PSYCHIATRIC CASEWORKER 2

The Division of Child and Family Services is recruiting for a Psychiatric Caseworker 2 for the Child & Adolescent Mobile Crisis Response Team. Psychiatric Caseworkers partner with mental health therapists to provide targeted case management assessments, recommendations, and care coordination in settings that meet families' needs.

The Mobile Crisis Response Team triages calls from families and community partners and responds to children experiencing behavioral health crises in emergency departments, schools, homes, and other community settings. Psychiatric Caseworkers conduct assessments, offer immediate support, and work with therapists, youth, and families to develop safety and stabilization plans aimed at keeping children safely in their homes, schools, and communities whenever possible.

Caseworkers provide short-term case management for up to 45 days in outpatient or community settings. In this role, the Psychiatric Caseworker serves as the case management lead on the team, while mental health counselors take the clinical lead.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We cannot sponsor or assume sponsorship of employment visas at this time.

Psychiatric Caseworkers perform casework duties; monitor the progress of clients in treatment; assess and reassess the clients’ level of functioning by interviewing clients, family members, and other community contacts; evaluate clients’ needs and resources to determine the level of assistance needed; and refer clients to appropriate services according to the service/care coordination plan in order to meet clients’ emotional, behavioral, social, financial, health, vocational, transportation, and basic living needs. Incumbents in this series often work in a team to provide service coordination, make referrals to other service providers and community resources, and discuss mental and emotional conditions, illnesses and disorders, family issues, and developmental delays. Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, or closely related human services field and two years of experience in a mental health or intellectual disabilities setting, one year of which must have included professional casework experience providing psychosocial rehabilitation services for a caseload consisting predominantly of individuals with mental illness or developmental disabilities; OR one year of experience as a Psychiatric Caseworker I in Nevada State Service; OR an equivalent combination of education at or above the Bachelor's degree and experience as described above. Interview clients for psychosocial rehabilitation program placement; determine needs in terms of training and assign to appropriate groups/classes; prepare written evaluation of client and a service/care coordination plan for each service; enter progress notes; and advise clients of their service related rights and responsibilities.

Develop treatment plans and participate in the development of service/care coordination plans by attending multidisciplinary team meetings in which client goals are determined and appropriate strategies and plans are developed and modified as necessary; integrate and analyze information from all available sources and systems; coordinate and integrate services among members of multidisciplinary teams and client support systems; monitor treatment plans and evaluate effectiveness; document quality of care and ensure information is available to other members of the multidisciplinary team.

Provide on-going individual and family management and education regarding issues of daily living, coping skills and employment; provide information to clients’ family members or other caretakers regarding clients’ rights and actions necessary to obtain optimal benefits of active treatment; assist clients, family members, and care providers in understanding the nature and treatment of clients’ illness or condition.

Develop and implement discharge plans; prepare required documentation; schedule appointments such as in the medication clinic; obtain information from clinical professionals concerning clients; make referrals to appropriate clinician; refer to community resources and make housing referrals.

Write client housing contracts according to established procedures; monitor supported housing arrangements; monitor delivery of services and quality of care to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

Monitor follow-up services specified in the treatment plan including attendance at medication clinics, day treatment programs, outpatient appointments, vocational/rehabilitation services and housing arrangements to reduce the incidence of readmission; arrange and provide transportation for clients to various appointments and community assistance services issuing bus tokens or using State vehicles as necessary; assist clients with court appearances.

Locate, coordinate, and develop resources to meet clients’ needs; develop, implement, and monitor programs to assist clients in developing daily living skills such as preparing a budget, obtaining public transportation attending self-help groups, shopping for food and clothing, and developing reminders to take medication at prescribed times.

Conduct classes and provide individual skill training for clients; compile or develop relevant materials and curriculum; evaluate client’s baseline status and progress using objective assessment measurements.

Adhere to all regulatory standards for documentation, charts, and progress notes; document client contacts and progress in case records; write required reports at established intervals; complete billing forms and other documentation according to established policy and procedure.

Attend staff, committee, task force and other scheduled meetings to discuss and provide input concerning critical client issues and problems; attend and participate in in-service training, workshops, seminars, and continuing education programs to enhance knowledge, skills, and abilities related to job performance; may provide in-service training to other staff related to de-escalation, management of aggressive behaviors, wraparound case management delivery model, and other topics.

Provide crisis intervention to include appropriate behavioral and environmental controls for clients who may be hostile, combative, aggressive, or assaultive; follow established protocols and policy to protect clients, staff, family, and others potentially at risk due to client behavior or family dynamics; engage in client restraint if needed.

Supervise and evaluate the performance of lower level professional, technical, and paraprofessional staff, university students, and interns as assigned.

Perform related duties as assigned.

This job specification lists the major knowledge, skills and abilities of the job and is not all inclusive. Incumbent(s) will be expected to have knowledge, skills and abilities from a previous level.

Working knowledge of: crisis intervention techniques; documenting client progress; assessing client needs and resources available; case management practices and procedures; laws governing abuse and neglect of clients; treatment planning and implementation; educating clients and their families on issues of daily living, coping skills and employment.

General knowledge of: psychotropic medications and common side effects; behavior modification techniques to include contingency management and cognitive behavior interventions.

Ability to: make appropriate referrals to community resources and health care providers; develop contracts for services and monitor services provided; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with clients, staff, community resource providers, community agency staff and the public; monitor follow up services according to the service/care coordination plan.