Qualified Mental Health Professional

The Safer Foundation is a social service provider to individuals with arrest and conviction records. Through a full range of services, including case management, educational instruction and advocacy, we focus on preparing individuals for the world of work by helping them find and keep productive and meaningful employment.

General Summary:

Under supervision of the clinical services supervisor, the Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) will function as a member of a multi-disciplinary re-entry team. This position will require for an individual to provide a range of professional behavioral health services to individuals impacted by severe mental illness, mental health, and substance use conditions. This role is responsible for all aspects of providing immediate crisis support, supporting in mental health and substance use disorder evaluations, establishing referrals for the appropriate behavioral health level of care, monitoring progress of clients and ensuring continuity of care is not compromised.

The QMHP will provide a range of clinical assessments, interventions, and engage in internal and external staffings. The QMHP will be provided extensive training to assess using IM+CANS to provide clinical recommendations to improve quality of life to returning residents.

Performance Results Description

The Position is properly performed when all essential duties and responsibilities are executed by following the Safer Values.

Exceeding Expectations, Communication and Collaboration, Integrity and Evidence Based Innovation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Stakeholder Interface and Service

Maintain a caseload established by the clinical supervisor to provide clinical screening, assessing, and clinical case management.

Using Salesforce, CareLogic, and/or other database(s), register clients into the system.

Complete an initial screening to identify/address immediate and short-term needs

For all referrals, conduct initial screenings/assessments to determine immediate and short-term needs taking into consideration desired services, geography, client choice, insurance status, justice supervision status, and other considerations.

Develop short-term and long-term recommendations/service plans.

Provide crisis intervention, short-term counseling support, and on-going clinical case management as needed.

Follow-up on progress of initial service recommendations, adjusting when appropriate, as immediate needs are met transition the client for ongoing case management with internal or external providers depending on the client’s needs and engagement in services.

Communicate with the clinical supervisor and/or cross-functional staffing regarding client progress and/or identifying needs to be addressed.

Stakeholder Outreach and Recruitment

Under direction of the clinical supervisor, seek out, research, negotiate and establish new relationships with other behavioral health agencies that welcome and are responsive to the needs of the justice impacted population.

Coordinate and conduct integrated staffings with internal programmatic staff and external providers with external partners while obtaining the necessary consents and maintaining confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and when applicable, 42 CFR Part 2 or other relevant confidentially laws.

Tracking, Document, and Reporting

As clients stabilize, refer necessary internal and external providers following up on client progress and maintaining documentation in Salesforce.

Ensure warm handoffs are made and activity is up to date in Carelogic and Salesforce for other involved staff.

Maintain compliance with HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, and other privacy and confidentiality laws and regulations with respect to clients protected information.

Attend multi-disciplinary staffings to discuss collective individuals on the team’s collective caseload.

Referrals are made and follow-up with appointment dates and kept appointments.

All contractual requirements are completed accurately, completely and on time.

All Safer standards are adhered to, including productivity standards.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of mental health counseling, individual, group therapy, and psychoeducational treatments.

Knowledge of IM+CANS assessments and interpretation of such assessments.

Knowledge of completing ASAM bio-psycho-social assessments and interpretation of such assessments.

Knowledge of crisis evaluation and intervention.

Knowledge of treatment plan development and implementation in accordance with IL Medicaid Rule 132 and SUPR 2060

Knowledge of human, emotional, social, psychological, and environmental challenges, and interventions to alleviate

Knowledge of the techniques for observing and assessing behavior

Knowledge of the basic mental health professional discipline, principles, and practice

Knowledge of the characteristics and aspects of mental and emotional disturbances and developmental disabilities.

Ability to work with other professional disciplines. Ability to make independent clinical judgements.

Ability to communicate effectively with others, including the ability to organize, evaluate and present information verbally and in writing and to speak before groups.

Ability to develop a therapeutic relationship with patients.

Familiarity with Medicaid Rule 132 and SUPR Rule 2060

Knowledge of common concepts, theories, issues and best practices concerning Chicago neighborhood trends, individuals impacted by the justice system, and community re-entry.

Ability to represent Safer Foundation in a professional manner while also being able to develop a rapport with clients from diverse backgrounds.

Skilled in active listening and conveying information to others effectively.

Knowledgeable about Medicaid in Illinois as well as other public benefits.

Knowledgeable about resources in the community for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Knowledgeable about the Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) website and Manage My Case function.

Education and Experience:

Master’s degree in social work, Counseling, or other human service related field required.

Must be a qualified mental health professional; licensed eligible (LPC/LSW) preferred

A minimum of 2 years’ experience working in community behavioral health settings required.

A minimum of 1-2 years providing crisis intervention services preferred.

At least 2 years of experience working as a case manager in a social service setting.

Must have an understanding on utilizing DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing mental health and substance use conditions.

Individuals with lived experience high desirable.

Experience working individuals impacted by the justice system preferred.

Experience in referring clients to a network of community-based providers and resources.

Experience in the field of substance use/mental health or care coordination.

Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics and societal trends and influences.

Hands-on experience and self-sufficiency with Microsoft productivity tools, including Outlook (for email), Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), and online collaboration tools (video conferencing, Zoom/Teams, messaging).

Proficient in completing clinical documentation in accordance with IL Rule 132 and SUPR 2060 compliance standards preferred.

In-depth practical knowledge of HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2.

Licenses and or Certifications:

Certification as a CADC preferred but not required.

Licensed as a LPC/LSW is a plus.

Safer Foundation is a drug-free workplace.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action/Minorities/Females/Veterans

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