Mental Health Counselor I

Position Summary:This is a part time position with a varied work schedule. Under supervision of the Director of Nursing, the Mental Health Counselor 1 provides support and assistance to clients through individual support and services delivered in a Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (MHRC).

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Developand maintain a respectful, caring, tolerant, ethical, and empowering relationship with all individuals served.
• Establish and maintain clear and effective communications with clients, ensure that their needs are met, assist them in the development and implementation of their treatment plans, and prepare them for the next level of care or other discharge options.
• Participate in client intake and discharge processes.
• Obtain initial client inventory list and maintain client inventory list throughout clients duration in the program.
• Document clients' progress in program charts daily.
• Assistprogram management in ensuring compliance with all agency policies and procedures, contractual agreements, licensing and certification requirements, and local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
• Provide accurate, timely, and complete transfer of program and client information to other staff as they begin their shift.
• Providecrisis intervention and including physically restrain clients, as necessary.
• Provide one-to-one services to clients, as necessary.
• Remain alert, perform job functions, and complete daily task lists.
• Orient new clients to the program, or, when possible, enable other clients to orient new clients. In conjunction with all other program staff members, actively participate in the effort to ensure that the facility environment is homelike, clean, safe, attractive, and comfortable at all times.
• Notify programmanagementof all needs for repair or maintenance of the facility or program vehicles, involving clients when appropriate.
• Assistprogram management to create and maintain a safe and professional working environment free of hostility, harassment, and discrimination.
• Ensure safety of the facility perimeter and client safety at all times, reporting any unusual occurrence involving a client to licensed nursing staff or management immediately.

• Facilitate and lead activities, as assigned.
• Participate in staff meetings and attend other meetings, as assigned.
• Attend and participate in regularly scheduled supervision sessions.
• Attend training events and complete online training modules as assigned, completing a minimum of fifty-two (52) hours of in-service training annually.
• Motivate clients to complete their activities of daily living, attend groups and social activities, and take their medications as prescribed.
• Assist nursing staff with gathering clients for medication passes.
• Assist with scheduling client appointments.
• Assist clients with dressing, grooming, bathing and or other personal hygiene related activities.
• Assist clients with getting and eating meals.
• Assist clients with room maintenance, laundry, meal planning and preparation, shopping, and cooking.
• Support licensed nursing staff with taking and recording clients’ height, weight and vital signs, as assigned.
• Monitor and report on clients’ whereabouts and status when in their room or elsewhere in the facility.
• Participate in promoting a safe, healthy, and clean working environment at all times consistent with applicable laws, industry standards and the agency’s own Health & Safety Program.
• Answer the main facility phone and log phone calls.
• Obtain visitor information and monitor visitors while onsite.
• Assist with maintaining facility cleanliness such as but not limited to cleaning bathrooms, taking out garbage, and cleaning the kitchen.
• Maintain food safety protocols.
• Complete and submit accurate time sheets and absence reports to program management in a timely manner.
• Promote within the agency and with the public the philosophy and practice of social rehabilitation.
• Drive agency vehicle to transport clients and on various errands, as required, such as but not limited to client outings and clinic visits; documenting and reporting mileage according to agency procedures, so that services can be provided in a timely manner; comply with agency vehicle policy at all times;
• Actively nurture and advance the cooperative, harmonious, and teamwork-oriented environment Caminar strives to promote within the workplace; Through daily efforts and presentation promote an atmosphere of dignity and respect in line with the organization’s mission, philosophy, policies and procedures.
• Perform other related duties, responsibilities and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

• Developandmaintainarespectful,caring,tolerant,ethical, andempowering relationship with allindividualsserved.
• Establishandmaintainclear andeffectivecommunicationswithclients,ensurethat theirneedsaremet,assistthem inthedevelopmentand implementation oftheirtreatmentplans, andprepare them forthenextlevel ofcare orotherdischargeoptions.
• Participate in client intake and discharge processes.
• Obtain initial client inventory list and maintain client inventory list throughout clients duration in the program.
• Documentclients'progress inprogramcharts daily.
• Assistprogram management in ensuring compliance with allagencypolicies andprocedures,contractual agreements, licensingand certificationrequirements,and local,state, andfederal lawsand regulations.
• Provideaccurate,timely,and completetransfer ofprogram andclientinformation to otherstaffas theybegin theirshift.
• Providecrisisintervention and including physically restrain clients,asnecessary.
• Provide one-to-one services to clients, as necessary.
• Remain alert,performjobfunctions, and complete daily task lists.
• Orientnewclientstotheprogram,or,whenpossible,enableotherclients to orientnewclients.

In conjunctionwith allotherprogramstaffmembers,activelyparticipate in theeffort to ensure that thefacilityenvironmentishomelike,clean,safe,attractive, andcomfortableatalltimes.

• Notify programmanagement ofallneedsforrepair ormaintenance ofthefacility orprogramvehicles,involving clientswhenappropriate.

