About the Role
The Direct Care Specialist position is an integral part of our clinical services and in ensuring client safety while clients progress towards rehabilitation goals daily. The DCS has the responsibility of assisting an individual who has a psychiatric disability in the process of restoration of community functioning and well-being. This position seeks to effect changes in a person's environment and in a person's ability to deal with his/her environment, to facilitate improvement in symptoms or personal distress. These services are combined with independent living and social skills training, vocational rehabilitation, social support and network enhancement, and access to leisure activities. Activities selected will focus on challenging stigma and prejudice to enable social inclusion, on working collaboratively to empower clients, and sometimes on a goal of full psychosocial recovery. Psychiatric rehabilitation services are collaborative, person directed and individualized. They focus on helping individuals develop skills and access resources needed to increase their capacity to be successful and satisfied in the living, working, learning, and social environments of their choice. This position is under direct management/ lead supervision and has the responsibility to follow through with tasks as trained and as assigned.
The DCS has overall responsibility for implementing and providing daily services, program activities to clients and include:
- Provide strategies in designing planned interventions for complex clients by providing feedback to the treatment team and the Rehabilitation Specialists.
- Provide services aimed at reducing symptoms/behaviors associated with a mental health disability.
- Provide interventions and services to promote the highest possible level of success – socially, self-care, increase positive coping skills - through restoration and maintenance.
- Assist clients in educational, work skills, sobriety or with other issues related to their diagnosis by obtaining skills to live independently or by preventing decompensation or a more restrictive situation. Objectives of the position include (but not limited to):
- Assist clients in gaining interpersonal skills.
- Thorough documentation identifying client symptoms or behaviors and interventions aimed at assisting client with needs.
- Participation in developing client interventions with the Rehabilitation Specialist and treatment teamsProvide client interventions in social skills training to improve communication skills and facilitate appropriate interpersonal behavior.
- Problem solving, support, supervision of clients related to program and social activities.
- Assist clients in gaining and utilizing skills necessary to participate in community reintegration– educational groups, behavior control, social skills, communication skills, ADLs support, successful interpersonal behavior, and coping skills.
- Observe clients, provide support, positive reinforcement.
- Implement interventions derived from the client treatment plan, reinforce client selected coping skills.
- Teach and model appropriate social skills.
- Participate in scheduled meetings to discuss client progress.
- Involvement in the prevention of escalation, crisis intervention, decompensation and all necessary documentation following such events.
- Maintain accurate and detailed records.
- Follow facility documentation policies regarding documentation.
- Track data as needed/assigned.
- Review and request feedback to maintain best practices and standards.
- Maintain open lines of communication and uphold strong ethical and professional guidelines to ensure client care is superior.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications:
DCS I Position: Is an entry level position that does not require college education. Distinguishing characteristics will identify specific requirements for DCS II, III & IV positions.
High School Diploma; B.A /B.S. Preferred
Experience or education related to understanding mental illness and working with clients diagnosed with a mental illness.
Strong interpersonal communication and client centered communication skills
Preferred Skills: Understanding of general psychosocial standards and medical practices associated with the treatment of mental illness.
Bilingual
Work or volunteer experience in a mental health setting DCS I
DCS I is the entry level position in the client direct care services.
Fingerprint clearance, and pass drug test, physical exam, and clear TB test
This position is offered under direct supervision, requirements for position noted above.
DCS II:
DCS II is the journey-level class. Employees must have excelled in the DCS I position as noted through evaluation of skillset in addition to noted qualifications/job requirements below.
Associates Degree, B.A./B.S. in psychology or related field or High School Diploma/Equivalency and 2 + years’ experience working directly with clients in mental health setting (Additional education may compensate for years’ experience)
Additional responsibilities of DCS II may include:
Group Facilitation and documentation of incident reports, participation/facilitation of client and staff debriefings
DSW III:
DCS III is also a journey-level class within the DSW position.
DCS III employees will have acquired skill and mastered requirements of both the DCS & II positions while meeting additional requirements:
B.A. / B.S. in psychology or related field plus 1+ years’ experience or High School Diploma/ Equivalency and 3 + years’ experience working directly with clients in a mental health setting (Additional education may compensate for years’ experience)
The DCS III may also be responsible for taking on additional responsibilities and or exhibiting supplementary skillsets: Facilitating shift change, organizing daily schedules, documenting, and communicating shift summaries, notifications to key parties during an emergency,
facilitation of groups/ offsite activities, transporting clients, excellent time management skills, strong documentation skills, strong crisis prevention skills, strong communication skills, heightened focus towards problem solving, and conflict resolution skills.
DSW IV
DCS IV is the advanced level employee within the DCS position.
DCS IV employees will have acquired skills and mastered requirements of DCS I, II & III positions and will have qualified by meeting additional requirements:
B.A./B.S. in psychology or related field plus 2+ years’ experience or High School Diploma/ Equivalency and 4 + years’ experience working directly with clients in a mental health setting (Additional education may compensate for years’ experience)
Understanding of general psychosocial standards and medical practices associated with the treatment of mental illness Differences within positions of DCS III to DCS IV involves significant accountability and adherence to policies and procedures as well as decision making responsibility as well as creating and adhering to group/activity lesson plans, participation in clinical aspects of care as assigned by supervisor, training of new hires as assigned.
About the Company
Vision: We create a community of people who have an improved quality of life.
Mission: We are committed to supporting YOU through your wellness journey by providing skills and no-cost
resources that you are not just surviving, but thriving.
Our vision is a clean, thriving, and unified Baltimore City:
Citizens of Baltimore will have access to services required to stabilize them in communities of their own
choice. This will occur by connecting individuals with resources, ensuring our youth have access to programs
that empower them to break generational trauma and stagnation. We hope to assist clients and our
community at large to identify and address barriers that will culminate change in behavior, change in
circumstances, confidence to address behavioral health issues, and self-awareness, not only in the youth
involved in our program but also in other communities we serve.
DMC Empowering Health Services has a mission to empower children and adults in Baltimore City communities with the transferable skills and intentional opportunities to grow, flourish and cultivate change through workforce development, financial literacy, peer mentorship and civic engagement activities.
Although we have started out as a community empowerment organization, we have identified addressing our client’s behavioral health needs as a key activity to help us meet the mission of the organization. To that end and based on our client base we have chosen to expand services to incorporate a Outpatient Mental Health Clinic.