Mental Health Associate - Part-Time - Residential & Support Services

Marion County, Oregon; Salem (OR); On-site; USD 30,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

Marion County Health and Human Services is looking for a Mental Health Associate to join their Horizon House Residential Treatment Facility. The role involves providing person-centered treatment to adults with mental illness in a supportive environment. The ideal candidate should have relevant experience and skills in crisis intervention and active listening. This part-time position requires flexibility and a commitment to promoting recovery and well-being among residents.

Qualifications

• Three years relevant work experience in a behavioral health services field.
• Must possess a current Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) Qualified Mental Health Associate certification.

Responsibilities

• Provide oversight and Mental Health services in a residential setting.
• Monitor emotional and behavioral changes and implement de-escalation strategies.
• Assist with daily living activities such as shopping, cleaning, and laundry.

Skills

Compassion

Flexibility

Active Listening

Crisis Intervention

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in a behavioral science field

Job description

Marion County Health and Human Services is seeking a compassionate and flexible Mental Health Associate to work in its Horizon House Residential Treatment Facility. The Mental Health Associate - will work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team to provide Person-Centered mental health treatment services in a 24-hour residential clinical setting, serving adults with serious and persistent mental illness or chemical dependency.

The ideal candidate will have direct or related experience in working in a therapeutic milieu environment, facilitating therapeutic groups, conducting individual skills training, administering medications, maintaining clinical documentation, and transporting residents as needed - ODL is required. This recruitment is for a part-time position consisting of two scheduled 10-hour shifts per week.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES
Provides individual and group recreational, social and skills training services under a professionally developed service plan; keeps records of persons served status; performs service plan directed case management functions under close supervision; performs related duties as required. Primary responsibility of this class is to assist and support other mental health professionals, without primary responsibility for a caseload.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Works under close supervision of a supervisor who assigns work, establishes goals, and reviews the results obtained for overall effectiveness.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Supervision of others is not a responsibility of positions in this classification.

• Provide oversight and Mental Health services in a residential setting serving adults with serious and persistent mental illness.

• Help to create and maintain a caring and supportive setting.

• Monitor for emotional and behavioral changes and implement de-escalation strategies as needed.

• Monitors for compliance with conditional release plan from the PSRB.

• Reinforces culture of abstinence and recovery.

• Manage milieu environment by modeling pro-social behaviors, assisting clients by guiding them through coping strategies by using grounding techniques and Person-Centered interventions.

• Assist with house management (e.g. inventory, meal preparation, house sanitation).

• Provide individual and group skills training to assist in promoting community tenure (e.g. mindfulness skills training, coping strategies, independent living skills).

• Coordinate and facilitate resident activities and community outings.

• Transport residents to medical appointments, shopping etc. when needed.

• Monitor medications and assist with medication administration.

• Assists with drug/alcohol screen UA’s as needed.

• Work effectively with case managers, crisis workers, families of residents, and others involved to provide well-coordinated treatment. Complete clinical record documentation in timely fashion.

• Meets performance expectations for time and billing standards

• Assist residents with daily living activities such as shopping, cleaning, laundry and other housekeeping duties as needed.

• Other duties as assigned by your supervisor.

• Response Level 2: In the event of an emergency, employee makes a reasonable effort to report to work. Employee may be required to perform duties outside of their regularly assigned duties. Employee may be requested to work an extended or flexible schedule. Staff at this response level must complete Incident Command System 100 and 700 on-line or in-person training.

EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

1. Three years relevant work experience in a behavioral health services field; OR
2. Bachelor's degree in a behavioral science field; OR
3. Any satisfactory combination of work, education, training or experience relevant to the position, as determined by Marion County.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must possess a current Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) Qualified Mental Health Associate certification (QMHA) or register within thirty (30) days of hire, and complete in accordance with MHACBO guidelines.See MHACBO website for requirements.Applicants are responsible for their own application fees.
• This position may be subject to the following: Must not be excluded from participation in the federal health care programs (Medicaid, Medicare and other federally funded programs that provide health benefits); AND must not be excluded from participating in federal procurement (Federal Acquisition Regulation) and non-procurement activities (Executive Order No. 12549).
• Must possess a current driver's license in the applicant's state of residence and an acceptable driving history. Marion County will obtain a copy of the driving record for all qualified applicants from Driver and Motor Vehicle Services and review the driving record according to the Marion County policy and procedure for Driving on County Business. The policy can be found at: http://apps.co.marion.or.us/APAP/.
• The finalist for this position will be required to pass a criminal history background check; however, conviction of a crime may not necessarily disqualify an individual for this position.
• This is a safety sensitive/special needs position. Final candidates selected for this position will be required to pass a pre-employment drug screen, including testing for marijuana. The Marion County Drug and Alcohol Use and Testing Policy can be found at:http://apps.co.marion.or.us/APAP/policy.aspx?p=policy&pid=518.
• This assignment is represented by a union.
• This is a part-time, position, which is eligible for overtime.
• Work Schedule: Thursday - Friday, 10:00 p.m. - 8:30 a.m.,with flexibility depending upon the needs of the department and program

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Working knowledge of the general concepts of mental health (including common symptoms for major behavioral health conditions) and chemical dependency as well as community resources; de-escalation, crisis intervention, and engagement strategies; strengths-based resiliency and recovery models; definitions of basic- and community-living skills; measurable goals/outcomes of mental health recovery, substance use disorders recovery, and co-occurring disorders recovery; evidence-based strategies for skills training and improving overall health; daily living activities that promote health and wellness.

Ability to demonstrate active listening skills and interviewing techniques; establish effective working relationships with diverse individuals and foster shared decision-making with behavioral health consumers, family members, and providers; clearly convey information about behavioral and general health; exercise cultural and trauma-informed competency when linking to resources; follow directions and accept feedback in a professional manner; prepare reports and document services provided to persons served in a timely and professional manner with clarity, conciseness, and completeness; work within an interdisciplinary team; practice appropriate boundaries with consumers; recognize unsafe situations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Operates a motor vehicle; sees using depth perception; stands; sits; moves about the work area; bends forward; climbs 1 floor of stairs; lifts, pushes, pulls, and carries up to 20 lbs. for up to 50 yards; moves carts weighing up to 20 lbs.; operates a keyboard; speaks clearly and audibly; reads a 12 pt. font; hears a whispered level of speech; sees using depth perception; works in areas that may be exposed to heat, cold, humidity, dust, smoke, noise and household chemicals; may work in wet or uneven areas. Must be available to be outside in various weather. The main work environment is a house, which is a temperature-controlled environment. Exposure to secondhand smoke as some residents smoke outside of the home and smoke smell may linger in their clothing. Housekeeping is expected and will expose employees to household cleaners (bleach, cleansers, etc.)