Housing Mental Health Counselor

New York, NY (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=New+York+NY+USA+10018) • Supportive Housing

Job Type

Full-time

Description

TheHousing Mental Health Counselorprovides mental health services to individuals and groups in the Connection to Housing & care program, provides crisis intervention as needed., specifically, the Housing Mental Health Counselor assesses the needs of clients, many of whom are living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and assists with linkages to necessary services/resources related to their medical status and/or psychosocial needs.

The Housing Mental Health Counselor provides Case Management, follow-up, and coordination of services, and actively participates in a multi-disciplinary treatment team designed to improve the overall functioning of clients by providing an individualized care plan addressing the continuum of mental health and medical care.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

The following duties are mandatory requirements of the job:

• Conduct biopsychosocial assessments of new clients to determine their appropriateness for admission to the program.

• Assess clients’ mental health needs and refer to appropriate agencies/support services, as needed.

• Complete comprehensive treatment plans with clients with regularly scheduled updates.

• Provide ongoing individual, couples, and family counseling sessions using evidence-based practice interventions.

• Provide counseling, utilizing a harm-reduction approach employing motivational interviewing, pre-contemplative, and treatment-readiness interventions, as indicated.

• Develop and facilitate psychotherapy and/or support groups.

• Identify appropriate resources to address client needs and assist clients with identifying, building, and maintaining in-house and external support systems.

• Coordinate, in conjunction with in-house and outside mental health providers, the provision of clients’ mental health services.

• Work collaboratively with staff to ensure that an integrated service plan is in place and addresses the continuum of mental health and medical care.

• Participate in monthly and/or other internal chart reviews and provide feedback in a timely manner.

• Provide all required documentation/statistics accurately and in a timely manner.

• Provide crisis-intervention services to agency clients, including client assessment, brief counseling, referral and/or other follow-up, notifications to staff and supervisors, and documentation, as needed and as assigned.

• Attend monthly GMHC all-staff meetings, weekly Mental Health Services team meetings, and/or other meetings and trainings, as assigned.

• Create a welcoming and professional environment for all volunteers and embrace the value of volunteerism at GMHC.

• Perform related tasks as required.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

The following duties are to be performed as assigned by the supervisor:

• Provide clinical and administrative supervision of master’s-level social work and/or mental health counseling interns, including review and supervision of clinical and administrative documentation.

• Assist with special projects and perform other related duties.

Requirements

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION

• Master’s degree in social work or mental health counseling or doctoral degree in psychology required, with New York State licensure or permit enabling the practitioner to provide psychotherapy in the State of New York.

• LCSW preferred.

• SIFI-eligible preferred for social work candidates.

SPECIAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

In addition to the above-listed job responsibilities and educational requirements, the ideal candidate for this position possesses most or all of the following:

• Established clinical expertise working with persons living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and/or with persons with mental health issues and substance use/misuse issues.

• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience working with HIV/AIDS, POC, and LGBTQ-identified adults and community needs. Familiarity and ease with harm reduction and recovery-based models of care.

• Knowledge of HIV/AIDS, substance use populations, and mental health and substance use counseling interventions.

• Excellent written, verbal, and organizational skills required, including proficiency in computer systems.

• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and computer skills. This individual must be able to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary treatment team.

• Solid understanding or ability to support the overall well-being of clients, including need for psychiatric care, vocational training, and more intensive treatment.

• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred.

• Some weeknight hours are necessary for service provision.

• Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Salary Description

$65,000 per year