JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: COMMUNITY PSYCHIATRIC SUPPORT THERAPIST (CPST)

MISSION

To help adolescents and their families recover from the effects of mental illness, learn to care for themselves and each other; and achieve effective quality health care, behavior health treatment and residential services to children, adolescents and their families in a therapeutic milieu to enhance further growth and community reintegration in the least restrictive setting possible.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Responsible for participating in the orientation of new residents, providing them and their families with information regarding the facility, contact information and procedures.
  • Responsible for completing required assessments, e.g., independent living assessment, within guidelines established by agency and directives.
  • Responsible for conducting ongoing assessments of the needs of the resident and the family.
  • Maintains appropriate contact with families and/or guardians and collaborative agencies, e.g., returning phone calls within acceptable timeframes.
  • Provides assistance to the resident in achieving personal independence in managing basic needs as identified by the resident and/or parent/guardian, e.g., developing daily living skills.
  • Responsible for assisting the resident, parent and/or guardian and collaborative agencies during the discharge process and provide appropriate step-down services, e.g., psychiatric, community-based, etc.)
  • Responsible for participating in treatment team meetings, monthly case conferences, case presentations and training activities.
  • Responsible for completing required clinical documentation, in accordance with regulatory agencies requirements, in a timely manner.
  • Responsible for attending training and/or consulting with supervisor to maintain a current understanding of the facilities residential treatment program developments and activities.
  • Participates in research and evaluation projects as assigned by the supervisor; prepares presentations for therapist’s meetings, team meetings and in-service meetings on relevant treatment topics.

REQUIRED TRAINING

All direct care staff must remain in compliance with regulatory trainings. Failure to remain compliant will result in staff being removed for the work schedule.

  • CPR
  • Crisis Prevention Intervention
  • Client Rights
  • Abuse and Neglect
  • Minor Aversive Interventions
  • Major Aversive Interventions
  • Behavior Management Plan
  • Obtaining Medical and Psychiatric Assistance
  • Identification and Assessment of Contraindications
  • Assistance with Self-Administration of Medication
  • Non-Physical Intervention/De-escalation Techniques
  • Identification and Utilization of Less Restrictive Alternatives
  • Fire and Other Disaster Procedures
  • Human Resource Orientation
  • Annual Training

Other – Tuberculosis testing prior to employment and, thereafter, annually.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

  • Minimum one year’s experience in case management, case coordination or a related service, prefer a bachelor’s degree in social work or related human services field.
  • Current, valid Ohio driver’s license.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Quality of Work: Maintains high standards of accuracy in performing duties and responsibilities. Must demonstrate acceptable clinical observation, diagnostic skills and documentation skills.

Quantity of Work: Maintains effective and efficient output of all duties and responsibilities as described under “Specific Duties and Responsibilities”.

Dependability: Assumes responsibility for completing assigned work and meeting deadlines. Completes assigned tasks on or before deadlines in accordance with directives, policy, standards and prescribed procedures.

Communication: Ability to effectively communicate with patients, families, interdisciplinary team members, regulatory agencies and the general public in a clear and concise manner.

Attendance: Responsible for being punctual for designated work schedule and meetings. Adheres to policies and procedures regarding absences and tardiness. Provides adequate notice to management for approved absences and paid time off.

Initiative and Enthusiasm: Maintains an enthusiastic, self-reliant and self-starting approach to accomplish job responsibilities. Strives to anticipate work to be completed and initiates proper and acceptable direction for completion of work with a minimum of supervision and instruction.

Judgment: Ability to solve practical problems with a variety of concrete variables in a situation where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form. Exercises analytical judgment in areas of responsibility. Identifies problems or situations as they occur and assists in solutions to problems or situations.

Cooperation: Accepts supervisory instruction and strives to meet the goals and objectives of same. Questions such instruction and direction when clarification of results or consequences are justified, i.e., unclear communications, variance with policy and procedures. Offers suggestions and recommendations to encourage and improve cooperation between all staff within the department.

Interpersonal Skills: Ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills in mental health counseling, and as a multi-disciplinary team member, with residents, families and the general public. Shares knowledge with supervisors and staff for mutual and departmental benefit. Contributes to maintaining high morale among all staff. Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with all staff members, representatives from organizations and the general public.

Management of Time: Ability to plan and organize daily work schedule. Establishes priorities for the completion of work to meet deadlines in a timely and effective manner. Avoids duplication of effort.

Safety and Housekeeping: Adheres to all safety and housekeeping standards established within the facility and the various regulatory agencies. Maintains a clean and orderly workplace.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS REQUIRED

TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Physical Requirements: Must be able to operate office equipment, office machines to include computers, calculators, copier and facsimile. Must be able to operate and manipulate a variety of behavioral therapy :of force frequently and /or negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. As needed, must be able to physically assist in crisis interventions which involve physically managing a patient in order to prevent patient from hurting self or another.

Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions from immediate supervisor.

Language Ability: Requires the ability to read policy manuals, behavioral assessments and therapeutic reference materials; IEP goals and objectives; student reports and other program related documents. Requires the ability to prepare cognitive and behavioral assessments, goals and objectives, therapy plans, consequence records and communication logs, student progress reports, incident reports, memorandums, correspondence and other program related documents using proper format.

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic or schedule form.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively using therapeutic and behavioral terminology.

Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract totals; to multiply and divide; to determine percentages and decimals; and to compute interest and ratios.

Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.

Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately.

Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items, therapeutic instruments and supplies, office and classroom equipment, control knobs, switches, etc. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.

Color Discrimination: Requires the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of colors.

Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instruction. Must be adaptable to performing under considerable levels of stress.

Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and/or hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken works.

Hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear.) Must be able to communicate via telephone.

This job description is not intended to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities and skills required for the job and is subject to review and revision in accordance with the needs of Pomegranate Health Systems and contractual obligations.

I have read and understand the responsibilities of the Community Psychiatric Support Therapist. I agree to perform these duties and responsibilities and understand this job description will be the formal basis for my performance evaluation. I also understand that failure to meet the duties and responsibilities of this position will result in correction action up to and including termination from Pomegranate Health Systems.

Signature Print Name Date

Revised 12/2015

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