Social Services Counselor - 60037503

Social Services Counselor

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state of Florida's social services agency. The agency oversees services for child safety, fostering, adoption, domestic violence, adult protective services, refugees, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, childcare providers, human trafficking and public assistance. Within DCF, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Program office is recognized as the single state authority for substance abuse and mental health services.

Northeast Florida State Hospital (NEFSH) is a 613-bed, licensed mental health treatment facility that provides person-centered services to adults suffering from severe and persistent mental illness. The hospital, located in Macclenny, was established in 1959 and is the largest state operated civil treatment facility.

Northeast Florida State Hospital is a tobacco-free facility. To be considered for this position, responses to the qualifying questions are required and must be verifiable based on your submitted application. This is an anticipated vacancy.

Position Overview

This is a highly responsible and professional position serving as the Social Services Counselor within the Recovery Division. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative team player who works seamlessly across all sections within the program office. This role requires the use of independent judgment, a proactive approach to responsibilities, and exceptional attention to detail. If you are driven, organized, and thrive in a fast-paced environment, we encourage you to apply.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

The Social Services Counselor's duties include:

• Conducting individual counseling and group psychotherapy with chronically mentally ill persons, including geriatric individuals.
• Assessing level of functioning with regard to social and community life skills necessary for discharge to the community.
• Coordinating planned and unplanned discharges from the unit and serving as the point of contact between the community liaison with the catchment area and the unit, arranging an after-care plan for unit-based discharges, notifying significant others of discharge plans, arranging for transportation when necessary, and completing necessary discharge documentation and discharge notes.
• Developing and maintaining expertise regarding community resources to prepare individuals for discharge.
• Educating treatment teams regarding available community resources and their relationship to discharge planning.
• Documenting all social services treatment and unit discharge activities in the clinical record.
• Completing weekly and monthly progress notes, functional skills inventories, psychosocial histories, discharge notes for unit-based discharges, admission and movement records, and event notes as appropriate.
• Updating the accuracy of face sheets, including information on changes of addresses and phone numbers, guardians and guardian advocates, 1st representatives, and other significant persons necessary to ensure quality continuity of care.
• Participating actively in the treatment process, attending treatment team meetings, and contributing to the development and revision of the individual treatment plan.
• Interpreting critical information about the individual's social history in making recommendations for treatment and discharge planning.
• Interviewing/contacting family members of individuals being served to obtain data related to personal, social, and emotional history.
• Maintaining regular contact with family or significant others through treatment team meetings, telephone contacts, and letters to provide updates on the individual's condition and current discharge plans.
• Counseling with family about sensitive situations involving individuals related to their mental and physical problems.
• Coordinating day passes and leave of absences with treatment team, legal department, and the ARC Committee as required.
• Coordinating referrals for prosthetic devices and medical equipment as necessary.
• Assisting with habeas corpus requests and court appearances as necessary.
• Being available to assist other staff with transportation on recreational outings, escorting individuals to appointments for prosthetic devices or hospital-wide celebrations, and transporting individuals to the community for discharge readiness appointments or actual discharge placement.
• Assisting in training new HSC III's and Social Services Counselors.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required for the Position

The Social Services Counselor should possess:

• Knowledge of counseling techniques and practices.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work, nursing, education, or counseling.
• Knowledge of methods of compiling, organizing, and analyzing data.
• Ability to develop treatment or rehabilitation programs.
• Ability to develop guidelines and procedures for the delivery of social services.
• Ability to develop and present staff development and training programs.
• Ability to plan, organize, and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to follow through on all phases of the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of clients.
• Ability to provide casework services to clients.
• Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

Minimum Qualifications

The minimum qualifications for the position are:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, education, or nursing and three years of professional experience in providing social work, health education, nursing, or counseling services; or
• A master's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, education, or nursing and two years of professional experience as described above.

Candidate Profile (application) must be completed in its entirety. Include supervisor names and phone numbers for all periods of employment. Account for and explain any gaps in employment so that the hiring process is not delayed. Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications. It is unacceptable to use the statement "See Resume" in place of responding to qualifying questions and entering work history. If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287.

Benefits of Working for the State of Florida include a highly competitive set of employee benefits. For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.