Human Services Specialist II

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) - Therapist/Case Manager

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Human Services Specialist II position.

An Overview

The Human Services Specialist II is responsible for working with individuals with a serious mental illness and /or co-occurring (MH/SA) disorders who, because of reasons related to their illness, are often reluctant to engage in services or have been unable to achieve recovery on their own. These individuals may experience homelessness, housing instability as a result of their mental illness, frequent psychiatric hospitalizations, or incarcerations. Services are delivered almost entirely in the community as these individuals have a demonstrated history of difficulty engaging in traditional office based mental health services. Duties include intensive outreach and engagement; assessing, referring, and monitoring consumers in the shelters or detention center; evaluating consumer progress; and maintaining clear, concise consumer records.

What You Should Bring

The ideal candidate will have thorough knowledge of substance abuse, child and adolescent development and behavioral health disorders; good knowledge of available community resources, such as medical, legal, mental health and social services; good knowledge of treatment issues related to behavioral, emotional and social problems, including dual diagnosis, and chemical dependency; skill in engaging a variety of consumers and in communicating clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing with consumers, other professionals and citizens; ability to perform individual and group counseling and or provide prevention and education services; ability to evaluate consumer needs and formulate goals to resolve social and emotional problems.

The Opportunity

• Provides intensive outreach and engagement services and case management/clinical recovery coaching services for clients in the program;
• Interviews consumers to assess current status, history, strengths, areas for growth, stages of change, and preferences;
• Provides supportive services to clients such as crisis intervention, counseling, problem solving, and wellness planning including medication psychoeducation;
• Develops individual treatment plans with clients and provides case management/recovery coaching, attending to needs such as housing, family relationships, meaningful activities, day care, family planning, health care, financial management, education, training, and employment;
• Locates, procures, coordinates, and monitors the delivery of necessary services for the client and/or their family;
• Completes disability determination reports and assists clients with navigating access to entitlements and benefits;
• Acts as a liaison between substance abuse services, social services, mental health, housing, and shelters;
• Provides advocacy for clients via the court system, social, employment and childcare services, and in securing housing;
• Meets regularly with an interdisciplinary team to aid in identifying necessary services for clients;
• Attends regular team meetings, relevant training sessions, and conferences;
• Prepares reports and completes records of client and related family contact with the agency;
• Performs related duties as assigned.

About the Department

The Center for Adult Services (CAS) provides programs and services in Aging; Adult Protective Services; Clinical & Emergency Services; and Community & Residential Support Services for seniors and for persons with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance use disorders. CAS provides compassionate and effective person-centered services based on best practices. Our teams support self-determination, safety and recovery for Alexandria residents affected by abuse, neglect, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance use disorders.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in psychology, social services, public health, guidance, or a related field; three years of experience in the provision of mental health and/or substance abuse treatment services, including some experience at the level of Caseworker; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Employees must possess a valid driver's license issued by the State of their residence.

Preferred Qualifications

A Master’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, Human Services or a related field; three years of experience in the provision of mental health and /or substance abuse treatment services to adults with a serious mental illness. At least one year of experience should include working with clients in crises; engaging individuals and their families in Recovery oriented treatment and working with individual’s involved with the criminal justice system; Bilingual English/Spanish, French, African or Middle Eastern language skills.

Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to: FBI/Federal Records Check; VA State Child Abuse/Neglect Registry; Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Database; education/certifications; and driver’s license.

Schedule: Mon-Sun, including weekends, holidays and evenings.