1 WELLSPRING RESOURCES (WR) Job Description I. POSITION OVERVIEW Employee Name: Supervisor Name: Job Title: Family Services Counselor Exempt Status: Exempt Tina Kampwerth, Director of Family Services and/or Stephanie Terry, Family Service Team Lead Summary of Responsibilities: In keeping with the Mission/Vision/Values of WR, the Family Services Counselor provides group and individual counseling, community support, case management and crisis intervention services to promote personal growth in the form of emotional, cognitive, behavioral and/or psychological changes in consumers with a primary mental health diagnosis. This includes performing continuing assessment of the consumer’s needs and functioning, maintenance of appropriate documentation and development and implementation of treatment plans consistent with the consumer’s therapeutic needs. The Family Services Counselor is required to use independent discretion and judgment when providing services to consumers. As part of WR’s team-oriented philosophy, the Family Services Counselor is expected to actively participate in variety of cross-functional teams and performance improvement initiatives. Qualifications: Requires a Master’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology or other human service related field and three (3) years experience providing counseling and mental health services with children and adolescents. Valid Illinois LCSW, LMFT or LCPC license is preferred. Position also requires the ability to utilize necessary computer hardware and software including a working knowledge of personal computers, Microsoft Windows and the Microsoft Office suite. WR expects all staff to have a strong desire to provide excellent customer service; to comply with the rules and regulations of those organizations to which we are accountable; to have high ethical and professional standards of conduct; must possess the flexibility to work with consumers at various stages in their personal growth; and to have an attitude of wanting to continuously improve their own performance as well as that of WR. Competencies: The following competencies are required for this position: Action-Oriented, Dealing with Ambiguity, Approachability, Compassion, Composure, Conflict Management, Customer Focus, Ethics and Values, Functional/Technical Skills, Humor, Informing, Integrity and Trust, Listening, Organizing, Patience, Peer Relationships, Priority Setting, Problem Solving, Respects Diversity, Self-Development and Knowledge, Time Management, Work/Life Balance and Written Communications. Requires lifting up to thirty-five (35) pounds, standing, walking, driving/transporting consumers, bending, climbing stairs, quick reflexes, visual/auditory ability, manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, ability to maintain professional/courteous composure at all time, and ability to adapt to stressful situations. Able to pass a background check including clearances of any criminal or sexual offenses and no disqualifying conditions on Health Care Worker Registry check. Requires a dependable means of transportation to meet work requirements as well as adequate automobile liability insurance. Evening work hours may be required to meet consumer needs. May work some holidays and weekends and provide on-call coverage. WR may ask employee to perform other duties as required by WR’s business needs. Essential Requirements/Physical Demands: HRdirectory\JD\2012\Family Specialist.doc © 2012 WellSpring Resources 2 May work indoors, outdoors or in extreme temperatures, frequent interruptions, exposure to poverty living conditions, exposure to possible untreated health conditions, exposure to consumers with poor hygiene and exposure to high-risk consumers. Work Conditions: Accountability: The Family Services Counselor is responsible to the Director of Family Services, who is responsible to the Chief Clinical Officer, who in turn is responsible to the Chief Executive Officer, under direction of the Board of Directors. Supervises Employees: II. No ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Enhances awareness, sensitivity and effective responsiveness to mental health issues in the school setting by using a variety of collaborative and educational strategies and by following awarded grant proposals and guidelines. Collaborates and consults with local, regional and state education/ health/social service providers to advocate for children and their families and to positively influence social/mental health policy. Immediately begins the engagement process with newly assigned consumers and their families by documenting contact within 2 working days of referral. Works in collaboration with consumers and their families to complete personal resources assessments to identify consumer accomplishments, strengths and resources that could be mobilized to support the personal growth process. Assesses consumer’s self-care, emotional and educational/ vocational goals and needs; demonstrates understanding of medical necessity related to consumer assessment. Demonstrates knowledge of DSM-IV TR diagnostic criteria. Completes Comprehensive Assessments and Assessment Updates. Works in collaboration with consumers and their families to transform consumer’s self-identified personal growth goals into an individualized personal growth plan (IPGP). Demonstrates ability to develop and