Job Lead- Mental Health Profesional

Position: Mental Health Profesional
Company: Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)
Location: Seattle, WA

Company Description: The Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) is a client-centered recovery-oriented mental health service delivery model that has received substantial empirical support for facilitating community living, psychosocial rehabilitation, and recovery for persons who have the most severe and persistent mental illnesses, have severe symptoms and impairments, and have not benefited from traditional outpatient programs. Office will be open 12 hours/day M-F, and 8 hours a day on weekends & holidays. Some staff will work 8am - 4pm, some staff will work 12 - 8pm. All staff will work at least one weekend day in their weekly schedule, so would work either Tue-Sat or Sun-Thu. All staff rotate holiday shifts. All staff will rotate on-call (paid) time since this team will cover our 24-hour crisis coverage (both on the phone & in person) for MH issues for PACT clients. Two staff will be on-call at any given time to ensure back-up coverage and safety while doing crisis work. All staff will need to have internet access at home for after-hours crisis coverage shifts. All staff will need to have Driver’s Licenses & access to an automobile for work purposes — 75% of services need to be delivered outside DESC offices. Experience working with adults who are homeless, have a mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse issues highly desirable. Bi-lingual English-Spanish fluency highly desirable. Desire highly dedicated, self-motivated, team-oriented, creative, resilient people ready for challenging & rewarding work.

Important characteristics of PACT programs: PACT serves clients with severe and persistent mental illness that are complex, have devastating effects on functioning, and, because of the limitations of traditional mental health services, may have gone without appropriate services. Consequently, the client group is often over represented among the homeless and in jails and prisons, and has been unfairly thought to resist or avoid involvement in treatment. PACT services are delivered by a group of multidisciplinary mental health staff who work as a team and provide the majority of the treatment, rehabilitation, and support services clients need to achieve their goals. The team is directed by a project manager, team leader and a psychiatric prescriber and includes a sufficient number of staff from the core mental health disciplines, at least one peer specialist, and a program or administrative support staff who work in shifts to cover 24 hours per day, seven days a week and to provide intensive services (multiple contacts may be as frequent as two to three times per day, seven days per week, which are based on client need and a mutually agreed upon plan between the client and PACT staff). Many, if not all, staff share responsibility for addressing the needs of all clients requiring frequent contact. PACT services are individually tailored with each client and address the preferences and identified goals of each client. The approach with each client emphasizes relationship building and active involvement in assisting individuals with severe and persistent mental illness to make improvements in functioning, to better manage symptoms, to achieve individual goals, and to maintain optimism. There should be no more than 8-10 clients to one staff member. The PACT team is mobile and delivers services in community locations to enable each client to find and live in their own residence and find and maintain work in community jobs rather than expecting the client to come to the program. Seventy-five percent or more of the services are provided outside of the program offices in locations that are comfortable and convenient for clients. PACT services are delivered in an ongoing rather than time-limited framework to aid the process of recovery and ensure continuity of caregiver. Severe and persistent mental illnesses are episodic disorders and many clients benefit from the availability of a longer-term treatment approach and continuity of care.

Qualifications: (MHP). Mental health professionals have: 1) professional degrees in one of the core mental health disciplines; 2) clinical training including internships and other supervised practical experiences in a clinical or rehabilitation setting; and 3) clinical work experience with persons with severe and persistent mental illness. MHP designation is defined by the Washington State Mental Health Division. MHP’S can either have an MSW degree OR a Master’s degree in another social service or counseling discipline + 2 years experience delivering adult mental health services under the supervision of an MHP.

Pay range:
CM 1 $31,815 - $35,943/yr DOQ = Master’s degree with less than 2 years post-graduate experience with chronically mentally ill adults who have similar backgrounds as DESC clients.
CM 2 $36,450 - $40,578/yr DOQ = Masters degree in a social or behavioral science or relevant field AND 2 years postgraduate experience with chronically mentally ill adults who have similar backgrounds as DESC clients.

Benefits: All DESC regular positions include medical, dental, life and long-term disability insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, and excellent time off benefits. New employees have the potential of accruing up to 6.8 weeks of paid time off in 1st year of employment.

To Apply: Submit a cover letter and resume to: DESC-PACT, ATTN: Human Resources,
515 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, fax to (206) 515-1501, or email to hr@desc.org.
Please note that cover letters and resumes attached to an email as separate documents will not be accepted unless they are in a format readable by MS Word or Adobe Reader (.pdf format). The following document formats are unacceptable and will not be reviewed: wps, .jpeg.

The Downtown Emergency Service Center is committed to diversity in the workplace, and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.