Direct Support Professional II

Direct Support Professional II

1 FT position available! Pay starts at $19.22 per/hour + great benefits! In accordance with Assets, Inc. core values and mission, this position provides case management services, direct and indirect support, guidance, companionship and training to individuals experiencing developmental disabilities and/or mental illnesses in a variety of community and home settings. This position may require de-escalating verbally or physically aggressive individuals according to identified procedures and individual client protocols.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Adheres to and demonstrates Assets, Inc. core values, mission, policies, procedures and compliance plan in the performance of all aspects of this position.

As part of a team, the Life Coach II provides case management and service coordination for persons supported by the team. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Effectively supporting individuals in achieving their treatment plan objectives.
• Providing input and contributing to the formulation and development of individual treatment plans and their review.
• In collaboration with a Mental Health Clinician, develops individual protocols and oversees implementation.
• Facilitating issue oriented treatment team meetings.
• Scheduling and coordinating access to other professional and community services (doctors, therapists, dentists, etc.).
• Facilitating and nurturing the development of natural supports.
• Coordinating guardian's involvement with the treatment team and individual.
• Conducting home visits with clients and care providers to offer support in the client's home and ensure delivery of daily services to client (daily self care, nutrition, hygiene and basic health and welfare needs).

Provides direct services to served individuals as required. This includes, but is not limited to: offering training on daily living, coping, social and socio-sexual skills; providing basic safety, supervision and monitoring of individuals served, as prescribed in the plan and individual and/or site protocols.

Provides timely documentation of all treatment, programmatic and billing procedures, including but not limited to:

• Completing tracking and service notes by established timeline.
• Maintaining working files and updating as required.
• Documenting activity money and coordinating prudent fiscal tracking with supervisor, other staff, care providers, guardians, and/or payees.

Uses crisis prevention, intervention and de-escalation techniques according to identified procedures and individual client/site protocols, including but not limited to the following:

• Adhering to the on-call policy and participating in the on call rotation.
• Following individual crisis protocols as determined by treatment team.
• Documenting crisis intervention in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Developing and reviewing on-call protocol for specific clients/sites.

Uses effective communication skills to establish a collaborative relationship with the served individual and his/her team, co-workers and supervisors:

• Participates in team activities on an on-going basis, attends planning, treatment and staff meetings as required.
• Provides important information to team members in a timely manner using appropriate communication channels.
• Accepts guidance/coaching and performs consistently in accordance with team directives.
• Promotes therapeutic communications when working with served individual and his/her team.
• Trouble shoots and engages in communication to solve team and client problems as they arise.

Serves as an effective advocate for served individual(s).

Maintains company standards of confidentiality and ethical practice in all aspects of this position.

Satisfactorily completes all required trainings for the position according to established timelines.

Available to work a varied/flexible schedule as required by client and/or team needs.

Performs additional duties as assigned by supervisory personnel and based on specific site or individual requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representatives of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required Education and/or Experience:

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Two (2) years experience working with individuals experiencing a developmental disability or mental illness required. Related education and/or training may be substituted for experience.

Language Skills: Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Must have an insured vehicle and current Alaska driver's license (with no or low points). Must be able to pass a criminal background check under state regulations. Must provide a copy of the driving record and proof of vehicle insurance and educational credentials (if applicable) at time of hire.

Desired Skills and Abilities

• Competent use of e-mail, MS Word, MS Excel, and e-file management.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work professionally and collaboratively with a team to provide quality service to individuals experiencing developmental or mental illnesses.
• General knowledge of mental illnesses and/or developmental disabilities.
• Must have a compassionate, patient and non-controlling orientation toward individuals served.
• Ability to effectively advocate for individuals served by Assets.
• Ability to resolve conflicts and be open to supervision and feedback from others with resultant behavioral changes.
• Committed to learning, mastering and becoming competent in the Direct Service Professional core competencies. Able to identify areas for self-improvement and pursue educational and training resources for professional development.
• Must have good communication and listening skills to establish a collaborative relationship with the served individual and his/her team, co-workers and supervisory personnel.
• Must demonstrate an understanding of boundaries and is able to establish and maintain therapeutic relationship boundaries with the served individual.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit, and climb or balance. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently up to 25 pounds and rarely lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The Life Coach II must be able to de-escalate verbally or physically aggressive individuals according to identified procedures and individual client protocol.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. May be exposed to physical and verbal altercations with individuals served.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.