A Mental or Behavioral Health Counselor works with patients to treat mental health problems. Assesses patients and assists with diagnosis, counseling and crisis intervention. Consults with nurses, doctors and psychiatrists. May work with specific populations, such as youth, senior citizens or substance abusers, in group settings, facilities or hospitals.
(DCFS) is recruiting for a Mental Health Counselor 2 in the Pahrump Child Welfare Office. Counselors provide counseling, case management, direct clinical services, community and home-based services, and behavioral and human services to mentally ill, developmentally disabled and/or emotionally disturbed clients in an outpatient, residential, community or similar setting. To perform the full range of duties Licensure is required: Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor, or Licensed Practicing Counselor. Mental Health Counselors provide Intensive Family Services (IFS) to families involved with the child welfare system in rural Nevada. Staff provides in-home, family-centered, intensive services including counseling, skill-building, supportive services, advocacy, mental health assessments for children and their parents, and clinical case management to complex, high-risk families. Mental Health Counselors with the Clinical unit provide diagnoses to children in custody for access to services; higher level of care; crisis intervention; placement disruption services; and case consultation services for other DCFS program staff. Clinical program does not replicate existing services and is not considered a mental health program, but rather a clinical child welfare program designed to intervene quickly with families where safety threats have been identified and removal of children is imminent without effective preventative services. The Clinical program prioritizes efforts to enhance deficient caregiver protective capacities to mitigate safety factors. Incumbents possess a degree of knowledge and proficiency sufficient to perform work independently with little or no additional training. Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. Mental Health Counselors provide counseling, case management, direct clinical services, program development, policy implementation, community and home based services, and behavioral and human services to mentally ill, mentally disabled and/or emotionally disturbed clients in an outpatient, residential, community or similar setting.
EXAMPLE OF DUTIES
Master's degree from an accredited college or university in counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychology, social work or closely related academic field and two years of postMaster's degree professional mental health counseling experience; OR an equivalent combination of education and clinical experience at or above a Master's degree and experience as described above.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
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:
theories and principles of counseling and psychotherapy; symptoms, characteristics and treatment of mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders; individual, marital, group and family counseling techniques; case management practices and procedures; crisis intervention techniques; treatment team dynamics; psychotropic medications including desired effects, common side effects, and drug interactions; laws governing abuse and neglect of clients/inmates; ethical standards of care and treatment; evaluation and assessment instruments; psychometric testing procedures and testing instruments; oral communication skills sufficient to confer with colleagues, clients/inmates and others; licensing regulations for various types of housing, residential and other living arrangements; pre-vocational training and supported employment procedures.
General knowledge of:
State and federal rules, regulations and laws pertaining to the agency's mission; assessments, treatment and strategies used in providing clinical services to specific populations; clinical (peer) review procedures.
Ability to:
assess, develop and implement treatment plans and goals; write comprehensive evaluations, reports and recommendations; interpret intelligence tests and achievement test results; evaluate services provided to clients and investigate complaints.
