Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Position Description

An employee in this class independently performs duties and related tasks to ensure the provision of mental health and substance abuse treatment services to the citizens of Alexander County. An employee in this class independently performs a variety of functions to assist individuals, families, community leaders, health related groups, and groups at risk with behavioral health needs. This position will serve as the initial point of contact including screening, triage, and referral for Alexander County citizens who experience issues related to mental illness, substance abuse, and/or developmental disabilities. Work assignments are performed in accordance with established procedures and under the regular supervision of the Director of Nursing.

Responsibilities

• Assess individual's needs, determine urgency, and link individuals in a timely manner to an array of services from psychiatric resources.
• Provides assessment, treatment, short term therapy, and care coordination for outpatient clients.
• Communicates with patients both face to face and by telephone from a culturally diverse, high-risk population.
• Works with a variety of professionals and paraprofessionals related to mental health and departmental staff, hospital and clinic staff, as well as social services staff, and other community groups.
• Provides consultation, education, and information to families regarding individual situations, treatments, and community resources.
• Provides short-term individual therapy and assist with linkage to community resources as necessary.
• Evaluates and provides direct client assessment which may include triage, screening, assessments, diagnosis, linkage to services/resources, documentation, and psychotherapy.
• Provides assessments including risk and diagnostic assessments as well as crisis intervention tools.
• Recognizes the legal consequences, loss of patients' confidence, and failure to properly refer patients.
• This position may require emergencies and/or events after regular working hours, or timeframes that are not normally worked by Health Department employees.
• This position has been identified to have responsibilities in the Preparedness Plan for the Health Department. In the case of an event within the county the employee is required to work at a specified location in-house or off-site as identified in various Health Department Emergency Response Plans (ex. Preparedness, Pan Flu, etc.).
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Ability to maintain confidentiality between patients, patients and staff, and patient records.
• Considerable knowledge of clinical social work principles, techniques, and practices; the application to individual casework, group work, and community problems.
• Knowledge of the psychosocial, socioeconomic, and behavioral problems as well as the treatment.
• Skill in charting detail, assessment, and treatment. Must be able to accurately assess, document, and communicate educational information.
• Ability to monitor and remain current with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), laws, and regulations regarding mental health.
• Knowledge of governmental, private organizations, and community resources.
• Knowledge of assessment, diagnostic risk assessments, brief therapeutic, and crisis interventions.
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies which govern the program.
• Skill in establishing rapport with a client and applying techniques of assessing psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological aspects of a client's problem.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of a case load and their families, and with civic, medical, social, and religious organizations.
• Ability to train/instruct students or interns.
• Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely to plan and execute work.
• Ability to work independently without constant supervision in all areas of job duties.
• Considerable knowledge of office practices and techniques including use of computers for word processing, spreadsheet functions, data retention and retrieval, and other office practices (Microsoft, EMR, etc.).
• Knowledge and ability to use correct grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and perform basic math skills.

Required Minimum Education / Experience

• Master's degree from an accredited school of psychology, counseling, or social work.
• Licensed to practice as a Clinical Social Worker by the North Carolina Social Work Certification and License Board.
• Additional training/experience that is required according to the standards of the professional board regulating the employee's professional license.
• Possess a valid NC driver's license.

Alexander County is a rewarding and supportive workplace, where employees are valued and encouraged to grow. We offer a full compensation package including quality benefits that include flexible options designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families.

HEALTH CARE Medical Insurance – Employee medical insurance is 100% paid provided wellness incentive requirements are met. Spouse and family coverage is available at employee expense per pay period: Child: $75.00 Children: $225.00 Spouse: $250.00 Family: $425.00 Dental Insurance – Employee dental insurance is 100% paid. Spouse and family coverage is available at employee expense per pay period: Child(ren): $19.28 Spouse: $21.47 Family: $59.52 Vision Insurance – Employee vision insurance is 100% paid. Spouse and family coverage is available at employee expense per pay period: Child(ren): $4.19 Spouse: $3.77 Family: $8.12 WELLNESS Health Clinic – Available to all County employees and dependents covered under the medical insurance plan. Covered visits include ear infections, colds, first aid, physicals, and other acute care needs. Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) – The medical plan offers alternative therapies such as acupuncture, hypnotherapy, massage therapy, yoga, and others. Specific requirements must be met for partial reimbursement - refer to the employee benefit guide for more information. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – Counseling services are available to all employees and dependents in the home. Services are provided in a private and confidential setting. The County provides coverage for the first five visits per year. YMCA – No joining or monthly membership fees for eligible employees. Employees may opt to upgrade their membership to a family rate of $7.50 per pay period. Genesis Fitness – Discounted member fees for eligible employees - refer to the employee benefit guide for more information. WORK/LIFE BALANCE Holidays – Twelve days of paid leave are provided throughout the year to eligible employees. Sick Leave - Employees earn eight hours per month; EMS employees earn 11 hours per month. Annual Leave – Employees earn prorated hours per month based upon years of service and hours worked. Birth Month Leave: Employees will receive the equivalent hours of one regular workday added to their annual leave on the second day of their birth month. Community Involvement Leave: Employees earn eight hours per calendar year, expiring on December 31. Bereavement Leave: Employees are given 24 hours of paid leave to grieve the loss of an immediate family member. Parental Leave: Eligible employees can request up to 6 weeks of paid leave per calendar year. Discount Tickets – Discount tickets to various recreational venues including AMC Theaters, Carowinds, Tweetsie Railroad, Biltmore Estate, and others. FINANCIAL STABILITY NC Local Government Retirement System – The Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System (LGERS) is a defined benefit plan. Full-time and eligible part-time employees are automatically enrolled in the system. Employees contribute a mandatory, fixed 6% on a pre-tax basis. An employee is considered vested after five years of contributory service. Life Insurance – $12,500 of Life and AD&D at no cost to the employee. Additional coverage is available at employee expense. Longevity - After five (5) years of continuous full-time County service, employees receive an annual lump sum payment of 1.5% of their salary during their anniversary month. Moving forward, the amount increases by.10 per year based upon years of service. 401k and 457 Deferred Compensation – Contributions are available as an employee option.

The County will match full-time and eligible part-time employee's voluntary 401(k) contribution, up to 2% of their salary. Sworn Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) receive an additional automatic 5% County contribution. Deductions occur each pay