Mental Health Specialist (MHS) - Adult Psych - Day Shift

UHS•Virginia Beach, VA

51d•Onsite

About The Position

Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center is a 100-bed acute care, inpatient psychiatric facility for adults in Virginia Beach, Virginia. VBPC offers specialty mental health treatment for older adults, chronically mentally ill, and substance abuse/detox programming. Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center is a state-of-the-art building located in the beautiful Virginia Beach area, just minutes from the ocean. Our nursing teams feature a top-of-license approach utilizing a reliable cohort of RNs, LPNs, and Mental Health Counselors all dedicated to patient safety and quality care. Visit the site virtually and much more online at: vbpcweb.com The Mental Health Specialist provides care and close supervision of facility patients, documents behavior, and develops positive relationships with patients in order to implement treatment plans and provide crisis intervention as necessary.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in Psychology, Human Services, Sociology, Counseling or in a related behavioral science field
Associate’s degree in Psychology, Human Services, Sociology, Counseling or in a related behavioral science field; one year of direct care experience working with adult psychiatric or chemical dependency clients
High School/GED Diploma; three years of direct care experience working with adult psychiatric or chemical dependency clients
Must be 21+ years of age
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Proven ability to successfully perform in a fast-paced work environment

Responsibilities

Escort patients to work, mealtime, outdoor/indoor recreation, smoke breaks (if applicable), and education activities and participate in their supervision and instruction as needed.
Transport patients to and from medical appointments or other activities as directed. Maintain safety and security of the facility through close observation and monitoring of the patients, maintaining optimal physical proximity, always remaining alert, and using analytical forethought to anticipate potentially volatile or unsafe situations and proactively intervene. Ensure that all assigned patients have an individualized crisis plan developed.
Act as a role model in using appropriate counseling skills by de-escalating aggression, using active listening skills, using appropriate tone and volume of voice, providing a high frequency and variety of positive reinforcements, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and promoting a positive peer culture. Maintain collaboration with Admission Department to provide clinical support for initial screenings. Provide appropriate back up for assessments when there is need.
Assess and ensure the needs of the patients are being met in relation to clothing, linens, and personal hygiene supplies; supervise personal hygiene tasks.