Mental Health Senior Practitioner

Posting number: 04086

Department: Social Services

Job classification: MH Senior Practitioner

Posting type: Open

Categories: Mental Health, Social Services, Human Services

Summary

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES

Position functions as a member of a clinical team which directs, coordinates and provides treatment to children, adults and families who may have mental health, intellectual/developmental and/or substance use disorders.  Positions include child and family therapists, and substance use and mental health counselors. 

DISTIGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS

An employee in this class provides clinical services to children and/or parents of children in foster care or those at risk of entering foster care including conducting comprehensive clinical assessments and treatment interventions (including individual, group and family therapy) in the clinical outpatient program, formulating diagnoses and initiating person-centered treatment plans.  The incumbent will produce detailed assessment reports and treatment update reports, provide crisis intervention for consumers and families and coordinate services and supports with a multi-disciplinary team including clinicians, social workers, attorneys, guardian ad item and judicial staff, Judges, law enforcement, foster parents and group home staff, etc. MH Sr Practitioner is distinguished from MH Practitioner due to increased independence, judgement and responsibility.

Examples of duties

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Independently conducts individualized comprehensive clinical assessments by interviewing the consumer and family.
• Independently directs and provides clinical services for assigned caseload to include, but not limited to, short-term and long-term individual, group and family therapies.
• Independently acts as coordinator of treatment for assigned caseload.  Develops, monitors, updates and evaluates treatment plans and consumer outcomes; has responsibility for authorization and utilization management; identifies, facilitates and utilizes system of care concepts across all aspects of treatment.
• Independently participates fully in the multidisciplinary treatment process and assumes shared accountability for all aspects of consumer care for assigned team caseload.
• Independently organizes, composes and submits documentation required for all aspects of consumer care by completing internal/external reports/records/summaries.
• Independently coordinates, develops, facilitates and participates in the provision of the full range of crisis intervention services for assigned caseload.
• Provides consultation and training for Child Protective Services professionals and foster parents. 
• Provides psychoeducation and parent skills training using an evidenced-based curriculum and facilitate therapeutic visits at the Parent Visitation Center. 
• Provides capacity evaluations for individuals involved with Adult Protective Services.  
• Provides substance use screening and assessment for Food and Nutrition Services applicants and Work First participants with a history of drug related legal charges.     

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ANS ABILITIES

Knowledge

• Considerable background in essential areas of psychiatric, substance abuse, rehabilitation, vocational and child development treatment; familiarity with a variety of treatment models; and considerable knowledge of special clinical/rehabilitation/vocational interventions. 
• Thorough knowledge of the characteristics/needs of individuals/families of all ages/racial/ethnic/cultural, in order to complete assessments/evaluations/plans at intake and throughout the care coordination, treatment planning and service provision process.    
• Experience and practice of the System of Care Core Values and Guiding Principles in order to practice cultural competency and responsiveness and provide community-based consumer-driven/individualized and family-involved treatment planning and implementation.
• Considerable knowledge of confidentiality and client rights.
• Understanding of the organization’s technical and administrative systems including; quality improvement, utilization management, relative fiscal issues and appropriate use of resources in order to complete documentation, track data/outcomes/productivity and monitor costs/authorizations and utilization of resources.

Skills

• Advanced assessment, interviewing, diagnosis and treatment planning skills in order to complete assessments/ evaluations and plans at intake and throughout the case coordination process.   
• Advanced group facilitation skills in