Community Support Specialist

Mississippi Behavioral Health Services - Jackson, MS

Full-time - Entry Level

Jackson, MS

Ambulatory Health Care Services

About the position

The Community Support Specialist role at Mississippi Behavioral Health Services focuses on providing individual Community Support Services (CSS) to clients in the community. The position aims to assist clients in developing treatment goals, enhancing social skills, and improving their overall functioning in various environments. The specialist will work closely with clients to manage psychiatric symptoms and implement crisis management plans while collaborating with other professionals and agencies.

Responsibilities

• Provides individual Community Support Services (CSS) services in the community.
• Assists clients in developing goals for treatment within the first 14 days of service.
• Assists clients in restoring, rehabilitating, and developing social and interpersonal skills.
• Identifies, enhances, and establishes support networks, community awareness, coping strategies, and improves functioning in the individual's social environments.
• Helps restore, rehabilitate, and support the development of daily living skills.
• Improves each client's self-management of the negative effects of psychiatric or emotional symptoms.
• Assists clients in identifying, effectively responding to or avoiding identified precursors ('triggers') that lead to functional impairments.
• Helps implement Crisis Management Plan on an ongoing basis.
• Participates in collaborative meetings with Mississippi Behavioral Health Services staff, other agencies or community and natural supports as needed.
• Provides Crisis Intervention services to recipients as needed according to agency policies, procedures, and service definitions.
• Communicates client's status on a regular basis, including changes in mood or functioning, medical issues, and all crisis and health and safety issues.
• Produces effective clinical documentation of every contact with the recipient, turning in notes on time according to policy.
• Documents all 'no shows' and communicates all difficulties contacting clients with the appropriate office staff.
• Learns to use computer interface to complete documentation for billing or other purposes as needed.
• Attends all office trainings and regular clinical supervision sessions with Clinical Manager and/or Case Manager.
• Documents services provided regularly, concisely, and completely in accordance with clinical standards by office deadline.
• Returns phone calls promptly.
• Follows all safety rules.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in a mental health related field.
• Credentialed as a Community Support Specialist by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.