implement consumer IPGP’s based upon consumer and family goals, objectives, and preferred intervention strategies, and identified discharge criteria to support consumer’s personal growth. Demonstrates the ability to work with consumer and family to review and document consumer progress and adjust interventions and/or array of services to better meet personal growth goals, based on consultation with the consumer, significant others and/or additional service providers. Provides individual, family and group personal growth skills training and supportive services to encourage consumer and family growth and wellness through the development of functional, interpersonal, family, coping and community living skills. Provides personal growth-focused community services by ensuring at least sixty percent of community support services are provided in natural community settings. As indicated on the consumer’s personal growth plan, provides medication training and monitoring to support consumer personal growth. Makes referrals for psychiatric and medical services as appropriate and provides advocacy, support and arranges transportation as needed. Ensures all services indicated in the personal growth plan are provided in accordance with identified frequency and contractual expectations. Plans services collaboratively with the child or adolescent's family, the mental health system, the school, and other agencies. Services are planned to meet the individual needs of the child/adolescent, rather than to fit the child into an existing service. Services consider the child's family and community contexts, are developmentally appropriate and child-specific, and build on the strengths of the child and family to meet the mental health, social and physical needs of the child. HRdirectory\JD\2012\Family Specialist.doc © 2012 WellSpring Resources 3 Integrates community resources into the personal growth planning process and service delivery process. Links consumers and their families with community resources enrollment to assist in building a support team for family to minimize psychiatric hospitalization recidivism and promote personal growth. Demonstrates commitment to all assigned consumer families at various stages of change by using motivational interviewing and outreaching consumers who have disengaged from service. Provides assertive outreach, advocacy and follow-up to assigned consumers. For disengaged consumer families, a minimum of 2 attempted phone outreaches, 1 attempted home visit outreach and 1 letter of interest and are completed and documented in CareLogic. Throughout the personal growth process, ensures services provided are driven by consumer personal growth goals. Links all clinical documentation to identified personal growth goals and objectives as indicated on the Individual Personal Growth Plan (IPGP). Ensures documentation of Progress Contact Note (PCN) activities reflect personal growth plan objectives and demonstrate medical necessity. Utilizes PCN completion as a personal growth tool to celebrate consumer successes and identify growth areas by completing progress notes concurrently with consumers. Serves as back-up to Access and Crisis Services to provide tertiary back up to pre-hospital screening assessments. In the event of shortage of staff, after hours on-call coverage may be needed as scheduled or directed by supervisor. Presents relevant information for the purpose of assuring quality of care, gaining feedback, and planning changes in provision of personal growth-based services. Identifies and reports all Critical Incidents according to WR policy. Demonstrates an ability to manage crisis situations, including danger to self and others, to ensure the safety and stabilization of consumers and to make appropriate referrals/linkages when clinically indicated. Does not leave crisis situation until consumer is in a safe environment or crisis is resolved. Demonstrates effective caseload management by expeditiously staffing and transitioning consumer cases based on consumer needs and preferences. Completes and submits transition plans and discharge summaries. Clinical documentation indicates active consumer and family involvement in assessment and personal growth planning processes (i.e. documentation is in the words of the person served and includes consumer and guardian signature). Ensures consumers are present and engaged when CSPI, Comprehensive Assessments and IRPs/IRP Reviews are completed. Empowers consumers to complete transition plans to support personal growth process. Completes and submits all required clinical documentation within established timeframes (generally within 24 hours of service provision). To ensure a complete clinical record, completes Progress Contact Notes for all contacts, canceled/failed appointments and attempted contacts with consumers and collaterals within established timeframes. Demonstrates basic knowledge, understanding and values of cultural, racial, and gender differences, and other issues related to mental health personal growth and substance use personal growth. Recognizes the personal growth potential and needs of individuals with emotional disorders, mental illness, and/or addictive disorders or co-occurring disorders (e.g. developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, personality disorders, trauma, brain injury, etc.). Follows WR Policies, Procedures