San Mateo County
The Adult/Older Adult Services Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services is seeking an experienced individual for the position of Psychiatric Social Worker/Marriage & Family Therapist I/II-Chinese Speaking Required (PSW/MFT). PSW/MFTs, under general supervision, provide specialized psychiatric casework counseling and therapy services to either children and adolescents or seriously mentally ill adults and older adults in community or inpatient settings; and supervise graduate interns.
The current vacancy is in the OASIS (Older Adult System of Integrated Services) Team, requires fluency in Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin) and English, is a full-time position at Behavioral Health and Recovery Services stationed in San Mateo, but travels throughout the County to provide services.
This clinician is responsible for providing intensive case management to assist older adult clients with serious mental illness in managing complex medical problems, cognitive impairment, functional limitations, substance abuse issues, and day-to-day challenges to enable them to remain living in community-based settings. This position is also responsible for providing counseling/therapy to treat Axis I and II diagnoses. Primary duties include assessment, diagnosis, crisis intervention, care planning, documentation, hands-on case management, counseling/therapy, and collaboration with clients’ family and other professionals.
This position works as part of a multi-disciplinary team consisting of PSWs, MFTs, a Community Mental Health Nurse, Psychiatrists, and a Community Worker, all of whom provide field-based services to older adult clients with serious mental illness throughout San Mateo County at their place of residence.
The Ideal Candidate will possess:
- Experience working with older adult clients;
- Solid clinical assessment, diagnostic and evaluation skills;
- Experience with crisis assessment and triage;
- Knowledge of principles, techniques and best practices in counseling, psychotherapy, and clinical case management;
- Experience conducting home visits;
- Strong documentation skills (timely and accurate): progress notes, assessments, client care plans, etc.; experience with electronic records;
- Demonstrated expertise, skill and interest in working with a broad range of clients of diverse cultures and backgrounds, and older adult clients with serious mental illness;
- Skill in establishing and maintaining productive working relationships with clients, families and the public;
- Proven ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with collaborative partners, including other agencies, etc.;
- Demonstrated skill in working as part of a multidisciplinary team;
- The ability to make sound decisions while working independently out in the field;
- Experience in using bilingual and bicultural skills in providing services to clients.
PSW/MFT I: $4,857.00 - $6,071.00/month
PSW/MFT II: $5,447.00 - $6,809.00/month
NOTE: The list created from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies.
Qualifications:
Language Requirement: The ability to speak, read and write fluently in both English and Chinese.
Licensure/Certification:
PSW I - current California registration as a Clinical Social Worker Associate (ASW).
MFT I - current California Registration as a Marriage and Family Therapist intern (IMF). Individuals hired in these classifications must become licensed within three years from the date of employment as a Clinical Social Worker or Marriage and Family Therapist by the State of California.
PSW II - current California license as a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).
MFT II - current California license as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT).
Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is a Master's degree in Social Work, Social Welfare or a closely related field.
Knowledge of: Current philosophy, principles, and practices for services to clients with emotional disturbance or serious mental illness; individual, group and family psychodynamics as they relate to children or adults; psychological diagnostic methods and terminology; personality development from infancy through adulthood; human and health services systems in the County including private agencies and other community resources.
Skill/Ability to: Provide treatment to children, adolescents or adults with various mental health disabilities ranging from emotional disturbance or serious mental illness to dysfunctional behavior patterns, including victims of sexual or physical abuse; set realistic treatment goals and facilitate their attainment; evaluate the degree of mental disability or emotional distress of patients/clients; provide consultation and technical assistance to agencies, schools and other organizations; work collectively within a multi-disciplinary team; and communicate effectively orally and in writing.
Application/Examination:
Anyone may apply. San Mateo County and San Mateo County Superior Court employees who have worked with at least six months of continuous service in a permanent or probationary position prior to the final filing date receive preference points. A supplemental application form must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form.
The examination will consist of an interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or a screening committee may select those applicants whose education and/or experience appear to best meet the needs of the position based solely on the information provided in the application documents. Because of this screening process, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the next phase of the examination process. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the 'Apply' button above. If you are not on the County's website, please go to www.smcgov.org/hr/jobs to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.
~ TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE ~
Final Filing Date: May 9, 2013
Application Screening: Week of May 13, 2013
Combined Panel/Department Interview: June 4 and/or 5, 2013
To apply, visit click here.
