ACT Supported Employment Specialist

Position Summary: The Supported Employment Specialist provides direct individual services for patients in the Supported Employment Program with a rehabilitative focus. Interfaces with the community and within the agency to ensure optimum quality and comprehensiveness of services.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Provides vocational counseling and rehabilitative services to patients on their caseload, with appropriate and timely documentation.
• Provides on-site support for patients on supported employment and offers direct vocational counseling and intervention for patients around vocational planning., as it relates to their individual treatment plan.
• Maintains standards of client access hours as established for the position.
• Investigates and follows up on employment and training opportunities for patients, maintains records of vocational resources and shares these with patients/team as appropriate.
• Assists patients to maintain community living by teaching daily living and personal care skills as they pertain vocational training.
• Participates actively in staffing meetings, making contributions accordingly.
• Provides community education informally as appropriate and conducts formal education presentations as required.
• Represents the client/program/agency positively in interfaces within and outside of the agency.
• Assists program coordinator in general program planning and vocational development for patients.
• May perform other related job duties as assigned by the Coordinator.
• Attendance is an essential function of this position.

Required Skills/Abilities:

The individual must possess the knowledge, skills and ability noted below or be able to explain and demonstrate how the individual can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some combination of skills and abilities.

• Working awareness treatment planning, case management, counseling and crisis intervention techniques, evidence based supported employment concepts and familiarity with psychosocial and multicultural influences.
• Able to successfully complete the Evidence Based Practice, Supported Employment training.
• Able to establish a therapeutic rapport with patients while adhering to established professional and agency ethics.
• Must treat patients with dignity and respect and take a patient centered approach to services.
• Ability to do vocational assessments, job task analysis, and values clarification, appropriate job matching and counseling techniques.
• Ability to organize workload so that duties are completed in a timely and thorough manner.
• Ability to follow through on responsibilities to the satisfaction of supervisor or other contact persons.
• Ability to utilize computers and word processing equipment.
• Ability to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken word and to receive detailed information through oral communication.
• May be required to transport patients in their personal vehicle.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a Human Services area preferably in mental health and/or vocational rehabilitation with 1 to 2 years’ experience preferred but not required.
• Must have and maintain a valid NH driver’s license with current liability insurance which meets Lakes Region Mental Health Center requirements.

Physical Requirements:

• Is able to sustain light physical effort such as frequent standing, walking, bending, stooping, or reaching and/or occasional lifting of items 20 lbs. or more.
• Is able to tolerate periods of heavy workload or excessive stress.
• Must be able to walk, climb and use stairs on a regular basis and in unknown circumstances.