and Code of Ethics. Completes all required documentation legibly, accurately, and thoroughly using appropriate terminology and containing relevant information. Demonstrates utilization and incorporation of feedback when completing documentation. Demonstrates knowledge of and complies with the rules and regulations of the funders, regulatory agencies and accrediting bodies to which WR is accountable, as it applies to the responsibilities of the position. Reports any suspected violations of these rules and regulations as well as any actions that are believed to be unethical, illegal or that represent professional misconduct. Maintains confidentiality of consumers as well as any and all information considered sensitive to WR operations. Utilizes supervisor, clinical on-call and Ethics Review Team appropriately and when indicated/required. Follows HR Policy and Procedure for management of Paid Time Off and/or any other leave. Minimizes unscheduled absences within established WR guidelines (expectation of 2-4 total unscheduled absences per year). HRdirectory\JD\2012\Family Specialist.doc © 2012 WellSpring Resources 4 Maintains professional and ethical boundaries in relationships with staff and consumers Establishes and maintains working knowledge of the area’s community resources to support consumer personal growth. Assists in the training of new employees and in-service training pertaining to position’s specialty. Attends and actively participates in appropriate or required staff meetings, whether program, organization-wide, or ad hoc. Utilizes meetings to offer creative solutions and promote consumer personal growth. Adjusts work priorities as needed to meet unforeseen demands. Shows consideration for others, works cooperatively with any coworker or member of management; provides constructive feedback without undue criticism of others; displays appreciation of differences in approaches, personalities, and viewpoints of others. Works enthusiastically and cooperatively within a team-based framework to promote WR’s commitment to consumer personal growth. Supports the strategic goals and mission/vision/values of WR at all times when interacting with consumers, co-workers and professionals from other organizations and presents a positive and professional demeanor. Obtains knowledge and skills leading to improved performance in assigned responsibilities. Takes initiative to prevent and resolve problems and offers recommendations for improving services and transforming WR into an organization that embraces consumer personal growth. Completes job requirements with independent action and resourcefulness and seeks out additional duties during periods of downtime. Organizes time, effort, and use of resources to achieve desired outcomes. Meets monthly at a minimum for supervision with supervisor. Utilizes supervision to identify strategies/solutions to support consumer personal growth, meet consumer/customer needs, organize time, set priorities, maximize productivity/service to consumers/customers and improve quality of services and documentation. Comes to supervision prepared to address performance and development goals. Completes all mandatory trainings and annual test updates by deadlines by utilizing e-learning and classroom resources. Willingly performs other duties as required by WR’s business needs. III. ADDITIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS Displays pleasant and courteous interactions with customers, collateral contacts and colleagues (e.g. smiles and makes eye contact, helps people who looked confused or lost, introduces self and calls others by name, lets consumers and visitors go first through door, considerate of others’ feelings and concerns, etc.). Uses language and behavior that consistently reflects and enhances the dignity of all individuals and demonstrates support for consumer personal growth. Provides a timely and helpful response to any consumer/colleague requesting assistance. When requested by WR, participates in community and/or WR events to educate community members on issues of mental health, personal growth, and substance use, as well as the availability of prevention and personal growth resources. Encourages and facilitates personal growth and development toward personal growth and wellness. Empowers consumers to be self-sufficient. Works in partnership with consumers and other service providers in all aspects of personal growth planning, service delivery and support activities. HRdirectory\JD\2012\Family Specialist.doc © 2012 WellSpring Resources 5 To the Supervisor and Staff Member: Please note any changes to the responsibilities and/or competencies you believe are necessary to make this Job Description more current. Make the changes below or in the body of the evaluation so it is clear what you are requesting to be changed. Staff/Supervisor Recommendations for changes to responsibilities and/or competencies: I, the undersigned, have read the above job description. I understand the criteria in the job description will be used to evaluate my performance and that in order for me to continue my employment as a Family Services Counselor I must receive, at a minimum, a satisfactory evaluation. Staff Member Signature Date Supervisor Signature Date Chief Executive Officer Signature Date HRdirectory\JD\2012\Family Specialist.doc © 2012 WellSpring Resources