Life Skills Trainer
Description
Location: Mt. Vernon, NY
Hours: FT, 35 hours a week M-F 9 am to 5 pm
Rate of pay: $24.00
Position Summary: Assist participants living in scattered site independent housing with everyday life skills.
Responsibilities:
- Support a high-performing culture aligned with TGCW core values and B.A.S.I.C Tenets: Balance, Accountability, Satisfaction, Inclusion, and Communication.
- Assist individuals living in scattered site independent housing, with everyday life skills such as cooking, cleaning, shopping, personal care, learning to use public transportation, getting to relevant medical and psychiatric appointments, meeting the requirements of their lease, getting along with neighbors and others, decreasing isolation, fostering community integration and productive use of leisure time, and budget development and management.
- Provide referral for budget counseling and debt consolidation, if needed.
- Provide individually customized individual and group training in specific life skills to address specific identified needs essential to each participant’s housing retention.
- Provide education on how to maintain basic personal hygiene and a sanitary apartment.
- Assist and evaluate participant’s needs and develop plans for intervention.
- Provide: Integrated Supports
These services focus on assisting the individual to acquire, retain or improve their skills in various areas that directly affect his/her ability to reside as independently as possible in the community. These services and supports consist of the following:
1. SELF DIRECTION – identifying and responding to dangerous or threatening situations, and making decisions/choices affecting the individual’s life.
2. MONEY MANAGEMENT – training and/or assisting in handling finances, making purchases, and meeting financial obligations.
3. DAILY LIVING SKILLS – training and/or assisting in routine housekeeping tasks, meal preparation, dressing, personal hygiene,
self-administration of medications and other areas of daily living, home safety, first aid and emergency procedures.
self-administration of medications and other areas of daily living, home safety, first aid and emergency procedures.
4. SOCIALIZATION – training and/or assisting in community activities participation and establishing relationships with peers.
5. COMMUNITY INTEGRATION – instructing individuals in daily and community living skills in integrated settings. Included in these activities are shopping, church attendance, sports, club participation, etc.
6. MOBILITY –accessing transportation, independent travel or movement within the community.
7. COMMUNICATION – building vocabularies, developing effective language expression, teaching listening skills, and using augmentative communication devices.
8. BEHAVIOR SHAPING AND MANAGEMENT – training or assisting in appropriate expressions of emotions or desires, compliance, assertiveness, acquisition of socially appropriate behaviors, and reduction of inappropriate behaviors.
- Provide crisis intervention support and counseling in a friendly and compassionate manner.
- Communicate immediately with the Program Supervisor and (when appropriate) other team members Case Management, Program Director, and other care providers regarding concerns or changes in an individual’s appearance, mood, clinical or medical status.
- Maintain all appointments with individuals.
- Offer services in a manner that is sensitive and responsive to each individual’s cultural, linguistic and lifestyle needs and preferences.
- Collaborate with housing case management staff on the implementation of all individualized service plans for all participants, as well as observe and record information that can further the therapeutic goals of each resident.
- Function as a team member through attendance of weekly staff meetings with a mutual goal of contributing to program issues and updates on agency issues
- Provide community outreach and home/office visits weekly/biweekly/monthly or as appropriate.
- Assist and accompany participants to DSS & Social Security Administration for entitlements, as needed to apply for and secure benefits.
- Provide referrals and linkage of participants as needed to substance use treatment, vocational training, and various community resources and conduct appropriate follow-up. i.e. Health Home and Care Coordination providers.
- Maintain assigned charts
- Progress notes (Weekly/Monthly)
- Service Plans (Updated every three months)
- Participants consent forms (Yearly or as needed), and Other required documentation
- Provide supportive counseling to participants on caseload.
- Complete documentation required for billing and reimbursement
- Act a liaison with other service providers to help ensure appropriate service delivery.
- Participate in case management and professional development activities such as trainings webinars, and continuing education services.
- Complete all other assignments.
Qualifications: Minimum of a AS/BS in related field, Masters preferred, minimum of 2 years working with the mental health and substance abuse population. Drivers License required.
Travel Requirements: 60 %
Physical Requirements: These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to perform the job's essential functions successfully. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the described essential functions of the position, which are reviewed in each case.
While performing the responsibilities of the role, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to sit and use his or her hands and fingers to handle or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision.
EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability