Rehabilitation Specialist

Description

The Rehabilitation Specialist ensures child/youth voice is heard during the Child & Family Team (CFT) meeting; ensures the needs of the child/youth are addressed in the development of Family Plans and service delivery; and helps child/youth accomplish goals consistent with Integrated Core Practice Model.

· Provides services to children, youth and families in their home, school, or other field location.

· Acquires, maintains, and demonstrates knowledge of Continuum of Care, Integrated Core Practice Model, and trauma informed care.

· Supports individual and family member decision-making in developing, implementing and coordinating an Intensive Mental Health Family Plan.

· Individualizes and ensures care to client families, primarily in their home, but also in other community-based and office settings.

· Conducts client outreach and engagement as appropriate

·  Maintains an emotionally safe and supportive environment for families to express their concerns and frustrations.

· Actively participate in problem-solving and conflict resolution within the team and ensure that differences do not negatively impact clients and families.

· Connects individuals and families to community resources and supports individual and family decision-making in selecting resources.

· Encourage and support identification and inclusion of additional natural supports that emerge during Mental Health process.

· Advocates on behalf of the individual and family and encourages self-advocacy.

· Responds to crisis situations of families and coordinates with other team members to timely and effectively respond to such situations.

· Provides transportation of client and family and actively participates in appointments, court hearings, CFT, internal team meetings, and other meetings as needed and assigned.

· Prepares and submits timely progress notes, incident reports, and other documentation in appropriate formats and within time frames set by contractual or other requirements.

Requirements

BA/BS in DMH approved degree such as Psychology, Sociology, Human Services, Criminal Justice or

closely related field and a minimum of 1 years’ experience working directly with the target population OR an AA and 3 years’ experience working with the target population.

· Must be able to work primarily in the field, which requires a valid California driver’s license, proof of vehicle insurance, and maintain consistent availability of a working vehicle.

· To meet the needs of monolingual clients, bilingual proficiency in a threshold language is preferred and compensated with a bi-lingual stipend.

· Basic math skills to assist families with budgeting.

· Moderate English language proficiency to effectively participate in meetings, document activities, and develop Family Plans.

· Moderate computer skills to effectively document and to learn and use Exym or other electronic record systems.

· High degree of emotional skills to read social/emotional cues, body language, and surroundings, to manage environment, and to be sensitive to clients and community.

· High level of reasoning ability to identify and respond to variables and to quickly solve practical problems.

Core Competencies: Examples listed in each category are NOT an all-inclusive list of specific tasks, which may vary by shift, program, and assignment.

1. Analytical/Assessment Skills. 

Analytical/Assessment Skills focus on identifying and understanding data, turning data into information for action, assessing needs and assets to address needs, developing assessments, and using evidence for decision making.

· Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issues; determining its significance; collecting data; using tools to disclose meaningful patterns; using logic and intuition to arrive at decisions.

· Identifies a set of features, parameters or considerations to take into account in analyzing a situation or making decisions.

· Makes a systematic comparison of two or more alternatives and carefully weighs the priority of things to be done.

2. Program Planning Skills. 

Program Planning Skills focus on determining needed policies and programs; advocating for policies and programs; planning, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs; developing and implementing strategies for continuous quality improvement; and developing and implementing continual improvement plans.

· With team, develops a work plan with tasks, timeframes, milestones, resources and dependencies. 

· Ensures quality standards are met, stressing accountability and continuous improvement. 

· Acts to align program’s goals with the strategic direction of the organization. 

· Assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.

· Keeps supervisor informed of progress, issues and potential problems.

3. Communication Skills. 

Communication Skills focus on assessing and addressing client’s needs; soliciting and using input from team members and outside agencies; communicating data and information; facilitating communications; and communicating the roles of your staff as members of a team, aligned with the agency’s mission.

· Organizes written and verbal ideas clearly and, within the organizational guidelines, tailors communications to effectively reach the intended audience.

· Demonstrates a willingness to share ideas and perspectives and encourages others to do the same.

· Listens effectively and summarizes understanding of what questions or comments to verify understanding and prevent miscommunication.

4. Systems Thinking Skills. 

Systems Thinking Skills focus on incorporating ethical standards into the organization; creating opportunities for collaboration internally within agency, among public health, and other organizations; mentoring personnel; adjusting practice to address changing needs and environment; ensuring continuous quality improvement; and managing organizational change.

· Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.

· Facilitates team through the problem-solving, crisis intervention and creative-thinking processes leading to the development and implementation of new approaches, systems, structures, and methods.

· Collaborates with community partners to improve client outcomes by connecting people to resources.

5. Cultural Competency Skills. 

Cultural Competency Skills focus on understanding and responding to diverse needs, assessing organizational cultural diversity and competence, assessing effects of policies and programs on different populations, and taking action to support a diverse workforce.

· Demonstrates sensitivity to and respect for ages, social role, culture, race, gender, gender identity and expression, language, spirituality, sexual orientation, ethnicity, social class, economic status, immigration status, veteran status and disability.

· Promotes the importance of and emphasizes sensitivity to cultural competency throughout the agency service system.

