Description

Location: Downtown Behavioral Health Clinic

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

Shift: Office Day

Insurance Benefits: Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage), Dental, Life, Long-term Disability

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

Supervised By: SAGE Clinical Supervisor

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs, 19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

About SAGE:

Support, Advocacy, Growth and Employment (SAGE) is DESC's comprehensive outpatient mental health program. SAGE intake specialists, case managers, psychiatrists and nurses assist adults with severe and persistent mental illness in their journey towards recovery. Long-term case management services are provided including help with obtaining and maintaining housing, improving clinical and social stability, and enriching their level of independence and self-sufficiency.

SAGE services are licensed under the Washington State Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery and are provided under contract with King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse & Dependency Services Division. Services are provided within a Recovery model.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Case Management:

• Participate as a member of a multi-disciplinary and multi-departmental team providing on-going case management services to adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses.
• Collaborate with DESC’s Scattered Sites Supportive Housing team in the development of client care and housing retention plans.
• Provide outreach and engagement services to assigned clients, to initially engage clients and maintain working relationships.
• Conduct psychosocial assessments; develop goal planners with consumer participation; facilitate linkages to collaborative resources when appropriate.
• Assume primary responsibility for coordinating all aspects of consumers' support and goal planners. This includes: providing and/or coordinating the delivery of psychiatric treatment; substance abuse treatment; 24-hour support services; and performing acute case management to facilitate consumer access to food, clothing, housing, medical care, financial assistance and vocational training or employment.
• Advocate for consumers' access to community resources and services, ensuring that consumers' needs are met and rights maintained; consult and collaborate with community providers to ensure continuity of care.
• Travel locally to outreach consumers; make home visits and assist with home inspections, annual recertifications, address and report any maintenance related concerns and housing retention barriers.
• Provide crisis intervention and risk assessment; tolerate unusual or unpleasant behavior.
• Provide counseling, as qualified.
• Fulfill role of protective payee for some consumers on behalf of the agency, creating monthly budgets with consumers, distributing funds, and assisting with purchases.
• Establish and maintain professional relationships with landlords and property managers, assisting in building rule enforcement and lease compliance as necessary.
• Document services provided and adhere to strict administrative deadlines.

Living Conditions:

Support your clients with achieving and maintaining healthy living conditions. This can include but is not limited to attending care conferences related to living conditions, outreaching and supporting clients in their residential units with tools and skills to maintain their units, coordinating with housing staff, participating in cleaning out clients’ units, and documenting barriers to maintaining healthy living conditions.

Other duties & responsibilities:

• Participate in psychiatric consultation, supervision, program meetings and in-service trainings; participate in clinical reviews and case conferences for consumers on caseload.
• Attend external and internal trainings related to landlord/tenant laws, housing vouchers and/or other relevant topics.
• Comply with the agency's clinical accountability policies and procedures; maintain current and complete clinical and administrative records; participate in quality assurance reviews when assigned.
• Comply with applicable program research and evaluation procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Relevant bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or related behavioral science, OR 
• A combination of 1 year of relevant paid work experience and demonstration of the ability to perform required job duties.
• Ability to drive an agency or personal vehicle to conduct agency related business. A current Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record are required.
• Ability to meet Washington Department of Health requirements for registration as a Registered Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) or any other superseding credential
• Interest in working with clients who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health/substance use disorder programs.
• Knowledge of Recovery focused, strengths-based work in mental health.
• Knowledge of Harm Reduction strategies.
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behaviors.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds.
• Subscribe to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for consumers.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Eligible for a Licensed AAC credential or any other superseding credential that meets RCW 71.05.020 requirements to act as a Mental Health Professional whose scope of practice includes independently conducting mental health assessments and making mental health diagnoses.
• Master's degree in social work, psychology or other relevant behavioral science or Bachelor of Nursing degree with specialty in mental health.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English.
• Bicultural background/experience and/or Qualified Minority Mental Health Specialist designation.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.