Position Objective:

Under the supervision of the Behavioral Health Program Manager and in collaboration with other AHS staff, the Behavioral Health Counselor will provide language-specific and culturally sensitive mental health and case management services to individuals, families and groups experiencing: serious mental illness; emotional, relational or developmental problems. Mental health staff also will handle administrative and programmatic responsibilities related to the mental health programs, as assigned by your supervisor.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide services that are language-specific to the needs of immigrants and refugees and other undeserved communities. This position requires fluency in English and Cantonese.
• Provide direct services to clients including organizing and facilitating individual and group treatment activities, case management and outreach.
• Provide client intake and assessment services, including social history, mental health assessment, social, community and functional assessments.
• Develop treatment and rehabilitation plans in cooperation with clients, including reviews and modifications at specified intervals.
• Provide case-management including providing or arranging for the provision of concrete resources and services needed by the client, advocacy, linkage, support, consultation and follow-up of these services.
• Arrange, provide access, and follow up, for psychiatric services, medication management and other medical services, as needed in conjunction with counseling and case management services.
• Perform crisis intervention including crisis assessment, counseling, referral, and follow-up services as needed. Provide on call crisis coverage on a rotation basis for after hours to cover 24-hour emergency services.
• Make home visits and other field visits to clients. It is expected that all clients will receive services in the most accessible manner needed by the client.
• Target direct service hours are 5.5 hours per 7.5-hour work day.
• Intervene with collateral sources, agencies, bureaucracies, facilities and families on client’s behalf including working in ways that will reduce stigma of mental illness and generate more opportunities in society for client participation.
• Provide inter-agency recourse brokerage and advocacy on the client’s behalf, including consultation and translation as needed.
• Work in partnership with the clients’ families and significant others, including providing appropriate education to all family members or others in a client’s support system.
• Participate in regular mental health related training programs and monthly meetings.
• Handle administrative and programmatic responsibilities related to agency mental health programs, as specifically assigned.
• May assist in orientation and training for new staff.
• To participate in weekly supervision and staffing, reporting all case work, especially any information that may be of a critical nature that would require immediate intervention to your supervisor. Report client progress, behavioral problems or need for medication evaluation to supervisors/psychiatrists/clinical manager.
• Involve in quality improvement activities on an ongoing basis such as conducting peer chart reviews monthly and completing patient satisfaction surveys bi-annually.
• Participate in completing forms for third party coverage and discussing balance s due with clients as appropriate.
• Maintain EMR client charts on Care Logic in a timely fashion.