Behavioral Health Specialist (Assertive Community Treatment Team)

Arlington County requires all applicants to thoroughly complete each section of the application, including prior job responsibilities, duties, and supplemental questions. While you may attach a resume, it will not replace a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Department of Human Services (DHS), Behavioral Healthcare Division (BHD) is seeking an experienced Behavioral Health Specialist (ACT) to provide community-based services to adults with a diagnosed serious mental illness (SMI).  This position is part of the Assertive Community Treatment Team and will serve clients with direct case management services while collaborating with multidisciplinary providers who work primarily out in the community providing an array of mental health and substance use services.  At least 75% of these services take place in the community and client homes with interventions directed or performed by staff with specialty training and skills.

The ACT team promotes independence, rehabilitation, and recovery, with an emphasis on home visits and coordinated, interdisciplinary support to prevent homelessness, unnecessary hospitalization, and other negative outcomes. This role involves working as part of an interdisciplinary team, attending daily team meetings, collaborating with team members and other service providers, and delivering most services independently in clients' homes, shelters, or other community locations. ACT is a highly collaborative, evidence-based model of treatment in which each team member works with all clients assigned to the team.

 

Duties include:

• Conducting comprehensive clinical assessments of clients including developing, creating, implementing and evaluating overall treatment goals and plans in conjunction with the team; 

• Planning and providing work-related supportive services including assistance with grooming, personal hygiene, clothing, transportation, etc. and performing on-going assessments of activities of daily living (ADL);

• Working with clients and providing encouragement of functional skills such as money management and other self-help tasks and linking clients to various resources in the community or within the agency based on their needs, such as employment, housing, healthcare, food security, benefits, and social supports;

• Coordinating services with internal and external partners, families, and clients;

• Documenting client progress in Electronic Health Record (EHR) and according to standards, to maintain a permanent record of treatment and services delivered;

• Working with the ACT Team to identify and arrange need for crisis intervention;

• Providing on-call crisis intervention covering nighttime hours and serving as back-up to evening and weekend staff on a rotating basis (approximately every 4-7 weeks); and

• Performing shift management in coordination including holidays with ACT managers according to established policies and procedures. 

The ideal candidate will be flexible, able to work under pressure, perform as a team player, possess strong communication and documentation skills and be familiar with vocational and educational support services, recovery principles, and person-centered care.

Arlington County DHS is committed to delivering client services effectively, equitably, respectfully, and trauma informed. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring our clients are approached, engaged, and cared for in ways that demonstrate competency, sensitivity, and awareness of factors that impact the client experience, including but not limited to: cultural identity, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, religious/spiritual ascription, physical capability, cognitive and literacy levels, sexual orientation, and linguistic needs. 

Minimums: 

• Completion of the requirements for a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a clinical discipline such as Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, Art Therapy, or other directly related clinical discipline; and
• Two years of experience providing behavioral health services to the SMI population in the community. 

Substitution:  A Master's degree may substitute for the experience requirement.

Desirable: Preference may be given to candidates with a Master's degree in a clinical discipline and experience in one or more of the following:

• Providing case management services to seriously mentally ill adults in an outpatient community setting;

• Serving clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders; 

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