Job Summary: Mental Health clinician for First Episode Psychosis Clinic; candidate works within a multidisciplinary coordinated specialty care team to provide counseling, treatment planning, case management, and assessment for ages 16 – 30 who have symptoms of psychosis for no longer than 24 months. The STRIVE program is part of Georgia’s DBHDD initiative to provide “Prevention and Early Intervention” to youth and young adults who have recently started experiencing psychosis. First Episode Psychosis programs strive to reduce the duration of untreated symptoms through wraparound services such as case management, peer support, employment & education services, medication management, and counseling in efforts to prevent youth and young adults from being permanently disabled. This position meets consumers in the outpatient office setting and in the community setting.

Essential Functions: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Completes behavioral health assessments and obtains consumer’s mental health and substance abuse history as part of consumers’ comprehensive assessment and ongoing care.
• Assists in coordinating individual treatment planning including aftercare and recovery support services for each consumer actively involved in STRIVE treatment
• Participates in engaging and motivating consumers to achieve treatment goals.
• Provide intensive counseling and clinical case management to diverse and acutely high-risk consumers.
• Meets with consumers and family members in clinic and in the community.
• Assists each consumer in developing coping skills and increasing social support networks
• Assesses consumer’s need for high level of care and/or inpatient admission for stabilization when appropriate, and coordinates access to these services
• Collaborates closely with other STRIVE team providers as well as community providers involved in consumers care.
• Coordinate with STRIVE specialty care treatment team on a regular basis and adhere to First Episode Psychosis recovery model.
• Maintains client confidentiality and adherence to HIPAA requirements at all times
• Completes all required documentation in a timely manner consistent with agency guidelines
• Maintains agency required productivity standards.

Required Knowledge & Skills:

• Working knowledge of serious mental illness in youth and young adults; knowledge of cognitive behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing, recovery oriented principles, and related treatment modalities.
• A Licensed Clinician such as LPC or LCSW is preferred. Associate license with experience will be considered.
• Knowledge of crisis intervention techniques; knowledge of inpatient care or referral for admission. Must know the 1013 process.
• Ability to effectively interact and communicate with consumers and their families in diverse populations.
• Knowledge of consumers’ rights; agency and federal policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Knowledge of local community resources and service delivery systems such as housing, social, and educational resources.
• Knowledge of client record documentation requirements.
• Knowledge of individual and group therapy techniques; family dynamic and family support groups
• Ability to observe, record and report on an individual’s functioning;
• Ability to read and understand assessments, evaluations, observation, and use in developing treatment plan.
• Ability to identify community resources and services for clients and coordinate provision of services; to establish effective working relationships with internal agency staff as well as with relevant community organizations;

• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, to maintain confidentiality, and to work independently under general supervision.
• Ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal and “Listening” skills.
• Ability to establish and prioritize goals and objectives of assigned program.
• Ability to facilitate relationships between Gateway, consumer families/legal guardians and various social service community resources, such as housing assistance, healthcare, job training and placement and substance abuse support groups.
• Must have a clean driving record with current GA driver’s license.

Competencies:

Communication

Accountability/Responsibility

Cooperation/Teamwork

Creative Thinking

Customer Service

Dependability

Flexibility

Initiative

Analytical Thinking

Job Knowledge

Judgement

Professionalism

Quality/Quantity of Work

Clean Driving Record

Required Education & Experience: At least two years of experience providing counseling to youth and young adults with acute severe mental illness.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Work Environment: This role routinely meets in office and in the community. Use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines is required. Travel is also required at times whether between Gateway sites or in the community with consumers and their family.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Employee is frequently required to walk, sit, stand or kneel and occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop. Employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Must have the ability to sit for long periods of time at a computer. Employee frequently uses fine hand/eye coordination, hearing and visual acuity. Lighting and temperature are adequate, and there are not hazardous or unpleasant condition caused by noise, dust, etc. Employee must be able to travel between Gateway sites. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Gateway CSB promotes a drug/alcohol free work environment through the use of mandatory pre-employment drug testing.