• Assistprogram management to create andmaintain asafe andprofessionalworking environmentfreeofhostility,harassment,and discrimination.
• Ensure safety of the facility perimeter and client safety at all times, reporting any unusual occurrence involving a client to licensed nursing staff or management immediately.
• Facilitateandlead activities,asassigned.
• Participate in staffmeetings andattendothermeetings, asassigned.
• Attend andparticipate inregularlyscheduled supervisionsessions.
• Attendtraining events and complete online training modulesasassigned, completingaminimum offifty-two(52)hours ofin-servicetrainingannually.
• Motivate clients to complete their activities of daily living, attend groups and social activities, and take their medications as prescribed.
• Assist nursing staff with gathering clients for medication passes.
• Assist with scheduling client appointments.
• Assistclientswith dressing, grooming, bathing and or other personal hygiene related activities.
• Assist clients with getting and eating meals.
• Assist clients withroom maintenance,laundry, mealplanningandpreparation,shopping, andcooking.
• Support licensed nursing staff with taking and recording clients’ height, weight and vital signs, as assigned.
• Monitor and report on clients’ whereabouts and status when in their room or elsewhere in the facility.
• Participate in promotingasafe,healthy,andcleanworking environmentat alltimesconsistentwithapplicable laws,industrystandards and theagency’sown Health &Safety Program.
• Answer the main facility phone and log phone calls.
• Obtain visitor information and monitor visitors while onsite.
• Assist with maintaining facility cleanliness such as but not limited to cleaning bathrooms, taking out garbage, and cleaning the kitchen.
• Maintain food safety protocols.
• Complete and submitaccuratetimesheetsand absencereports to program management in atimelymanner.
• Promotewithin theagency and withthepublic thephilosophy andpractice ofsocialrehabilitation.
• Driveagencyvehicletotransportclients and onvariouserrands, asrequired, such as but not limited to client outings and clinic visits;documentingand reportingmileageaccordingtoagencyprocedures,sothatservices can beprovided in atimelymanner;complywithagencyvehiclepolicy at alltimes;
• Activelynurture andadvance thecooperative,harmonious, andteamwork-orientedenvironmentCaminarstrivestopromotewithin theworkplace; Through dailyefforts andpresentation promote an atmosphere ofdignityandrespect inline withtheorganization’smission,philosophy,policiesand procedures.
• Performotherrelatedduties,responsibilities andspecial projects asassigned.

Qualifications & Skills

• Must be passionate about Caminar's mission.
• High School Diploma or GED is preferred. If there is no high school diploma or GED, a minimum of one year experience or training related to mental health programs.  Such experience shall be in the direct provision of services to a program’s identified clients or residents.
• Excellent computer skills in a MicrosoftWindowsenvironment including email and Internetnavigation required.
• Abilityto maintainahigh level ofconfidentiality, aprofessionaldemeanor andto always represent the organization in a positive manner.
• Mustdemonstrateacceptablelevel ofmaturity,goodjudgment,andemotionalstability.

• Problem solving—identifies andresolvesproblems in atimelymanner andgathers andanalyzesinformationskillfully.
• CustomerService—managesdifficultcustomersituations,respondspromptlytocustomerneeds,and solicitscustomerfeedbacktoimproveservice.
• Oraland writtencommunication—speaksclearlyand persuasively inpositiveornegativesituations,demonstratesgroup presentation skills, andconductsmeetings.Completeswritten progressnotesandotherformalcommunicationsskillfully andprofessionally.
• Quality management—looksforways toimproveandpromotequality and demonstratesaccuracyand thoroughness.
• Planning/organizing—prioritizesand plansworkactivities,usestimeefficientlyand developsrealisticaction plans.
• Adaptability—adaptsto changes in theworkenvironment,managescompetingdemands, and candeal withfrequentchange,delaysor unexpectedevents.
• Dependability—isconsistently atwork and on time,followsinstructions,responds to managementdirection,and solicitsfeedbacktoimproveperformance.

• Safetyandsecurity—activelypromotesandpersonallyobservessafetyandsecurity procedures andusesequipmentandmaterialsproperly.
• Mustbe adynamicself-starter withdemonstratedabilityto workindependently on specialprojects.

Position Requirements: 

• Physical:Occasionally required to push/pull objects up to 50 lbs., and to lift/carry objects up to 25 lbs. Frequently required to perform moderately difficult manipulative tasks such as typing, writing, etc. Must be able to walk, stand, and sit for extended periods.
• Sensory: Frequently required to read documents, written reports, and plans. Must be able to distinguish normal sounds with some background noise, as in answering the phone, interacting with residents and staff, etc. Must be able to speak clearly and understand/be understood using the English language.
• Cognitive:Frequently required to concentrate on moderate detail with constant interruption. Must be able to attend a task/function for 20-45 minutes at a time. Frequently required to understand and relate to specific ideas, several at a time. Must be able to remember multiple tasks/assignments given to self and others over a period of several days.
• Environmental Conditions:Frequent exposure to varied office and mixed (residential/office) environments. Occasional exposure to toxins and poisonous substances, dust, and loud noises.
• Equipment:Frequently required to use a computer, phone, and fax machine.

Essential Requirements:

• Must be able to meet and receive criminal records clearance, as required by Title XXII, other licensing regulations, and Caminar practices.
• This position may require limited, occasional, or frequent driving.  If required, a valid California driver's license, a reliable personal vehicle, and current personal auto insurance is required by law.  In addition, an MVR sufficient to obtain and maintain insurability under agency auto liability policies are all essential job requirements.
• Must be able to pass post offer, pre-employment medical and drug tests as required under State Community Care Licensing regulations and/or agency policies.
• If applicable, a personal cell phone with reliable service and a data plan to use for business purposes.
• May be required to obtain and maintain First Aid and CPR certification.