Mental Health Specialist

WVU Medicine • Morgantown, WV

17h • Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for delivering paraprofessional mental health care under direct supervision. This role involves facilitating therapeutic group processes, applying effective communication techniques, and assisting clients in structuring their lives therapeutically. The specialist will serve as an active member of the mental health team, providing community-based mental health care while considering safety, patients' rights, and comfort. The role requires utilizing master treatment plans to identify and implement age-appropriate interventions, reinforcing positive behaviors, and setting limits on negative behaviors. It also includes identifying cues for potential aggressive behavior and applying de-escalation techniques, implementing interventions, and documenting client responses. The specialist will identify thought patterns and behaviors associated with psychiatric diagnoses and developmental ages, provide assistance to clients' family members, perform basic medical tasks, assist clients with daily living activities, and may transport and supervise clients to appointments and activities. Additionally, the role involves organizing and facilitating recreation, physical fitness, and leisure activities, and responding to phone calls professionally.

Requirements

• Obtain certification in BLS within 30 days of hire date
• State criminal background check and Federal (if applicable), as for regulated areas.
• Two (2) years of college study OR Two (2) years of experience in inpatient acute psychiatric care.
• Must have strong oral and written communication skills.
• Must have the ability to work successfully under highly stressful conditions, and must be capable of adapting to varying workloads and work assignments on a constant basis.
• Must have the ability to make sound, independent judgments based on scientific principles, and also be able to collaborate with other multi-disciplinary team members in an appropriate fashion.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Social Work, or Nursing.
• Valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Facilitates or co-facilitates the therapeutic group process.
• Applies effective communication techniques in collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team and in interacting with clients and significant others in therapeutic relationships.
• Assists clients to structure their lives in a therapeutic manner.
• Serves as an active member of the mental health team, taking developmental age of the client into account (as determined and directed by the master treatment plan).
• Providing community based mental health care, which includes providing care to clients in a manner that considers safety and patients’ rights and comfort.
• Utilizes the master treatment plan for assistance in identifying and implementing developmental age-appropriate interventions with clients.
• This includes therapeutically supporting and reinforcing clients’ appropriate and pro-social behavior and negatively reinforcing and setting limits in a therapeutic and consistent manner clients’ inappropriate and antisocial behavior, within program guidelines.
• Identification of verbal and non-verbal cues for potential aggressive behavior and application of de-escalation techniques to the situation.
• Implements appropriate interventions and documents clients’ responses in the medical record.
• Identifies thought patterns and behaviors associated with different types of psychiatric diagnoses and developmental ages and intervenes appropriately utilizing the master treatment plan.
• Provides assistance to clients’ family members and other supportive individuals in accordance with program standards.
• Performs basic medical tasks (i.e. obtains and documents vital signs, collects urine and stool samples, weighs clients, witnessing controlled substance wastes, obtaining blood glucose levels) and exhibits a willingness to learn additional tasks.
• Assists clients in their activities of daily living (bathing, toileting, eating and ambulation) as needed.
• May transport and supervise clients to appointments and activities.
• Organizes and facilitates specific recreation, physical fitness and age appropriate leisure time activities.
• Answers the phone and responds to all calls, including Helpline calls, in an appropriate and professional manner.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree