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 Para Professional is responsible for conducting direct services to the clients based on their ISP and under the supervision of the Clinical Director.  The QPP will provide services according to the service description and the mission of the agency. The activities associated with the primary responsibility of this Qualified Para Professional (QPP) are:

 

- 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.

 

- Establish  a  good  working  relationship  with  other  public  and  private  agencies/services  and interface collaboratively with them and attend court and appointments as necessary.

 

 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:      The QPP is required to provide service coordination activities for the ISP development and implementation with the QMHP 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 Commonwealth of Virginia Human Rights Code 2007 and 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 must:

 

- Be registered with the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services (IAPSRS) as an Associate Psychiatric Rehabilitation Provider (APRP) as of January 1, 2001.

 

- An associate’s degree in a related field (social work, psychology, psychiatric rehabilitation, sociology, counseling, vocational rehabilitation, human services, Community Mental Health Rehabilitative Services counseling) and at least one year of experience providing direct services to persons with a diagnosis of mental illness or gerontology and special education.

 

- An associate’s degree, or higher degree, in an unrelated field and at least three years’ experience providing direct services to persons with a diagnosis of mental illness or gerontology clients or special education clients.

 

- A minimum of 90 hours of classroom training and 12 weeks of experience under the direct personal supervision of a QMHP providing services to persons with mental illness and at least one year of experience (including the 12 weeks of supervised experience). Direct personal supervision means that the QMHP is on-site at all times and countersigns all documentation. Please refer to the “Exhibits” section at the end of Chapter IV for the 90-hour training program for paraprofessionals.

 

- College credits (from an accredited college) earned toward a bachelor’s degree in a human service or related field (social work, gerontology, psychology, psychiatric rehabilitation, special education, sociology, counseling, vocational rehabilitation, and human services counseling) that are equivalent to an associate’s degree will be accepted to meet the educational requirements. One year of clinical experience is also required. The experience may include supervised internships, practicums, and field experience.

 

- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia and with at least one year of clinical experience. The clinical experience may include supervised internships, practicums, and field experience.

- Certification from the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services (IAPSRS) as a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP).

 

 

Clinical experience means providing direct behavioral health services to individuals with mental illness, intellectual disability or receiving gerontology or special education services. The clinician must have documented experience in the specific field that they are working. They must have experience with implementing individual service plans. The clinical experience may include supervised internships, practicums, and field experience.

 

Training:  Staff must be trained certified in: Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), First Aid, TOVA and become orientated to the company guidelines, policy and procedures, and take part in staff trainings as they occur

 

 

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.