Mental Health Specialist

Position: Mental Health Specialist

Program: Mobile Outreach Program

Location: Oakland, California

Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week)

Salary Range: $50,000 - $55,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

Position Overview:

Established in 1993, Operation Dignity is a nonprofit organization providing housing and supportive services for homeless veterans, veteran families, and homeless populations in Alameda County, California. Operation Dignity operates emergency, transitional, and permanent housing programs for veterans in Alameda, Berkeley, and Oakland.

Additionally, Operation Dignity’s Mobile Outreach Program provides field engagement, harm reduction supplies, case management counseling, and service referrals to people who are homeless and unsheltered. We utilize a strengths-based approach, valuing clients’ skills, resilience, and inherent worth.

In order to support our expanding Mobile Outreach operations, we are seeking a motivated, passionate, and empathetic individual to join our team as a Mental Health Specialist. Operating as part of a team of 2-3 outreach workers, you will be tasked to regularly visit homeless encampment sites across an assigned area of Oakland and

• develop long-term, trusting relationships with encampment residents;
• provide long-term mental health and substance abuse counseling services once trust is established;
• provide immediate care for acute mental health crises (e.g. assessments, de-escalations, interventions); and
• assist with general outreach tasks as needed.

Your overall objective will be to assist our clients in stabilizing their mental health and pursuing their housing and income goals.

Requirements:

• Must be at least 18 years of age
• High School Diploma or GED
• A valid driver’s license and clean driving record and clean driving record
• Tuberculosis (TB) test
• Familiarity with Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, and the 12-Step Addiction Recovery Model
• One of the following certifications:
• Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor (CATC)
• Certified Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselor (CADAC)
• Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS)
• Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS)
• Other relevant certifications focused on mental health and/or substance use treatment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a mental health setting, such as community mental health service facilities, outpatient clinics, VA and hospital mental health offices, etc.
• Experience providing intensive case management.
• Experience providing Substance Use Disorder services.
• Experience providing outreach (direct engagement, service referrals, harm reduction supplies, etc.) to homeless individuals.
• Ability to create a compassionate, patient, and empowering connection with highly marginalized and homeless populations, including individuals with mental health and substance abuse concerns.
• Ability to remain calm in crisis situations, think well on one’s feet, and promote helpful solutions in a volatile and ever-changing street environment.
• Willingness to be a team player; able to share resources on behalf of each client and effectively contribute to the entire outreach team.
• Cultural competency: able to establish effective professional relationships with culturally and racially diverse staff and clients.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Self-motivated, able to take initiative on behalf of the agency and clients.
• Be able to lift 50 lbs, bend, and be on feet for several hours for street outreach efforts.
• Be able to use MS Office (Word/Excel) to fulfill our programs’ documentation and reporting requirements.
• Personal life experience with homelessness, recovery, addiction, or mental health and/or a strong understanding of these issues highly desirable.

Position Responsibilities:

1. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counseling:

• Develop respectful, trust-based relationships with encampment residents in the assigned zone of responsibility. Provide long-term mental health services in an empathetic, non-invasive, and constructive manner, with the objective of improving overall mental health and reducing dependencies on alcohol and other substances, thereby removing obstacles to housing and employment.
• Conduct immediate interventions and de-escalations when encountering acute mental health crises. Attempt to resolve issues/de-escalate in a non-confrontational, non-judgmental, and empathetic manner.
• Develop individual recovery plans.
• Be prepared to link clients to comprehensive services, including higher levels of mental health treatment, legal assistance, entitlement benefits, health care, detox programs, substance abuse treatment, and recovery programs. Advocate for clients, when necessary.
• Provide clients resource information about emergency shelter options and housing resources, supporting them to transition from the streets into safe and supportive housing.

2. Administrative (Communications and Recordkeeping):

• Maintain well-organized client files as applicable (e.g. documented assessments and individual recovery plans).
• Use HMIS and other databases as needed, with a focus on data timeliness and accuracy.
• Be prepared to provide written logs of activities conducted and relevant data (e.g. # of clients engaged weekly, # of crisis interventions performed, # of recovery plans created, etc.) to supervisors in accordance with program reporting requirements.
• Develop positive relationships with other service providers across the Bay Area in order to share best practices and facilitate service referrals.
• Maintain a strict level of client confidentiality (in accordance with HIPAA).

3. Other Duties as Assigned.

Operation Dignity is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $50,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Medical Specialty:

• Addiction Medicine

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

COVID-19 considerations:
Operation Dignity has a strong COVID Prevention Program

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Preferred)

Experience:

• mental health setting: 2 years (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Preferred)

Company's website:

• www.operationdignity.org

Benefit Conditions:

• Waiting period may apply
• Only full-time employees eligible

Work Remotely:

• Temporarily due to COVID-19