· Demonstrates the importance of gathering information and showing sensitivity to the person receiving behavioral health services and the family, and their self-identified view of their culture and social world, utilizing strength-based solution-focused interventions.

6. Time Management and Organization. 

Time Management and Organizational skills encompass the ability to take responsibility for one’s performance by spending time appropriately distributed to ensure that both internal and external client needs are met. Organizes and prioritizes assignments to ensure that newly emerging, urgent issues are resolved, while not losing sight of longer-term goals. 

· Understands what is required and establishes/implements an effective course of action (e.g., establishes appropriate deadlines and meets them).

· Reprioritizes work efforts based on changing situations and emerging issues (e.g., in response to organizational, systems, and/or market changes).

· Establishes and maintains systems, case files and documentation and submits in a timely manner.

· Shifts attention quickly to respond to the unexpected while, simultaneously, makes progress on planned activities.

Direct Care Job-Specific Program Competencies:

1. Provide client – centered care.

· Establish rapport with clients.

· Understand each client’s uniqueness, strengths and challenges, and demonstrate that understanding through positive, caring interactions.

· Respect the rights of each client and share decision making, as appropriate to their age, understanding, and circumstances.

· Track and manage high-risk/medically fragile clients.

2. Participate as an integral member of the interdisciplinary treatment team.

· Observe and communicate information about clients.

· Actively participate in team meetings, case reviews, and other opportunities to collaborate in the care of our clients.

· Participate in safety planning for clients and the environment of care.

· Help non-medical team members understand client health issues within the context of confidentiality.

· Understand and manage, within scope of practice, client’s medical care plan, as well his/her overall Family Plan.

3. Welcome, engage, and encourage the participation of family members, other caregivers and natural supports to youth in our care.

· Maintain positive relationships with client’s caregivers, family, natural supports, and case workers/probation officers/federal field specialists.

· Encourage youth in exploring and understanding his/her own personal history.

· Maintain effective, professional relationships with county social workers/probation officers, attorneys, court staff, and other allied professionals.

4.  Demonstrate understanding of mental and medical conditions, behaviors, and effective treatment/intervention practices for our populations.

· Acknowledge that many clients have a mental health diagnosis and/or behavioral history requiring intensive treatment and supervision while in our care.

· Demonstrate compassion and understanding of complex trauma and the ‘acting out’ of clients as cries for help, not punishment.

· Acknowledge that clients may not have had access to regular healthcare and that being in care is an opportunity to improve their overall health.

5. Maintain impeccable boundaries.

· Understand and self-regulate your own triggers.

· Adhere to all training and policies regarding client interactions to ensure safety or both client and staff.

· Maintain confidentiality of client information at all times.

6.  Educate and empower clients regarding their healthcare.

· Provide age and developmentally-appropriate healthcare education.

· Carefully explain tests, procedures, and nursing interventions to empower clients.

· Be available to answer questions or discuss concerns.

· Facilitate or co-facilitate individual and/or group meetings related to healthcare as assigned.

· Provide referrals or references as needed prior to or at time of discharge.

7.  Adhere to all policies, procedures, and intervention techniques authorized by the agency.

· Read all bulletins, attend staff meetings, and otherwise stay informed of policies, procedures, and updates.

· Stay familiar with Integrated Core Practice Model and be consistent in its application.

· Ensure client rights.

8. Role model consistency, reliability, and positive attitude.

· Understand the influence your own attitude and demeanor have on our clients.

· Maintain regular attendance, since client-staff relationships are an important part of the work we do.

· Be fair, firm and consistent in all interactions to avoid perception of favoritism.

9. Adapt to and embrace change.

· Understand that the child welfare, juvenile justice, and mental health fields constantly adapt practice to reflect current research and best practices.

· Realize that you play a critical role in helping our clients stabilize and recover and that new techniques are worth trying in order to help speed recovery.

· Actively participate in assessment and other tools intended to help fine-tune our programs and services to best meet the needs of our clients.

10. Actively participate in quality assurance activities.

· Participate in team meetings.

· Participate in staff surveys as part of our ongoing Continuous Quality Improvement Program.

· Ability to drive a motor vehicle without restrictions, often in heavy traffic and frequently long distances (one hour or more) to ensure safe transport to client settings and to safely transport clients to appointments as needed.

· Senses of vision, hearing and smell sufficient to regularly operate a motor vehicle, to visualize threats in the environment or risks to clients, and to operate safely in the field.

· Required to occasionally lift and carry 10-20 pounds

· Regularly required to sit, stand, climb stairs (1 or more flights) and walk while in route to and during family visits.

· Regularly required to sit and use computer in office settings

All staff in the Outpatient Mental Health program must regularly provide services in client homes, as well as in schools, alternative meeting sites, and in offices.

In-Home settings: houses or apartments, often upper story with no elevator; may not have heating/air conditioning, cramped quarters with limited privacy; community and home risk factors may be present.

Community settings, both local (such as school and recreation) and community-based to facilitate transports, court, and family visits. Low to moderate noise level.