Mental Hlth Specialist I

WVU Medicine•Morgantown, WV

21h•Onsite

About The Position

The Mental Health Specialist I is responsible for delivering paraprofessional mental health care under direct supervision. This role involves facilitating or co-facilitating therapeutic group processes and applying effective communication techniques when collaborating with interdisciplinary team members, clients, and significant others in therapeutic relationships. The specialist assists clients in structuring their lives therapeutically and serves as an active member of the mental health team, considering the developmental age of the client as directed by the master treatment plan. This includes providing community-based mental health care with a focus on client safety, rights, and comfort. Key duties involve utilizing the master treatment plan to identify and implement age-appropriate interventions, therapeutically supporting appropriate behaviors, setting limits for inappropriate behaviors, identifying cues for potential aggressive behavior, and applying de-escalation techniques. The specialist will implement appropriate interventions and document client responses in medical records, identify thought patterns and behaviors associated with psychiatric diagnoses, and intervene appropriately. Additionally, the role includes providing assistance to clients' family members, performing basic medical tasks (e.g., vital signs, sample collection, blood glucose levels), assisting clients with activities of daily living, transporting and supervising clients to appointments and activities, and organizing recreation, physical fitness, and leisure activities. The position also requires answering phone calls, including Helpline calls, in a professional manner.

Requirements

Obtain certification in BLS within 30 days of hire date
State criminal background check and Federal (if applicable), as required 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.
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