Senior Mental Health Clinician

Services for the Underserved•Bronx, NY

31d•$67,000 - $70,300

About The Position

SCOPE OF ROLE: Experienced Clinician to work on a NY State Office of Mental Health (OMH) funded hospital-based care transition team that exclusively serves mentally ill inpatients at Bronx Psychiatric Center (BPC). The role will involve addressing the preparatory needs of participants in the early stages of discharge planning, development of daily living skills, and coping mechanisms through group and individual work on the hospital units. The team will follow individuals into the community using the evidence-based Critical Time Intervention model of care to ensure that they become both linked and engaged with identified community providers and that their support network is sufficient to meet their needs. The role will require on call coverage and a willingness to work flexible hours.

Requirements

Master’s degree or higher in social work, mental health counseling, nursing or psychology required.
LMSW or LMHC strongly preferred
A minimum of 2 years post-masters work experience in the mental health and criminal justice field, preferably with the target population.
Knowledge of mental illness and serious emotional disturbances and substance abuse disorders.
Knowledge of treatment, rehabilitation, and community support programs as they relate to consumers/residents, families, and staff
Knowledge of techniques for identifying and preventing potentially violent behavior, including crisis management techniques.
Experience with group work.
Ability to develop, evaluate, implement and modify a clinical treatment intervention to meet the needs of individual recipients.
Ability to prepare accurate and timely reports

Nice To Haves

Compassion and desire to work with the senior population
Driver’s License in good standing and experience working with elders preferred
Bilingual English/Spanish speaking preferred

Responsibilities

Hospital engagement beginning on the unit, involvement in discharge planning, and a needs assessment of community transition supports essential to stabilizing the individual
Short term counseling (substance use, coping skills, trauma informed, decision making) and Risk Assessment/Safety Planning
Running groups and life skill training for patient population
Participate in both the development and implementation of a community care plan that includes formal and informal supports that increase opportunities for improved quality of life. Focus is on creating meaningful and productive daily activities in the community
Assessing Housing Supports and Housing Assistance and Placement for those who are homeless. Services may include completing HRA 2010e, applying for housing, prepping for interviews, follow up with housing providers, and assistance with moving in (day of move) with obtaining housing supplies and learning the neighborhood
Work with recipients and their housing providers to resolve clinical issues that are impacting on the recipient’s ability to obtain, manage, and retain supportive housing
Foster relationship with community provides to ensure that recipients are connected with appropriate services as they transition back into the community and to share or collect collateral information
Patient navigation by accompanying to first behavioral health and medical appointment, travel training, reengagement in community care, referral to services with ability to identify and address potential services and barriers to obtain and maintain such services
Review documentation and conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments to determine the medical, psychiatric, housing and other social needs in the community. Obtain historical and collateral information from multiple sources as it relates to mental and physical health, substance use, and criminal history
Develop a short-term person-centered treatment plan to assist the recipients’ towards achieving their goals and modify treatment plans according to changes in recipients’ status. Monitor, evaluate and record recipient progress with respect to treatment goals
Establish collaborative working relationships with inpatient treatment teams, community providers, and other partners and plan with them for appropriate discharges for recipients
Counsel recipients in individual and group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental and physical illness, family issues, housing problems and unemployment
Provide ongoing family conferences and psychoeducation to families and others within the support network
Provide out of hours crisis intervention services to recipients and their support network, including respite referrals and other diversion and stabilization services
Attend and participate in team meetings and supervisory sessions
The role will require some on call coverage. Travel is required. Collaborate with inpatient/outpatient providers, as appropriate