About Job

MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR – CREATIVE HEALING ARTS(Other Qualified Professional/Other Mental Health Worker)

JOB SUMMARY/ROLE:

The Mental Health Counselor provides counseling, support, and other mental health interventions within scope of practice as part of a multi-disciplinary team to clients with mental health and/or substance use issues. Counseling, support, and interventions include but are not limited to individualized and ongoing trauma-informed interventions including engagement, attunement, guidance, coaching, support, identification of personal, social, and community resources and supports, offering encouragement in times of crisis and other points of decision making and executive functioning, and providing appropriate forms of advocacy to support healthy decisions and life skills.

As a member of the specialty mental health services team assigned to the Creative Healing Arts Program, the Mental Health Counselor will be responsible for contributing to the artistic and creative therapeutic and competency building services provided to the youth in the program while also providing appropriate structure and intervention to the youth. The Creative Healing Arts Program Mental Health Counselor will provide trauma-informed, culturally sensitive therapeutic intervention within scope of practice to youth and families in collaboration with the Child and Family Team (CFT) in the various programs at RSA. The Mental Health Counselor will learn and utilize RSA’s Trauma Informed Care model of Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC) and the Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM) in the treatment of the youth.

The Mental Health Counselor is supervised by a Clinical Supervisor in collaboration with the Creative Healing Arts Program Director. The Mental Health Counselor works collaboratively with the Creative Healing Arts team to establish and maintain appropriate rapport with youth, teams, and agency personnel in order to promote use of creative writing and music (vocals, mixing, etc) to assist with engagement, attunement, skill building, and helping youthfind a voice that can be effectively heard and understood. The Creative Healing Arts Mental Health Counselor demonstrates the ability to engage in formal and informal support on behalf of youth and teams in implementation of treatment goals and engages with the youths’ assigned treatment team members as it relates to participation, engagement, content, and direction of creative arts produced projects. Participation in Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings occurs as indicated. Teaming and direct services to youth are integral components of the role. The staff involved generally have creative inclinations and capacity for trauma informed intervention.

The Mental Health Counselor provides Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) services to the youth, family, and team members as indicated and completes all accompanying clinical documentation in a timely manner in accordance with LACDMH Medi-Cal billing guidelines in the youth’s electronic health record.

SUPERVISED BY:Clinical Supervisor in collaboration with the Creative Healing Arts Program Director.

SCHEDULE: Full Time (40 hours per week), evening availability required, weekend availability may be required based on program needs. Specific days and hours to be determined with the Program Director.

JOB DUTIES:

1. In collaboration with the Child and Family Team, the Mental Health Counselor provides counseling, support, and other mental health interventions within scope of practice as part of a multi-disciplinary team to clients with mental health and/or substance use issues. Counseling, support, and interventions include but are not limited to individualized and ongoing trauma-informed interventions including engagement, attunement, guidance, coaching, support, identification of personal, social, and community resources and supports, offering encouragement in times of crisis and other points of decision making and executive functioning, and providing appropriate forms of advocacy to support healthy decisions and life skills.

2. Learns and utilizes ARC trauma informed care model to provide treatment in all areas, including milieu treatment and mental health services.

3. Serves to role model and incorporate use of ARC, Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM), use of the Child and Family Team (CFT) interventions and principles agency wide, including in team meetings, agency meetings, and all interactions with youth, family, and co-workers.

4. Serve as a cooperative and collaborative team member to other program staff, Direct Care Staff, and other team members to provide trauma informed interventions to the youth.

5. Provides approved mental health interventions to youth and families under the direction of Clinical Supervisor, Program Director, Mental Health Director, Contracts and Compliance Department, and other qualified agency personnel.

6. Completes all client documentation according to agency and regulatory standards within scope of practice in the Electronic Health Record (EHR.)

7. Acts as a liaison with other community agencies and resources as needed.

8. Operates effectively within a trauma-informed model.

9. Assures the quality of care through effective use of Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings, case review, teaming, and consultation.

10. Proficient use of computer programs and databases.

11. Adheres to the Los Angeles County vision, practice principals, and steps of the Child and Family Team (CFT) process.

12. Provides strength-based interventions to the client and family in a timely and professional manner.

13. Attends, participates in, and facilitates regularly scheduled Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings.

14. Meets face-to-face with clients to provide mental health services within scope of practice that are individualized and consistent with the Department of Mental Health and the Rancho San Antonio’s standards and guidelines. Such services are inclusive of anger management, coping skills, social skills, communication skills, and daily living skills.

15. Adheres to Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LAC-DMH) and Rancho San Antonio’s Mental Health Policies and Procedures for the billing and documentation practices related to any and all services and maintains service goal/productivity expectations.

16. Demonstrates professional and effective communication abilities, including the completion of written reports, letters and plans, initiating verbal communications with clients, families, the CFT and inter and intra-agency personnel, and exhibits an ongoing ability to engage formal and informal supports on behalf of clients and families.

17. Able to establish and maintain appropriate rapport with children, adolescents, families, inter and intra-agency personnel, and regulatory bodies.

