Occupational Therapist (Pilot program/Rapid Discharge)

Title: Occupational Therapist (Pilot program/Rapid Discharge)

State Role Title: 49233 

Hiring Range: $86,252.00 - $119,028.00 - Salary will be commensurate with experience.

Pay Band: 5

Agency: Dept Behavioral Health/Develop

Location: Central State Hospital

Agency Website: https://dbhds.virginia.gov/facilities/csh/

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

*This position provides services campus-wide in several treatment units, therefore there will be some oversight from the individual Rehab Department unit supervisor in addition to overall supervision from the OT/clinical supervisor.
*This position is a part of the rapid discharge program which aids in expediting patient's discharge into the community. As a part of the rapid discharge program, this position is required to work one weekend per month.

Central State Hospital (CSH) is a 277 bed Joint Commission accredited psychiatric inpatient facility located in Petersburg, Virginia. CSH has proudly been serving citizens of the Commonwealth since 1870, when we opened our doors as the first psychiatric hospital in the country dedicated to the treatment of African Americans. A new and modern CSH is currently under construction on the same property, with a scheduled completion date of 2027.

CSH maintains the only maximum-security treatment facility in the state (111 beds). We also have 166 beds available for individuals in the community who need inpatient care, as well as individuals in the criminal justice system. We believe that treatment should be holistic and focused on the person’s individual needs, recognizing that recovery is not linear or the same for every person. Treatment modalities may include medication, evidence-based group and individual therapy, peer support, psychosocial rehabilitation, vocational training, preparation for court, and treatment for substance use.

Central State Hospital is recruiting for an Occupational Therapist to join our Pilot Program – Rapid Discharge team, an innovative initiative focused on helping adults ages 18 to 64 with serious mental illness, substance use histories, intellectual and physical disabilities, and trauma backgrounds transition successfully back into the community. The Occupational Therapist will plan, facilitate, and co-facilitate therapeutic interventions—both group and one-on-one—during the day, evenings, weekends, and holidays. These functionally based activities are designed to promote recovery, build hope, and restore clients to their highest level of independence. The therapist will also document client participation and progress according to hospital and departmental policies and collaborate as an active member of the interdisciplinary treatment team, providing critical input on each client’s response to treatment and adapting plans as needed to support timely and successful discharges.

Job duties include, but are not limited to:

Active Treatment

- Plans and implements up to 18 hours of active treatment services for adult seriously mentally ill clients that are appropriate, meet the client’s assessed needs and are in accordance with department standards and programs description. As much as possible, involve the client in the decision making and group planning process.
- Ensure that the clients’ treatment interventions are integrated with the plans established by the treatment teams and are carried over to the clients’ active treatment program.
- Ensures that attendance and punctuality support active treatment and service delivery.
- Ensures all treatment activities are covered including evening, weekends and holidays. Fully informs supervisors regarding coverage of scheduled activities. This position is required to work one weekend per month.
- Expected to drive/operate state cars, wheelchair equipped bus, and 15 passenger van to transport clients to activities and groups on campus and out into the community.
- Encourage persons served to have hope and positive expectations for their recovery

Treatment Team/Planning Process

- Participates in the multidisciplinary treatment team process which includes attending daily Morning Briefings, team meetings as scheduled, completion of the referral process and assistance with treatment planning process in the clients Electronic Health Record.
- Provides information regarding the client’s outcomes to both the team members and appropriate Rehab Department Staff.
- Facilitates the completion of temporary schedules and referrals for new an