Kitsap Mental Health Services Careers

• Comprehensive and generous health, dental, and vision benefits
• Up to 19 days of PTO, 2 mental health days, and 9 paid holidays your first year (pro-rated for part-time)
• Company-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance
• Student loan payment assistance and extensive training
• An incredible team approach that is dynamic and collaborative

General Summary of Duties:  The Parent Partner supports parents of children and youth that have serious emotional disturbance in identifying goals that promote recovery and resiliency. Partners with parents, providers and the system in advocating for parents of children with complex behavioral and emotional challenges. Provides peer support to parents with Care teams and assist them in building a network of support. Empowers families by assisting in skill-building and instilling hope.

The Parent Partner demonstrates recovery and serve as an ambassador providing guidance and advocacy to child and family service systems.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Major Responsibilities/Tasks:

The following tasks as appropriate for the youth’s individualized treatment plan,

• Draw on common experiences as a peer to validate clients' experience and to provide guidance and encouragement for clients to take responsibility and participate in their recovery.  Promote hope and empowerment designed to help clients attain recovery goals and maintain the highest possible independence level, even during periods of instability. 
• Housing: Assists clients to find and maintain a safe and affordable place to live, apartment hunting, finding a roommate, landlord negotiations, cleaning, furnishing and decorating, and procuring necessities.  Identify type and location of housing with an exploration of access to natural supports and avoidance of triggers. Provides practical help and supports, mentoring, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem-solving, direct assistance, and supervision to help clients obtain the necessities of daily living, including medical and dental health care; legal and advocacy services; financial support such as entitlements, housing subsidies; money management services: transportation, and reasonable accommodation requests as needed.
• Employment: Assists with referrals to job training and DVR.  Performs mentoring, problem solving, encouragement, and support on and off the job site.  Provides work-related supportive services, such as assistance securing necessary clothing and grooming supplies, wake-up calls, reasonable accommodation requests as needed, and transportation.
• Activities of Daily Living Services: Provides ongoing assessment, problem-solving, side-by-side services, skill teaching, support, and environmental adaptations to assist clients with daily living activities.  Assists and supports clients in organizing and perform household activities, including house cleaning and laundry.  Assists and supports clients with personal hygiene and grooming tasks.  Provide nutrition education and assistance with meal planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation.  Ensures clients have adequate financial support teaches money-management skills, and assist clients in accessing financial services. Help clients’ access reliable transportation. Assists and supports clients to have and effectively use a personal primary care physician, dentist, and other medical specialists as required.
• Social and Interpersonal Relationships and Leisure Time: Provides side-by-side support, coaching, and encouragement to help clients socialize, going with a client to community activities, including activities offered by consumer-run peer support organizations.  Assists clients to plan and carry out leisure time activities. Organizes and leads individual and group social and recreational activities to help clients structure their time, increase social experiences, and provide opportunities to practice social skills.
• Act as an interpreter to the rest of the team while providing expertise and consultation from a client perspective in areas such as symptoms, effects and side effects of medications, client opinions of treatment, and client recovery experiences.
• Help clients and staff to identify, understand, and combat stigma, discrimination and assist clients in locating self-help and consumer advocacy groups that promote recovery while acting as the liaison between the team and such groups.
• Collaborate with staff and clients on awareness of client rights, including grievance and complaint procedures; support clients with filing, mediating, and resolving complaints.
• Assist in providing ongoing assessment and direct services to clients, responding to such challenges as an increase in suicidality, the need for substance abuse education and treatment, and the clients' readiness for meaningful daily activity, including employment.
• Partner with agency clinicians and other members of the caregivers/parent’s teams in creating wellness plans that empower clients to reach life goals. Collaborate with the treatment team to promote a team culture in which each client point of view, experiences and preferences are recognized, understood and respected and in which client decision making in treatment planning is maximized and supported.
• Support parents/caregivers in meetings as needed including Child & Family Team, Kitsap Shared Resources, Individualized Education Plan (IEP) conferences, Kitsap County Court proceedings and Family Team Decision Making (FTDM) meetings with Washington State Division of Child & Family Services (DCFS).
• Provide resource referral and linkage to parents/caregivers as well as system partners in the community.
• Seek appropriate clinical supervision where necessary, particularly around boundary issues, and attend appropriate agency trainings as determined by the C&F Supervisor.
• Drive to meetings, appointments, community resources, individually. Drive parent/caregiver to meetings, appointments, community resources, as deemed appropriate.
• In addition to the above, any other responsibilities appropriate to the position and not specifically listed in the job description.

Minimum Qualifications:

EDUCATION: High School Diploma or GED

EXPERIENCE: Experienced (minimum 2 years of job-related experience)

Experience raising a client involved with the mental health system

Possess and maintain a valid driver's license with an acceptable motor vehicle report and reliable, insured transportation

LICENSURE: Agency Affiliated Counselor Registration. Completion of the Washington State Mental Health Division’s Peer Counselor Training and the subsequent certification as a Peer Counselor within six months of employment.

Preferred Qualifications:

EDUCATION: Associate’s degree (Social Work, Psychology or Behavioral Health field)

EXPERIENCE: Relevant experience working with clients with severe and persistent mental illness.

Capacity to work well with children and families.

Performance Requirements:

KNOWLEDGE:

1. Maintain a working knowledge of current trends in community mental health, including health care reform and automation of job tasks using computer technology.
2. Maintain a certification as a Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessor and administer this screening in person and over the phone as necessary to clients, caregivers, clinicians, social workers, and other community members
3. Maintain a working knowledge of mental health rehabilitation standards.
4. Working knowledge of the system of care and community resources.

SKILLS:

1. Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with other employees, clients, organizations, and the public.
2. Communication ‑ Communicates clearly and concisely.
3. Computer skills - The ability to operate a personal computer, fax machine, printer, and copier proficiently.

Abilities:

• Ability to maintain complete and timely documentation of clinical files and gather and maintain data information in accordance with agency policies and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries while working with families.
• Demonstrated ability to meet or exceed productivity standards.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively as a team member.

Equipment Operated: Standard office equipment including computers, fax machines, copiers, printers, telephones, etc.

Work Environment: Frequent mobility and/or sitting required for extended periods.

Mental/Physical Requirements: While performing the job duties, the employee is required to walk, sit, use hands and fingers, reach with arms, talk, or listen.  Peripheral vision is also required for this position.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

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