18. Demonstrates an ability to work professionally and independently with limited supervision, as well as an ability to exercise professional discretion and independent judgment based on training, education, experience and personal creativity.

19. Provides services to clients and families in a manner that is culturally competent and adhere to the philosophy, mission and vision of the Rancho San Antonio. Understands and upholds best practices and trauma-informed services in an effort to meet the needs of abused, neglected and struggling children/families, and inspire the qualities necessary for children and families to succeed.

20. Understands and utilizes knowledge of the needs of traumatized children and the qualities necessary for children and families to succeed.

21. Attend team meetings as assigned to regularly to discuss structure/opportunities/expectations of the Creative Healing Arts Program and to review youth engagement and implementation of program to meet treatment goals.

22. As part of the Creative Healing Arts Program, collaborate with RSA Contracts and Compliance Department to obtain consents and authorizations to participate in the recording and sharing of music.

23. Work with the Creative Healing Arts Program team and supervisor to oversee creative content and creative direction per youth.

24. Responsible for maintaining current knowledge of client services, best practices, coordination of care, risk assessment and planning, and intervention strategies via continued education, workshops, seminars and/or specialized trainings so as to remain current and proficient in factors/interventions relevant to the client and family population.

25. Maintains client confidentiality in accordance to agency Policy and Procedures, respective county guidelines and any applicable state regulations. Also adheres to any and all county/state Mandated Reporting obligations.

26. Attends and participates in regularly scheduled individual supervision and Mental Health and agency-wide staff meetings/trainings.

27. Performs any other relevant/allied duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Must meet state of California Medi-Cal requirements as an “Other Mental Health Worker” (AKA “Other Qualified Professional”), including:

Be at least 18 years of age.
Possess a high school diploma or equivalent degree.

2. Preferred to be a Certified Peer Support Specialist meeting the following:

Be at least 18 years of age.
Possess a high school diploma or equivalent degree.
Be self-identified as having experience with the process of recovery from a mental illness or substance use disorder, either as a consumer of these services or as the parent, caregiver or family member of a consumer.
Be willing to share their experience.
Have a strong dedication to recovery.
Agree, in writing, to adhere to the Code of Ethics.
Successfully complete the training requirements for a Mental Health Counselor.
Pass the certification examination.

3. Must possess a valid California driver's license, personal automobile insurance and driving record that meets the standards outlined in the Agency’s Personnel Policy: Motor Vehicle Operating Standards.

4. Must be physically and mentally fit to work with potentially violent clients in accordance with the Agency’s Physical Fitness Standards and Examinations Personnel Policy; must be willing to complete a health screening physical examination that includes drug and back screens; must have the unrestricted capacity to employ physical restraint techniques in a professionally safe manner.

5. Must fulfill all requirements of employment, including clearance of all required background records (e.g., Department of Justice, Child Abuse, California Community Care Licensing, County Sanction List, etc.), professional reference checks, physical examination with TB test, vaccinations (or authorized exemptions), and drug screening.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

Staff shall be at least 21 years of age. All agency employees, regardless of position, serve as role models for clients, staff, and members of the community. Therefore, each employee must at all times be emotionally stable and able to function effectively with children, adolescents and adults who may have mental or behavioral health problems. They must be able to demonstrate, appropriate expression of emotions, as well as appropriate role modeling. Hostility, aggression and unnecessary or inappropriate physical actions as well as inappropriate emotional expressions are not acceptable.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

While performing this job, the incumbent must be able to lift heavy objects (up to 40 pounds) and be able to interrupt physical altercations. Will also require bending, stooping, filing, frequent sitting, twisting, typing, talking, hearing and repetitive motions. Occasional traveling, driving, walking, standing, grasping, pulling, pushing and reaching. The work environment characteristics, and physical requirements described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing work in this position. Upon request, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and physical requirements, unless doing so would create undue hardship for the company.

This may not be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements efforts or working conditions associated with the position. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, management reserves the right to revise the job description to require that other different tasks be performed when circumstances change (e.g., emergencies, changes in workload, business needs, facility, or technical advances).

On occasion staff in this position may be required to work scheduled or unscheduled overtime. All overtime hours must be approved in advanced.

Rancho is designated as an Essential Workplace, as such staff are required to complete all job duties as indicated above during emergency events, Pandemic/Epidemic Outbreaks and/or Disasters.

MENTAL DEMANDS:

The incumbent in this position must be able to accommodate to any or all of the following: distractions, interruptions, uncontrollable changes in priorities and work schedules, and providing leadership and decision-making in stressful or emotionally-charged situations.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND NON DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES:

Employees are expected to keep all sensitive medical and mental health information confidential in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Rancho San Antonio (RSA) is an equal opportunity agency committed to practices and treatment that are free of discrimination and harassment on the basis of actual or perceived race, ethnic group identification, ancestry, national origin/tribal identity, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity and gender expression, mental or physical disability, medical condition or HIV status. As a RSA staff member, the expectation is to be welcoming and affirming to all youth.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $26.00 - $28.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits: