Patients' Rights Family Caregiver Advocate

Mental Health Assn of Alameda County•Berkeley, CA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Family Caregiver Advocate assists family members and caregivers of individuals experiencing mental illness, by providing information about mental health diagnoses, available treatments, and tools and resources for coping with the challenges of caring for a loved one living with a mental illness. The Family Caregiver Advocate advocates on behalf of family/caregivers who experience challenges interfacing with the mental health system and with treatment providers. The Family Caregiver Advocate offers primarily individual support but will provide support to groups on an as needed basis. The Mental Health Association of Alameda County (MHAAC) is a well-established non-profit organization with long term staff that assists and advocates for people with mental illness and their family members through programs including the Family Education Resource Center, the Family Partnership Program, the African American Family Outreach Program, and the Patients' Rights Advocacy Program. Together, these programs assist thousands of people with serious mental illness and their family members every year. We envision a world without stigma where people with mental health challenges and their family members are free to live their best lives. MHAAC's current budget is around $5 million. The Patients' Rights Advocacy Program of Alameda County (PRA) works to ensure that individuals with serious mental illness receive quality treatment from facilities and providers of mental health services.

Requirements

6 months experience working with people with serious mental illness and/or substance abuse issues
Experience providing information and referrals
Associates Degree
Must successfully pass a fingerprint background check by CADOJ and FBI
Proficiency in Microsoft Office - Outlook (email) and Word (documents)
Have a valid CA Drivers License, daily access to a working motor vehicle, maintain legally required vehicle liability insurance and have an acceptable motor vehicle report as determined by MHAAC's insurance broker

Nice To Haves

Bachelors Degree
Knowledge of Alameda County mental health care system
Experience facilitating support groups
Experience delivering services using video-based platforms such as Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams
Bilingual in one of Alameda County's threshold languages: Cantonese, Farsi, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, or Vietnamese

Responsibilities

Assists clients in navigating the complex behavioral health care system and criminal justice system in Alameda County
Supports clients by phone or via in-person consultation at John George Psychiatric Hospital
Provides a full range of information, support, encouragement, advocacy, and referrals to appropriate community resources, and related services to assist clients in coping effectively with immediate and/or long-term situations
Serves as an information resource on mental health law
Provide education on Family and Patients' Rights regarding mental health treatment options and laws
Actively participate in liaison role with key partners such as NAMI affiliates and the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department by attending meetings, co-facilitating trainings, etc.
Provide assistance with completion of AB 1424 mental health history forms
Attend and/or facilitate family caregiver support groups
Provide information and referral to callers for whom an official grievance is not needed or desired

Benefits

Competitive salary
Eligible for first pay increase after successful completion of 3-month introductory period
Some positions eligible for Bilingual Pay Differential for fluency in an Alameda County threshold language
100% paid medical and dental coverage for the employee
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that includes free unlimited Tele-Doc and Psychotherapy services
Generous time-off benefits: 14 paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Years Day
Vacation leave 2 weeks per year, increases to 4 weeks by year 4 of employment
Mileage reimbursement for work related travel
Paid volunteer time-off
Tuition reimbursement
On-the-job training