavioral health symptoms
Assists in enhancing social and coping skills that improve life stresses resulting from the person’s mental illness/addiction
Assists the person in his or her skills in gaining access to necessary rehabilitative, medical, social, and other services and supports
Assists the person and other supporting natural resources with illness understanding and self-management (including medication self-monitoring)
Identifies with the individual and named natural supporters of risk indicators related to substance-related disorder relapse and the development of skills and strategies to prevent relapse
Assists the individual and family and/or responsible caregivers in the facilitation and coordination of the Individual treatment plan including providing skills support in the individual and/or family’s self-articulation of personal goals and objectives, which can be billed
Provides rehabilitation and supports daily functioning to improve self-management of the negative effects of psychiatric or emotional symptoms that interfere with a person's daily functioning
Supports the individual with restoration and implementation of daily functioning and daily routines, which are critical to remaining successful in the home, school, work, and community
Provides rehabilitation and support to restore skills to function in a natural community environment
Promotes crisis prevention and improvement while assisting the individual to respond effectively to or avoid identified precursors or triggers that would risk his or her remaining in a community setting or that result in functional impairments. Activities may include, but not be limited to, assisting the individual and family members or other collaterals with identifying a potential psychiatric or personal crisis, developing a crisis management plan, and/or, as appropriate, seeking other supports to restore stability and functioning
Regularly administers the PHQ-9, GAD-7, BAM, CAGE, Ohio Outcomes Form, and questionnaires used to monitor social determents of health, and other outcomes tools to monitor treatment outcomes and trigger needed referrals
Provides services to clients as related to social determinants of health including, but not limited to the following: housing/neighborhood/environmental needs; social supports/community and peer needs; and economic needs
Serves as a Permanent Supportive Services Care Team member to achieve positive client health outcomes
Actively assists clients in obtaining and maintaining comprehensive healthcare
Provides ongoing communication to client, healthcare teams, and client’s support network to ensure follow-up and coordinated treatment
Transports and/or accompanies clients to appointments as needed
Performs basic administrative tasks related to the job, which includes but is not limited to the following: completion of clinical records, forms, and reports; completion and posting of progress notes within 72 hours of service (Policy P207.00); and education and vocational needs