Rehabilitation Therapist (Safety)

Job Description and Duties

General Statement of Duties: Recreation/Music Therapy uses recreational/music activities and leisure resources to improve health and quality of life. These leisure opportunities will focus on helping the individual develop motor skills, social skills, and sensory functioning, needed for community integration. Through leisure counseling and activities, clients are encouraged to make healthy decisions to cope with stress, emotions and peers. Activities are used to develop skills in leadership, teamwork, sportsmanship, self-esteem, and to help maintain clients' social, cognitive, physical and emotional well-being. Rehabilitation Therapists will apply therapeutic habilitation knowledge, activities and techniques to the problems of mental or intellectual disabilities found in adults; assess individual needs, determine appropriate rehabilitative/rehabilitative objectives and develop activities to meet these objectives; work with members of the interdisciplinary team to reinforce other treatment modalities; re-evaluate these plans on a regular basis. 

Effective July 1, 2025, State employees are subject to a salary reduction of three (3) percent in exchange for five (5) hours per month of the Personal Leave.

Work location to be determined.

Temporary state housing may be available for those relocating to fill hard to recruit positions. Housing assignments and rates will be determined in accordance with Department policy, operational priorities, and applicable labor agreements.

Level of Care employees will be required to perform the following Essential Functions:
Must be able to lift 50 pounds without assistance; must be able to participate in client containment, intervention or restraint; must have the ability to work extended hours and various shifts; must float to all work areas within the facility if called upon to do so.
**Y ou MUST provide a legible copy of your degree or transcripts (unofficial is acceptable) as proof of meeting the education requirement as listed in the Classification Specification (please see the Class Specification located under “Minimum Requirements” on the left-hand side of this job posting). Please redact birthdate and social security number from degree/transcripts. Note: All foreign transcripts MUST be accompanied by a third party academic credential evaluation.

Multiple positions may be filled from this recruitment. This recruitment may be utilized to fill future vacancies that may occur during the life of the certification list.

Pursuant to California Government Code requirements, candidates must be residents of the State of California at the time of appointment.

This position requires lawful authorization to work in the United States. The Department does not sponsor employment visas for this position.

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Working Conditions

TYPICAL WORKING CONDITIONS: Regular interaction with clients and staff in monitoring provision of direct services and other conditions common to on and off residence training environments. Staying at work area for periods of time on a residence or training site where a client may be receiving training or services. Work is performed at a level that requires the individual to be constantly alert. May spend time performing custody tasks which includes escorting forensic clients in the facility; counting, distributing, and accounting for all utensils to prevent their use as weapons; inspecting facilities to identify security breaches that could lead to the escape of a forensic client; and observing and intervening in forensic client behavior that may injure people, damage property, or signal impending escape attempts. Provides group therapy in recreation, music therapy and other areas as needed to a group of clients. May be required to work with clients with identified problems of aggression. Working conditions may lead to exposure to communicable diseases and other conditions common to a clinical/nursing environment. Must participate in meetings and conferences and other conditions common to an office environment and make effective use of equipment for report writing and data collection. Provides/supervises community outings. Plans/supervises program-wide activities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Escorts clients to different areas on/off campus (appointments, scheduled trips), stands for periods of time in different areas of the residence and training sites (classrooms, work areas). Responds to all behavioral and medical intervention as required. Must possess and maintain sufficient strength, agility, endurance and sensory ability to perform the duties contained in the duty statement, and during mentally and emotionally stressful and emergency situations encountered on the job without endangering their own health and well-being or that of their fellow employees, forensic clients, non-forensic clients, or the public.

Special Requirements

• The position(s) require(s) a Drug Screening be passed prior to being hired.
• The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired.
• The position(s) require(s) Medical Clearance prior to being hired.

Electronic application submission is highly encouraged.

Submit a completed standard state application (STD. 678), registration/certification (if applicable) and education documentation by the final filing date. Applications submitted for vacancies must include the Position Title and Position Number in the Job Title Section and MUST be signed and dated. Applicants should indicate on their application, in the job title section, the type of eligibility they currently possess and which qualifies them to apply at this time. In the "Employment History” section of the application you must list your current employment history by providing the To and From dates with the month, day and year, the hours per week that you worked, which should be a whole number and not a range and the Total Worked (years/months). You must complete the Duties Performed section on the application. Applications with “see resume” are not acceptable. Applications received without all of this information will be considered incomplete and will not be processed. Candidates who do not submit all of the required documents will not be considered in the selection process. Surplus applicants must attach a copy of their surplus letter. Applications may be obtained from the Human Resources Personnel Office at the Porterville Developmental Center or completed and downloaded from the website indicated below. NOTE: All appointments are subject to State Restriction of Appointment (SROA), Departmental Restriction of Appointment (DROA), and Re-employment List procedures, pre-employment physical and fingerprint clearances. Further Information on the definition of the above may be found on the California State Department of Human Resources website at .

***Foreign Degrees or Transcripts – Applicants with foreign degrees or transcripts who wish to apply that coursework toward meeting the minimum qualifications of the classification must provide a transcript evaluation that indicates the number of units to which his/her foreign coursework is equivalent. PDC accepts foreign transcript evaluations that are completed by one of the services listed on these webpages:
or

Benefits

As a state employee working for the Department of Developmental Services, you and your family will have access to excellent medical, dental and vision insurance benefits in addition to retirement benefits. 

Benefit eligibility may be based on job classification, bargaining unit, time base and length of appointment. Additional benefits may also be outlined for specific bargaining units in employee collective bargaining contracts. For more information, please visit the links below:

Confidential Information

Do NOT include ANY confidential information on any documents you submit for a job vacancy, such as your State application, resume, or educational transcripts.

Confidential information that should be excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your Social Security Number (SSN), birthdate, student identification number, driver’s license number (unless required), basis of eligibility, examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age. Confidential information on the first page of applications submitted electronically online, such as Easy ID number, SSN, examination related information, and driver’s license number will automatically be redacted upon submission.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are meeting Minimum Qualifications with education, you must include your unofficial transcripts/diploma for verification. Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet the Minimum Qualifications, the candidate may be withheld from the eligibility list, rendering them inactive and ineligible to be hired for the position. Candidates who have been withheld may file an appeal with the California Department of Human Resources.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Degree and/or School Transcripts
• Other - Completion of an approved clinical internship in the appropriate rehabilitation specialty in an approved hospital or rehabilitation center affiliated with the college.