Qualified Mental Health Professional
Job Title: Qualified Mental Health Professional- Community Service
Job Objective: To provide the necessary mental health treatment and social supports through individualized counseling and life skills training to adults 18 or older who, due to mental illness, would otherwise have trouble maintaining community stability and independence. Some major areas of focus include daily living skills training, accessing community resources, health and safety, financial management and social supports. Mental Health Support Services are individualized, client personal centered and facilitated in the clients home and their community.
Immediate Supervisor: Clinical Director
Primary Responsibilities: Clinical Services are primarily to be provided via face-to-face involvement with the consumer in a community setting or in the home. The Qualified Mental Health Professional is responsible for conducting direct services to the clients based on their ISP and under the supervision of the Clinical Director. The QMHP will provide services according to the service description and the mission of the agency. The Counselor is required to assist in the development and implementation of the person-center individual service plan. The activities associated with the primary responsibility of this Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) are:
- Ongoing assessment of treatment needs.
- Assist in the development and ongoing monitoring and implementation of Individual Service Plan.
- Work with clients to foster the development of new improved coping, problem solving, and communication skills.
- Case management functions of linking, arranging for services and referrals.
- Maintain continuous contact with the identified consumer and other key stakeholders (with signed authorization to release information) in planning and service delivery. These stakeholders might include but are not limited to social workers, psychiatrists, court officials and police, teachers (if applicable) and other human service professionals.
- Educate client and if applicable caregivers/family members regarding existing community services, and act as an advocate in connecting client/families to these services.
- Respond to family crisis on a 24 hours, seven day a week basis.
- Maintain up-to-date client records, and prepare required/necessary reports in a timely and accurate manner.
- Attend court and appointments as necessary.
- Establish a good working relationship with other public and private agencies/services and interface collaboratively with them.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: The QMHP is required to provide service coordination activities for the ISP development and implementation as follows:
- Ability to provide and/or deliver various skill building activities.
- Ability and skills for enhancing caregiver roles.
- Ability to assist consumers in developing daily and community living skills.
- Ability to assist consumers in development of leisure time interests/ activities.
- Knowledge skills and ability for symptom monitoring and management.
- Ability to assist consumers in developing behavior and anger management skills.
- Ability and skills to maintain required confidentiality regarding client case materials in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
- Knowledge skills and abilities to provide closure and aftercare planning for each family/client.
- Ability and skills to work with individuals who have serious emotional disturbances and who may be hostile, oppositional and volatile, while at all times maintain composures and behave in a dignified manner.
- Knowledge about abnormal behavior.
- Knowledge and a firm understanding of family developmental issues.
- Skills and abilities necessary to develop/write the required direct or collateral/stakeholder contacts in progress note format.
- Knowledge of effective parenting skills
Supervision: LMHP or a license-eligible mental health professional will provide clinical supervision weekly, with individual face to face supervision occurring at least every other week. Group supervision may occur on the other weeks.
Academic/Work Experience: To qualify as a QMHP (Qualified Mental Health Professional) to provide services, the individual must have the designated clinical experience and has demonstrated and documented competency in the work to be performed and:
(A) Has a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum number of hours that is equivalent to a major (as determined by the LMHA or MCO in accordance with §412.316(d) of this title (relating to Competency and Credentialing)) in psychology, social work, medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, counseling, sociology, human growth and development, physician assistant, gerontology, special education, educational psychology, early childhood education, or early childhood intervention;
(B) Is a registered nurse; or
(C) Completes an alternative credentialing process identified by the department.
Additional Requirements:
• Employee must be certified as being tuberculosis free
• Employee must clear criminal background and CPS registry checks
Counselors are required to use their personal vehicles for visits and for engaging in community activities. Therefore, at the time of hire Counselor’s must provide proof of Driver’s license and proof of Automobile Insurance. Should a Counselor receive a moving traffic violation at any time after their hire date the Counselor must notify the Program Director about the incident the next business day after receiving the violation. Further, Counselors will be taken off the schedule in the event they have any
lapse in automobile insurance coverage.