Employment Specialist -Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor-Oregon State Hospital

Initial Posting Date:

09/29/2025

Application Deadline:

10/09/2025

Agency:

Oregon Health Authority

Salary Range:

$4,833 - $7,407

Position Type:

Employee

Position Title:

Employment Specialist -Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor-Oregon State Hospital

Job Description:

Opportunity Awaits, Apply Today! Employment Specialist (Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor SR25)-Vocational and Educational Services-Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon.

Oregon State Hospital, a Joint Commission and CMS certified public psychiatric hospital, provides psychiatric hospital services and patient treatment services to persons committed by the Oregon courts as part of the state mental health system. The Oregon State Hospital is the largest division of OHA with over 2,600 positions across the hospital.

The Vocational and Educational programs of the Vocational, Educational, Spiritual Care, Peer Recovery and Native Services department (VESPN) provide a comprehensive range of vocational services to the inpatient and residential population of Oregon State Hospital.

The VESPN provides a comprehensive range of vocational services to the inpatient and residential population of Oregon State Hospital. Services include evaluation of vocational needs based on vocational history, skills, interests, goals, discharge setting, supports, functional and cognitive status. Services also include patient placement in appropriate vocational settings to facilitate development of a worker role and related work skills; referral to Vocational Rehabilitation Division (VRD) services as appropriate involving collaboration with VRD counselors and administrators; and transition to vocational settings at discharge. Hospital-based vocational services include Benchwork Production/Assembly, Patient Pay, Woodshop settings and other services. The program develops staff roles to promote efficient use of resources and to maximize service delivery and supports the Hospital mission and clinical goals.

What You Will Do

As it relates to Vocational Services; Employment Specialists make decisions involving patient/resident needs, treatment interventions, treatment goals and determining the effectiveness of employed interventions.  In addition, Employment Specialists participate in decisions involving hiring of patient pay positions, the management of disciplinary issue in collaboration with the patient’s team while in those positions and determining the training needs of patient workers on caseload.  These decisions directly impact patient work skill development and the potential for patient employment upon discharge to the community.

• Engagement:  Develop therapeutic relationship with the patient while interviewing and identifying the vocational needs, desires and goals of the individual.  Career exploration tools or discussions may be used to help the patient learn about occupations that may be of interest.  
• Assessment:  Vocational assessment is ongoing. Assessment prior to job placement aims at problem solving, assessment of environments and consideration of reasonable accommodations.
• Individualized Job Placement:  Supports are provided to assist in obtaining employment at OSH and include coaching on: Work Engagement, Time Management, Ability to Take Directions, Quality of Work, Quantity of work,
• Follow Along Supports:  Within the OSH Environment, provide crisis intervention, job coaching, job counseling, support groups, treatment changes and networked supports.
• Collaboration: Provision of support to other Treatment Services areas where appropriat