SOCIAL SERVICES COUNSELOR OPS - 60955521

State of Florida • Macclenny, FL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)
is the state of Florida’s social services agency. The agency oversees services for child safety, fostering, adoption, domestic violence, adult protective services, refugees, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, childcare providers, human trafficking and public assistance. The agency’s mission is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency.
Within DCF, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Program office is recognized as the single state authority for substance abuse and mental health services. The Office of SAMH is statutorily responsible for the planning, evaluation, and implementation of a comprehensive statewide system of care for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of children and adults with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders.
Northeast Florida State Hospital (NEFSH) is a 613-bed, licensed mental health treatment facility that provides person-centered services to adults suffering from severe and persistent mental illness. The hospital, located in Macclenny, was established in 1959 and is the largest state operated civil treatment facility.

NORTHEAST FLORIDA STATE HOSPITAL IS A TOBACCO FREE FACILITY.
TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION RESPONSES TO THE QUALIFYING QUESTIONS ARE REQUIRED AND MUST BE VERIFIABLE BASED ON YOUR SUBMITTED APPLICATION.

This is a highly responsible and professional position serving as the Social Services Counselor OPS within the Recovery Division. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative team player who works seamlessly across all sections within the program office. This role requires the use of independent judgment, a proactive approach to responsibilities, and exceptional attention to detail. If you are driven, organized, and thrive in a fast-paced environment, we encourage you to apply.

Requirements

• Knowledge of counseling techniques and practices.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work, nursing, education or counseling.
• Knowledge of methods of compiling, organizing and analyzing data.
• Ability to develop treatment or rehabilitation programs.
• Ability to develop guidelines and procedures for the delivery of social services.
• Ability to develop and present staff development and training programs.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to follow through on all phases of the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of clients.
• Ability to provide casework services to clients.
• Ability to collect, analyze and interpret data.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, education or nursing and three years of professional experience in providing social work, health education, nursing or counseling services; or
• A master's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, education or nursing and two years of professional experience as described above.
• Candidate Profile (application) must be completed in its entirety.
• Include supervisor names and phone numbers for all periods of employment.
• Account for and explain any gaps in employment so that the hiring process is not delayed.
• Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications.
• It is unacceptable to use the statement “See Resume” in place of responding to qualifying questions and entering work history.

Responsibilities

• Conducts individual counseling and group psychotherapy with chronically mentally ill persons, including geriatric individuals. Assesses level of functioning with regard to social and community life skills necessary for discharge to the community.
• Coordinates planned and unplanned discharges from the unit and serves as the point of contact between the community liaison with the catchment area and the unit, arranges an after care plan for unit based discharges, notifies significant others of discharge plans, arranges for transportation when necessary, and completes necessary discharge documentation and discharge notes. Develops and maintains expertise regarding community resources to prepare individuals for discharge. Educates treatment teams regarding available community resources and their relationship to discharge planning.
• Documents all social services treatment and unit discharge activities in the clinical record. Completes weekly and monthly progress notes, functional skills inventories, psychosocial histories, discharge notes for unit based discharges, admission and movement records, and event notes as appropriate. Updates the accuracy of face sheets, including information on changes of addresses and phone numbers, guardians and guardian advocates, 1st representatives, and other significant persons necessary to ensure quality continuity of care.
• Participates actively in the treatment process, attends treatment team meetings, and contributes to the development and revision of the individual treatment plan. Interprets critical information about the individual's social history in making recommendations for treatment and discharge planning.
• Interviews/contacts family members of individual's being served to obtain data related to personal, social, and emotional history. Maintains regular contact with family or significant others through treatment team meetings, telephone contacts, and letters in order to provide updates on the individual's condition and current discharge plans. Counsels with family about sensitive situations involving individuals related to their mental and physical problems.
• Coordinates day passes and leave of absences with treatment team, legal department, and the ARC Committee as required. Coordinates referrals for prosthetic devices and medical equipment as necessary. Assists with habeas corpus requests and court appearances as necessary.
• Will be available to assist other staff with transportation on recreational outings, escort individuals to appointments for prosthetic devices or hospital wide celebrations, and transport individuals to the community for discharge readiness appointments or actual discharge placement.
• Performs other related duties as assigned and assists in training new HSC III or SSC's when needed.

Benefits

• Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits.
• For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees