Community Support Specialist

Preferred Family Healthcare - St. Louis, MO

Full-time

St. Louis, MO

Ambulatory Health Care Services

About the position

The Community Support Specialist plays a vital role in helping individuals adapt to their communities by creating personalized plans that cater to their specific needs. This position involves utilizing evidence-based techniques and collaborating with various professionals to provide comprehensive mental health services. The primary goal is to empower clients and their families, enabling them to build strong foundations for long-term wellbeing and independence. By connecting clients with local resources and fostering a robust support network, the Community Support Specialist promotes growth, stability, and resilience among individuals facing mental health challenges. In this role, the specialist will provide community-based mental health services to a diverse population, including children, adolescents, and adults. This includes conducting assessments, making diagnoses, developing treatment plans, and implementing interventions tailored to each client's unique circumstances. The specialist will work closely with clients, their families, and other stakeholders to ensure that the treatment plans are effective and aligned with the clients' goals. The position requires a strengths-based approach that emphasizes empowerment, skill-building, and resilience. The specialist will incorporate evidence-based practices such as Motivational Interviewing, Positive Reinforcement Techniques, and Trauma-Informed Strategies, as well as skills based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Additionally, the specialist will coordinate care with other service providers, maintain accurate records of client interactions, and participate in staff development activities to enhance their knowledge and skills related to youth mental health services. The role also involves contributing to quality improvement initiatives and collaborating with team members to ensure effective coordination of care and support for clients.

Responsibilities

• Provide community-based mental health services to children, adolescents, and/or adults including assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and intervention implementation.
• Collaborate with clients, families, and other stakeholders to develop and implement individualized treatment plans that address the client's specific needs and goals.
• Utilize a strengths-based approach that emphasizes empowerment, skill-building, and resilience, incorporating evidence-based practices such as Motivational Interviewing, Positive Reinforcement Techniques, Trauma-Informed Strategies, and skills based in CBT and DBT approaches.
• Provide behavioral interventions, including motivational interviewing, operant conditioning, interpersonal and group dynamics, cognitive processing, and other evidence-based interventions.
• Coordinate care with other service providers, including primary care physicians, psychiatrists, schools, and community organizations.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of client interactions, treatments, and progress, in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.
• Participate in staff development activities, including training and education programs, to enhance knowledge and skills related to youth mental health services.
• Contribute to the organization's quality improvement initiatives, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the team, including case managers, therapists, and support staff, to ensure effective coordination of care and support for clients.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including parents, teachers, counselors, and other professionals involved in the client's care.
• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor or as deemed necessary by the department.
• Prepare for and facilitate PSR group sessions as pertinent to client treatment plan goals.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Social Work, or other human services specialized field of study; or
• Bachelor's degree in an unrelated field with two years of related work experience; or
• Any four-year combination of higher education and two years of related work experience; or
• Associate's of Applied Science in Behavioral Health Support; or
• Four years of qualifying experience in delivering services to individuals with mental health disorders, substance use disorders, or developmental disabilities.

Nice-to-haves

• Knowledge of case management and rehabilitation methods, principles and techniques as they relate to mental health and/or substance use disorders.
• Knowledge of the problems encountered by persons with mental health and/or substance use disorders and how to access the various community resources available.
• Knowledge of the methods and modalities as well as the legal requirements and court procedures related to treating mental health and substance use disorders.