Psychiatric Social Worker I - Custody Health Services

County of Santa Clara; California; On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sign-on bonus up to $5,000

Job summary

County of Santa Clara is seeking a Psychiatric Social Worker I (pre-licensed) to provide counseling, psychotherapy, case management, and treatment services in a counseling center, clinic, or institutional setting, including correctional facilities.

Candidates must meet licensure requirements, maintain California Board of Behavioral Sciences registration, and may be assigned as Disaster Service Workers. A sign-on bonus of up to $5,000 is available for eligible hires.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree that qualifies for licensure as described in the Special Requirements.
• Current registration with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an Associate for the duration of employment.

Responsibilities

• Performs counseling, psychotherapy, case management, and treatment services with patients or clients and their families.
• Participates in evaluation of problems and development of treatment plans.
• May participate in a group therapy program.
• Prepares social case histories with emphasis on psycho-social factors.
• Cooperates with staff and community agencies in carrying out treatment plans.
• Participates in psychotherapy and case management programs with psychiatric treatment teams.
• Interprets and explains social and emotional factors to clients, relatives, and groups; may conduct educational sessions.
• Evaluates new techniques for addressing emotional and environmental problems.
• Refer patients to appropriate community agencies.
• May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW).
• Performs other related duties as required.

Skills

Psychiatric social work

Psychotherapy

Case management

Counseling

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree in social work (qualifies for licensure)

Job description

Under supervision, the Psychiatric Social Worker I (pre-licensed) provides counseling, psychotherapy, case management, and treatment services in a counseling center, clinic, or institutional setting.

This is a posting to fill vacant positions that may be filled in the classifications of Marriage and Family Therapist I (associate), Marriage and Family Therapist II (licensed), Psychiatric Social Worker I (associate), or Psychiatric Social Worker II (licensed). Candidates need only to apply to one of these four postings for which they qualify to be considered. Additionally, this posting will create a list that will be used to fill vacancies for the following month. Qualified applicants will remain on the list for one month and will be referred to available vacancies. To be considered for future opportunities, applicants must reapply each month to be placed on the eligible list for the following month.

Custody Health Services (CHS) provides medical, mental health, and dental services to patients in custody at the four County detention facilities: Main Jail, Elmwood, Juvenile Hall, and James Ranch. On-site routine and urgent/emergent medical services are provided at both Main Jail and Elmwood adult jail facilities in Santa Clara County. Health care of incarcerated patients includes care of acute and chronic illness as well as preventative and specialty care. CHS also operates a 40-bed acute psychiatric inpatient housing unit at the Main Jail facility for incarcerated adults who require acute inpatient services for stabilization. Juvenile Custody Health Services provides integrated medical services including comprehensive pediatric medical, mental health, and dental care to justice-involved youth housed in Juvenile Hall and James Ranch.

Selected candidate(s) must be able to work in a correctional facility, which requires passing a background check for security clearance.

Some positions may require credentialing prior to appointment. If you have not previously completed a CAQH (Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare) application, it is recommended that you start one at the same time you submit your application for this recruitment. To start your CAQH application, visit CAQH ProView - Sign In.

CANDIDATES HIRED MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A SIGN-ON BONUS OF UP TO $5,000.

A new hire or a regular coded full-time or part-time employee who is hired into, transfers, or promotes in the Marriage and Family Therapist or Psychiatric Social Worker classifications may be eligible to receive a sign-on bonus of up to $5,000 (subject to discontinuation at any time).

Duties

• Performs counseling, psychotherapy, case management, and treatment services with patients or clients and their families;
• Participates in the evaluation of problems presented and in the development of treatment plans;
• May participate in a group therapy program;
• Prepares social case histories with particular emphasis upon psycho-social factors affecting the patient or client;
• Cooperates with staff and other community agencies in carrying out treatment plans;
• Participates in psychotherapy and case management programs with psychiatric treatment teams;
• Interprets and explains social and emotional factors pertaining to illness to clients, relatives, and community groups, and may conduct educational sessions and training events, as appropriate;
• Evaluates new techniques for dealing with emotional and environmental problems;
• Refers patients or clients to appropriate community agencies;
• May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW), as required*;
• Performs other related duties, as required.

Sufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the ability to perform the above tasks, plus the possession and direct application of the following knowledge and abilities:

Training and Experience Note: The required knowledge and abilities are attained through possession of a Master's Degree that qualifies for licensure as described in the Special Requirements.

Special Requirements

• Possess and maintain current registration with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an Associate Clinical Social Worker or Associate Professional Clinical Counselor, for the duration of employment in this classification.
• Incumbents in this class must comply with California licensure requirements as outlined by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
• Some positions may require provider credentialing prior to appointment.
• Ability to travel to alternate locations in the course of work. If driving, possession of a valid California driver's license prior to appointment and the ability to qualify for and maintain a County driver authorization.
• *As a condition of employment, pursuant to California Government Code Sections 3100-3109 and Local Ordinance, all County of Santa Clara employees are designated Disaster Service Workers (DSWs), including extra help. A DSW is required to complete all assigned DSW-related training, and in the event of an emergency, return to work as ordered.

Knowledge of

• Principles of psychiatric social work and psychotherapy;
• Counseling, case management, and other techniques of psychiatric social work;
• Social aspects of behavioral health and emotional disturbances;
• Theory and practice of community behavioral health and substance use interventions;
• Community agencies and community resources serving the mentally ill and those with substance use disorders;
• Physical and mental illnesses and their impact on personality;
• English usage, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling;
• Common computer systems and applications.

Ability to

• Effectively apply psychiatric social work theory and case management skills, and psychotherapeutic interventions;
• Conduct differential diagnosis;
• Secure and record accurate and pertinent social and personal data;
• Effectively use psychiatric consultation;
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and representatives of other agencies.