Mental Health Associate Professional-Full Time- Evenings

Centra Health•Lynchburg, VA

10d•$20 - $30

About The Position

The Mental Health Associate Professional supports children and adolescents ages six through seventeen in a therapeutic milieu. The role provides supervision and direct care, manages patient behavior during therapeutic activities, observes and documents behavior, and helps patients work toward treatment goals. The associate collaborates with the treatment team and on-duty registered nurse, supports safety and appropriate staffing ratios, and responds to major incidents. The position also serves as a preceptor for student interns and staff who are in orientation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in human services, such as counseling, education, social work, psychology, or a related field.
Must be able to verbalize the knowledge and skills necessary to provide age-appropriate care to children and adolescents ages six through seventeen.
Current CPI (Crisis Prevention Management) certification within 30 days of hire.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in human services, such as counseling, education, social work, psychology, or a related field.
One year of experience in residential treatment, day hospital, or acute psychiatric inpatient treatment with emotionally or behaviorally disturbed children and adolescents.
Ability to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide age-appropriate care to children and adolescents ages six through seventeen.

Responsibilities

Acts as preceptor to student interns and staff on orientation status.
Assists in managing and monitoring aberrant behaviors.
Assists residents in attending individual assessment and/or treatment appointments.
Collects data on each resident and prepares information for staffing.
Ensures therapeutic programming is implemented.
Chairs team debriefings before, during, and after the shift.
Notifies the treatment team of major incidents, including elopements, therapeutic holds, injuries, or seclusions.
Serves as the contact person for the on-duty RN regarding medical issues and consults and debriefs with the RN about precautions, elopements, use of time out and therapeutic holds, staff or patient injuries, and other major incidents.
Provides milieu documentation and monitors records with supervision.
Assists in ensuring staff-to-resident ratios are met and adjusted as needed according to acuity.
Participates in development of the milieu.
Manages patients during therapeutic milieu activities.
Observes, reports, and documents behaviors.
Provides opportunities to strengthen appropriate behavior and alter problematic behavior.
Manages maladaptive behavior.
Provides supervision and direct care to patients.
Participates in development of treatment goals or plans.
Implements psychoeducation treatment or lesson plans.
Engages patients in therapeutic relationships.
Supports patients' goals within the program.
Enhances patient motivation for change.
Creates and maintains an environment that protects patients from harm.
Participates in service recovery and uses appropriate resources during complex situations.
Handles conflict resolution appropriately, consistently, and in a timely manner.
Identifies personal contributions to unit-based cascading goals.
Uses resources, including time, people, and supplies, cost effectively.
Performs other duties as assigned or requested; the job specification may be modified or updated at any time.