Mental Health Specialist

MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST

Pay: $40.91 per hour

35 hours per week, Mon-Fri in-person in Kingston, NY

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS: An employee in this class provides a full range of psychotherapy, counseling, case management and social work services to clients. This is the entry-level position as a primary therapist in an assigned Ulster County Department. Clinical supervision is received from higher-ranked clinicians at regularly scheduled sessions and on request, with considerable leeway allowed for the use of independent judgment and initiative in individual cases. Clinical supervision may be exercised over the work of students serving clinical internships within the agency. Administrative supervision is not a responsibility of an employee in this class. Does related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES: The typical work activities listed below, while providing representative examples of the variety of work assignments in the title do not describe any individual position. Incumbents in this title may perform some or all of the following, as well as other related activities not described. Provides individual and group psychotherapy; Provides group, individual and family counseling; Provides full case management services to clients; Identifies and utilizes all contacts and resources available to the client, including family, friends, employers, community agencies, social service agencies, etc., in order to establish an overall, or systems approach to treatment; Provides clinical direction and supervision to students; Provides advice and guidance to peers on request; Provides consultation to other agencies in areas where the employee has developed a specialty; Gives presentations and lectures on mental health issues; Attends staff meetings to exchange information and give/receive supervision; Establishes and maintains a liaison with a wide range of internal and external agency personnel in order to coordinate and maximize delivery of care; Maintains records and prepares reports of a narrative and statistical nature as well as general correspondence; Receives in-service training and keeps abreast of latest developments in the mental health field; May be required to be on-call during unscheduled working hours if circumstances of the assignment deem it essential.

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Thorough knowledge of the causes, effects and symptoms of mental illness and of counseling and psychotherapeutic techniques to treat those affected; thorough knowledge of area mental health, medical, vocational, legal and social service providers and other available community resources and ability to effectively utilize these resources, in conjunction with direct clinical services, in an overall psychosocial approach to treating the client; ability to establish and maintain effective liaison with a variety of other service providers; ability to establish and maintain rapport with clients and their families; ability to maintain records and prepare narrative reports, statistical reports and general correspondence; ability to provide clinical supervision to students; willingness to participate in and benefit from in-service training; willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the mental health field related to mental illness; sound professional judgment; tact.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Either:

A. (1) Possession of a Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology. The doctoral degree must have been granted on the basis of completion of a program of psychology registered with the New York State Department of Education or the substantial equivalent thereof, in accordance with the New York State Commissioner of Education’s regulations; AND (2) Current licensure as a Psychologist issued by the New York State Department of Education; OR

B. (1) Possession of a Master’s Degree in Social Work including one (1) year of clinical practicum or one (1) year of post-degree clinical experience, if no practicum; AND (2) Current licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) by the New York State Department of Education; OR (3) Current licensure as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)* issued by the New York State Department of Education with at least eighteen (18) months of professional experience providing direct services to clients in a clinical, mental health, social services, or health care setting; OR

C. (1) Possession of a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling including one (1) year of clinical practicum/internship; AND (2) Current licensure as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) issued by the New York State Department of Education; OR

D. (1) Possession of a Clinical Master’s Degree from a psychiatric/mental health nursing program, including one (1) year of practicum or one (1) year of post degree experience if no practicum; AND (2) Current licensure as a Registered Nurse by the New York State Department of Education;

E. (1) Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing/Psychology; AND (2) Three (3) years of post-degree professional nursing experience in mental health or psychiatric nursing in a position involving direct service to clients; AND (3) Current licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse by the New York State Department of Education.

• *Note: Candidates that possess an LMSW may only provide “clinical social work” services (diagnosis, psychotherapy, and assessment-based treatment planning) under the supervision of a senior level Clinician. Special Requirement: Candidates must complete continuing education training hours as required by the New York State Department of Education to maintain professional licensure with no lapses in licensure during terms of employment. Note: Your degree or college credits must have been awarded or earned by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. A list of acceptable companies who provide this service can be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee.