Social Services Specialist I

Sea Mar Community Health Centers; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 35,817 - 41,328; Part time

Job summary

Sea Mar Community Health Centers in Seattle, WA is seeking a part-time Social Services Specialist I to conduct an initial psychosocial assessment, develop intervention plans, and provide brief treatment within the MSS Department.

The role includes client advocacy, coordinating referrals, documenting in the electronic health record, and collaborating with the Maternity Support Services team to support families.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and current Certified Counselor through the State of Washington Department of Health or Chemical Dependency Counselor.
• Experience with underserved populations (limited English, homelessness, migrant workers) and coordinating referrals.
• Experience with substance use disorders, chronic mental illness, crisis intervention, and safety-net providers.
• Knowledge of screening tools (PHQ9, GAD7, AUDIT, DAST) and using them for care referrals.
• Proficiency with electronic health records and Microsoft Office; using registries to document services and run reports.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred, but interpreter use is acceptable.

Responsibilities

• Conduct initial screening and provide integrated psychosocial assessment; develop intervention plans.
• Provide brief treatment toward the care plan and transition services for long-term counseling.
• Coordinate Infant Case Management and consult with Maternity Support Services team.
• Chart notes in Sea Mar’s Electronic Health Records as required.
• Assist clients with forms, documentation, and access to services.
• Follow agency policies and applicable regulations; maintain professional standards.
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings to discuss psychosocial needs and plans.
• Aim to build family strengths and resiliency.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

Certified Counselor

Experience with underserved

Crisis intervention

Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred

Education

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university

Certified Counselor (WA Dept of Health) or Chemical Dependency Counselor

Tools

Electronic Health Records

Microsoft Office

Job description

Sea Mar Community Health Centers

Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position:

Sea Mar is a mandatory COVID-19 and flu vaccine organization

Social Services Specialist I - Posting #26957

Hourly Rate: $26.90

Position Summary

Part‑time Social Services Specialist position available for Sea Mar's MSS Department in Seattle, WA. The role of the Social Service Specialist is to conduct an initial screening and provide a comprehensive integrated clinical psychosocial assessment; develop intervention plans based on that assessment; provide brief treatment toward the care plan; provide transition services for long term counseling/treatment and Infant Case Management; and consult with the interdisciplinary Maternity Support Services team on the needs of clients served. The productivity expectation for this position is 20 or more client encounters per week for full‑time work.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Introduces clients to integrated MSS services (either in home or at clinic) and performs systematic social services screening to determine current status and needs in a variety of areas.
• Based on identified client needs, makes referrals to appropriate agencies/services or provides information and assists clients for self‑referral.
• Provides advocacy as needed to encourage participation in implementing the care plan or to resolve problems which are interfering with active participation in the care plan (such as transportation or language barrier).
• Charts notes of the services provided as required by the state and agency in Sea Mar’s Electronic Health Records.
• Assists client in accomplishing tasks necessary to access services such as filling out appropriate forms, obtaining necessary documentation or authorization.
• Maintains professional standards and follows the treatment policies and procedures of the agency, as well as applicable federal, state and local regulations.
• Complete a thorough, culturally sensitive, psychosocial assessment which includes but is not limited to: Personal history (cultural background, health status, coping strategies, mental health status, substance use, abuse and violence); current family functioning; review of support systems (formal and informal); and basic physical needs. This assessment is shared with the client and team members to assure that all relevant psychosocial issues are addressed in the care planning.
• Participate fully in all interdisciplinary team meetings to provide input on client’s assessed psychosocial needs and on interdisciplinary team plans for client. The goal is to build family strengths and resiliency.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and current Certified Counselor through the State of Washington Department of Health or Chemical Dependency Counselor.
• Experience working with underserved populations such as, but not limited to, those who have limited English speaking skills, are homeless, and migrant and seasonal workers. If the patient requires services beyond brief intervention, the Social Service Specialist is responsible for coordinating the timely referral to behavioral health services.
• Experience working with patients who have substance use disorders, chronic mental illness, and those who require crisis intervention.
• Experience working with safety‑net providers within the community and broad knowledge of community resources to facilitate whole person care.
• Knowledge of evidence‑based screening tools (PHQ9, GAD7, AUDIT, DAST, etc.) and the ability to use these tools as part of a framework to make appropriate level of care interventions and referrals for patients as needed.
• Good working knowledge and skills in using electronic health record platforms, external registries, as well as the Microsoft suite of programs in order to document patient services, develop and run reports, etc.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish is preferred, but not required. Must be open to using an interpreter.

How to Apply

To apply for this position complete the online application and click SUBMIT or APPLY NOW. If you have any questions regarding the position, email Paola Jimenez, MSS Program Manager, [e-mail].

Sea Mar is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Posted 10/3/2024

External candidates are considered after 10/8/2024

This position is represented by Office and Professionals Employees International Union (OPEIU)