Vocational Specialist - ACT

The Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team provides mobile community based mental health treatment to promote the recovery and community integration of individuals with serious mental illnesses.

The employment specialist social worker is an integral member of a multidisciplinary team of mental health clinicians leading activities related to consumer access and participation in vocational, education, and employment activities. The team provides 80% of its treatment services in community locations. This position requires a highly organized, detailed, and assertive individual.

Essential Position Functions:

• Complete crisis intervention and relapse prevention plans.
• Identify the treatment services consumers should receive based on severity of substance use diagnosis, stage of change, immediate needs, and recommend treatment objectives for the consumer’s treatment plan.
• Assess and provide services to consumers to address housing, income support, education and vocational training, social supports, employment, and primary care needs by completing a comprehensive assessment utilizing standardized screening instruments for substance abuse, suicidality, trauma, violence, and violence risk management.
• Complete comprehensive recovery-oriented initial treatment plans and 6-month treatment plan reviews and modify the plan in light of feedback from consumers, collaterals, and the treatment team.
• Involve social supports in the consumer’s treatment with the FACT team.
• Complete progress notes within 24-hours of service delivery and ensure progress notes are available to be read in the morning rounds.
• Provide treatment services including engagement, problem-solving, wellness self-management, medication support, family support and treatment, individual mental health, relapse prevention, harm reduction and substance use counseling based on motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral responses to mental illness and substance use.
• Work effectively with community housing providers, education and vocational training providers, and self-help groups providing services to consumers.
• Complete weekly and monthly AOT reports for consumers with AOT orders (Only for Master’s Level staff).
• Act as advocate and liaison for consumers in securing emergency detox and rehabilitation care, and other community supports that promote integrated dual disorder treatment.
• Coordinate discharge in collaboration with inpatient staff when consumers have ER and inpatient admissions.
• Provide individual employment and vocational counseling to consumers interested in pursuing vocational goals and act as advocate and liaison for consumers’ activities to seek and gain access to adult education, vocational training and competitive employment.
• Provide 24-hour crisis intervention on-call services on rotating basis (Only for Master’s Level staff).
• Provide 80 percent of treatment contacts in the community

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• LMSW, LMHC or LCSW with current New York State license with rehabilitation counseling experience. MSW, MHC or other related Master’s Degree candidates will also be screened.
• Candidates with Bachelor’s Degrees can also apply, with at least 3 years of experience working with individuals with severe mental illness is required.
• Experience: At least one year of experience working in human services with individuals with serious mental illness, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and involvement in the criminal justice system. 
• TRAVEL: This is a field-based position and requires 80% of services to be provided in the community.
• Highly organized and self-motivated.
• Fluency in Spanish preferred.

The Bridge Inc. is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer