Mental Health Professional II - Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (Anderson)

Mental Health Professional II

Are you passionate about making a real difference in people's lives? Join our team at the Office of Mental Health where we are dedicated to providing compassionate and accessible care to our community. We are seeking a Mental Health Professional II who is motivated to help individuals and families navigate life's challenges and achieve long-term wellness. If you want to use your skills to build a healthier, more resilient community, we encourage you to apply.

This position is located at the SC Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) - Office of Mental Health, Anderson County Clinic, 1 Linwa Boulevard, Anderson, SC 29621.

Responsibilities for the Mental Health Professional II:

• Provide evidenced based services to children, adolescents, & adults; provide individual psychotherapy using developmentally adapted evidence-based practices. Provide family therapy and caregiver coaching to support skill development at home and in the community.
• Conduct intake assessments and treatment planning using Intellectual and Development Disabilities (IDD), Mental Illness (MI) and Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) appropriate tools and strategies.
• Use trauma-informed, non-coercive crisis de-escalation strategies.
• Conduct modified suicide risk and crisis assessments that consider communication limitations. Develop Personal Safety Plan.
• Modify therapeutic materials to meet the cognitive, sensory, and communication needs of each client. Incorporates visual supports, social stories, modeling, video modeling, and structured teaching strategies into therapy.
• Ensure patients are seen as per Level of Care (LOC) guidelines; address patient barriers to services; ensure crises are staffed; ensure internal & external customer satisfaction. Meet patient care hour standards.
• Work closely with families, caregivers, case managers, school personnel, residential staff, ABA providers, and other treatment team members. Participate in interdisciplinary meetings and provides input. Coordinate care to ensure consistency across settings.
• Complete documentation is according to Quality Improvement policies. Document services and contracts to patients. Keep billing disallowances to a minimum. Produce outcomes and/or progress summaries that reflect patient improvement. Write objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time limited. Write objectives and interventions that address the patient's Strengths, Needs, Abilities & Preferences (SNAPs.) Meet collaborative documentation standards.
• Adhere to Center, OMH, & State Corporate Compliance policies, procedures, and responsibilities. Make good faith effort to report violations. Adhere to Code of Conduct.
• Participate in ongoing professional development. Maintain license/certifications. Comply with training requirements. Attend supervision. Participate in other meetings as required.

Minimum and Additional Requirements

• Masters' degree in guidance, counseling, or the social sciences or a related field.
• Must be licensed or eligible for licensure in SC. If unlicensed, must be willing to work towards licensure in SC within six months of employment.
• Must qualify for credentialing and privileging as a mental health professional and in accordance with quality assurance standards and with concurrence by Office of Mental Health Quality Management.
Additional Requirements:
• Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Marriage & Family Therapy, or a related behavioral health field. Full state licensure (e.g., LMSW, LISW-CP, LMFT, LPC) or license-eligible or a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). 1–3 years of experience working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) or autism.
• In order to be credentialed for core services as a Mental Health Professional at the SC Office of Mental Health, applicants must provide evidence of clinical experience providing direct patient care. This experience may be documented as a practicum or internship during graduate program, or post-graduate clinical experience. Please be sure to provide specific clinical activities on your application and/or resume.
• This position requires the ability to bend, stoop, climb, drive from location to location, lift and file.
• This position could be considered essential. Therefore, the employee in this position may be asked to report to work even if the Center is closed in the event of an emergency.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual abilities in English and Spanish (or another language) are a plus.

Additional Comments

Post hire, employees must have:

• Sound theoretical knowledge of principles, methods, counseling practices, and procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral, developmental, autistic, and mental disorders.
• Experience as a therapist who manages their assigned cases and makes clinical decisions regarding their patients, largely independent of their supervisor. These clinical decisions include therapeutic treatment (both in frequency and intensity), patient follow-up, decisions or linkage to the physician, and medication coordination.
• Responsibility for developing the treatment plan with the patient establishing treatment goals and objectives.
• On a daily basis they work with patients in crisis, making decisions that may involve the safety and wellbeing of patient.
• Ability to listen and understand and communicate information and ideas so that others will understand.
• Some knowledge of psychopathology, family dynamics, family and group psychotherapy.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with individuals, families and representatives of other professional disciplines.
• Ability to present clear and comprehensive oral and written reports.
• Be able to pass CPR and Managing Agitation in the Psychiatric Setting (MAPS) Certification.

This position is considered essential and may be called back during crises/disasters/emergencies.

The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions including, but not limited, to lactation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

Supplemental questions are considered part of your official application. Any misrepresentation will result in your disqualification from employment. Please complete the state application to include all current and previous work history and education. A resume will not be accepted nor reviewed to determine if an applicant has met the qualifications for the position.

The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities offers an exceptional benefits package for full time (FTE) employees:

• Health, dental, vision, long-term disability, and life insurance for employees, spouse, and children.
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year
• 15 days sick leave per year
• 13 paid holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• S.C. Deferred Compensation Program available (S.C. Deferred Compensation)
• Retirement benefit choices *
• State Retirement Plan ( SCRS )
• State Optional Retirement Program ( State ORP )

*Enrollment in one of the listed plans is required for all FTE employees; please refer to the contribution section of hyperlinked retirement sites for the current contribution rate of gross pay.