Advanced Professional Counselor (40 Hour)(Office/On-Site)

Introduction

Are you a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) looking for an exciting opportunity to make a real impact? Join us and be part of a revolutionary team shaping the future!

THE POSITION

The State of Connecticut, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) is now hiring for an Advanced Professional Counselor to join their team! This position will serve as a key member of the Mobile Crisis Team, providing crisis services and intake evaluations to the DMHAS target population, including clients with severe mental illness, many of whom also have co-occurring substance abuse and medical disorders. This position will also independently conduct skilled crisis assessments in the community, provides psychiatric diagnostic evaluations for clients referred for CRMHC services, and offers brief clinical treatment and substance abuse services. These services include individual therapy, case management, and other interventions. This position will also conducts comprehensive clinical assessments and identifies critical risk issues.

HIGHLIGHTS

• FACILITY: Capitol Region Mental Health Center (CRMHC)
• UNIT: Mobile Crisis Unit
• ADDRESS: 500 Vine Street, Hartford, CT
• SCHEDULE: Full-Time, 40 Hours per Week, Third Shift, 12:00am - 8:30am, with alternating weekends (Friday before and the Monday after the weekend worked are off)
• POSITION NUMBER: 128184

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• Visit our newState Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Work at a Forbes-recognized company! Connecticut is proud to be featured on both America's Best Employers by State and Best Employers for New Grads in 2024. With our dynamic job market and commitment to fostering a thriving workforce, Connecticut stands out as a top destination for both seasoned professionals and fresh graduates seeking to launch their careers.
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A health work/life balance to all employees

DISCOVER THE OPPPORTUNITY TO

• Be a part of a comprehensive team of caring professionals;
• Provide support to an agency that is passionate about improving the lives of those we serve;
• Assist our clients and employees so they can achieve success;
• Make a difference in the public sector; and
• Work together in a collaborative team environment.

ABOUT US 

DMHAS is a health care agency whose mission is to promote the overall health and wellness of persons with behavioral health needs through an integrated network of holistic, comprehensive, effective, and efficient services and supports that foster dignity, respect, and self-sufficiency in those we serve. 

CRMHC is a community based mental health center serving Hartford, West Hartford, Farmington, Avon, Canton and Simsbury providing individuals with behavioral health services.  CRMHC collaborates with the greater Hartford DMHAS-Funded mental health programs comprising 15 non-profit agencies located in Hartford and West Hartford.  These agencies work together to provide a comprehensive array of behavioral health services to adults with serious psychiatric disabilities as well as co-occurring psychiatric illness and substance use. 

PLEASE NOTE

• A comprehensive medical examination, including a drug screening, will be required of all applicants upon a conditional offer of employment.
• All state employees must adhere to Connecticut's Policy for a Drug Free Workplace. 

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING: 

Please reador watchour Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

Please Note: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

TO APPLY

• The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center job posting.
• In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 
• In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited.  If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
• You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
• This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

AFTER YOU APPLY 

• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email and/or phone, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 
• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
• NOTE: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.
• Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.

CONNECT WITH US 

• Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.
• Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Jensine Tran at Jensine.Tran@ct.gov. 

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency behavioral health program as part of a multi-disciplinary team at one or more locations this class is accountable for skilled clinical counseling treatment and leadership services involving complex case assignments.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Independently provides highly skilled direct professional counseling treatment services to clients with complex emotional, behavioral or interpersonal problems through comprehensive clinical assessments and provision of individual, family and group treatment; 
• Provides individual field work instruction and/or clinical supervision which includes instruction in use of comprehensive psychosocial assessments, case management, needs assessment and supportive counseling; 
• Develops and maintains comprehensive treatment and/or rehabilitation plans including measurable treatment objectives; 
• Initiates consultation and collaboration with other mental health providers to improve delivery of current services and/or identify unmet needs within current service system; 
• Assists in resolution of administrative, personnel and clinical issues in program; 
• Develops data for statistical and planning systems and/or research and publication; 
• Prepares administrative reports and suggests operational policies and procedures; 
• Oversees development and/or implementation of individual client treatment plans; 
• May be assigned administrative oversight of research projects; 
• May provide expert testimony to courts; 
• May represent program in liaison relationships with other community agencies and resources; 
• May chair or serve on unit committees that develop services for clients; 
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of
  • and ability to instruct others on principles, methodology, casework and techniques of counseling, interviewing and psychosocial assessment; 
  • family and interpersonal relationship dynamics; 
• Knowledge of
  • statutes, regulations and standards relating to mental health services; 
  • state law governing licensed professional counselor practice standards; 
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills; 
  • oral and written communication skills; 
• Ability to
  • integrate theory and case material in assessing and devising comprehensive treatment plans for difficult and/or complex case assignments; 
  • lead task groups including but not limited to treatment teams.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

One (1) year of experience as a licensed professional counselor.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience assessing risk of clients with severe and persistent mental illness in the community
• Experience assessing the substance abuse treatment needs of clients with a history of severe and persistent mental illness
• Experience working in a mental health agency within a multi-disciplinary team to address client treatment needs
• Experience with concurrent documentation, utilization of electronic health record systems and telehealth treatment methods (Microsoft Teams, Office 365 suite, and voice/video)
• Experience completing biopsychosocial and risk assessments for clients with severe and persistent mental illness

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license to practice professional counselor work pursuant to Sec. 20-195 (a-f) of the Connecticut General Statutes.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to have knowledge of sign language and communication ability with the deaf and hearing impaired in certain designated positions.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to have ability in Spanish oral and written communication in certain designated positions.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be exposed to some risk of injury from assaultive and/or abusive clients.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.