PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORKER II / EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT HOMELESSNESS

Position/Program Information

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:
OPEN COMPETITIVE - EMERGENCY

FILING DATE:
Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. , Pacific Time (PT)

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.

EXAM NUMBER:

PH9035A-EA

The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Psychiatric Social Worker II vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%.

Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Psychiatric Social Worker II .

DEFINITION:
Performs a wide variety of professional social work services in connection with the treatment of clients in need of mental health services.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:
Positions allocable to this journey-levelclass are assigned to community mental health facilities, psychiatric hospital wards, outpatientmental health clinics, and specialized mental health treatment programs and work under the generalsupervision of a higher level psychiatric social worker position, supervisory mental health position, or a psychiatrist. Within agency guidelines and professional standards, incumbents function independently to formulate differential diagnoses concerning the nature of the mental illness, in order to develop an effective intervention and to determine the appropriate psychotherapeutic methods to be utilized. Positions at this level are characterized primarily by assignments thatrequire that the incumbents be able to consistently and effectively apply a wide variety of psychotherapeutictechniques and methods in the treatment of clients witha wide range of mental illnesses. Such psychotherapeutic methods include group, family, individual and conjoint therapy, clinical case management, and crisis intervention. Positions allocable to this class also provide mental health consultation services to other health disciplines and to community agencies, and participate in social work student affiliate programs for training professional social work students. Duties and responsibilities of this position require the application of professional skills and possession of extensive knowledge pertaining to the principles, practices, and theory of psychiatric social work. Training-related duties and responsibilities require the application of basic leadership and training principles to provide program direction for both graduate students and unlicensed clinical staff.

Essential Job Functions

Interviews individuals, their familiesand/or significant others to obtain a family, social, employment, medical, substance abuse and mental health treatment history.
Assesses client'sfunctioning in his/her environmental setting.

Develops a Client Care Coordination Plan (CCCP) designed to resolve or cope with the mental or emotional problem, which may include individual, group, family or marital counseling, case management, and/or referral to another treatment source such as a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a vocational or rehabilitation counselor, or another agency.

Determines the duration of therapy, priorities of the problems to be dealt with, therapy methods to be used, and necessity of modifying treatment goals at successive intervals during the treatment process.

Provides psychotherapy to individuals, groups, families, and significant others.

Provides case management services to secure resources for clients, families and significant others to achieve treatment goals.

Assists clients, families, and significant others by discussing their reactions and attitudes concerning mental health problems and co-occurring substance abuse disorders; explains need for treatment; and encourages all concerned parties to work together cooperatively to resolve the problem and minimize the stresses that impact social functioning.

Works with families and significant others toward gaining their acceptance of and participation in treatment recommendations.

Interviews persons seeking psychiatric assistance on an emergency basis and utilizes crisis intervention techniques to prevent hospitalization and to aid the person in dealing with the emotional crisis.
Serves as a member of a mental health emergency intervention team and/or a joint law enforcement/mental health emergency intervention team by evaluatingthe behavior of persons to determine if they are, as a result of a mental disorder, dangerous to themselves, others, or gravely disabled.
Initiates procedure on application for immediate 72-hour detention at a hospital facilityand, depending upon the apparent seriousness of the situation,schedules an appointment for evaluation and treatment at a Mental Health Clinic or makes referral to another community treatment agency.

Participates in multi-disciplinary team conferences to discuss and evaluate the nature of the client's problem and to evaluate the client's progress.

Participates in social work student affiliate programs for training professional social work students through case assignments and technical instruction; assesses and evaluates students' progress and professional development.

Providesin-service training to social work staff and participates in mental health training programs for medical students and students in the allied health fields.

Instructscommunity agencies regardingthe utilization of mental health principles to identify and to treat mental health problems encountered by the agency.

Participates in or conducts research to increase knowledge of mental health problems and to improve therapeutic treatment methods.

Reviews treatment authorization requests from hospitals, contracted network and/or legal entity community-based providers/programs and recommends approval or denial of requests per specified state and Department of Mental Health contract compliance requirements, as needed.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
A valid and active license as a LicensedClinical Social Worker* issued by the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Board of Behavioral Sciences.
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

*License/Certificate Information: The required license and/or certificate must be active and unrestricted or your application will not be accepted.

PHYSICAL CLASS:
Physical Class II - Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

You MUST meet the above requirement(s) in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT:
Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work assignment, the appointing department will evaluate your performance. Those who achieve a passing score on this evaluation will be considered for permanent appointment.

_______________________________________________________________

Application and Filing Information

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications must be filed ONLINE ONLY and will be reviewed for interview consideration on an ongoing basis. If you have not been contacted within 60 days and the recruitment remains open or reopens for filing, we encourage you to submit a new application. This will allow you to reaffirm your interest and update any relevant information. Applicants are required to complete and submit an online Los Angeles County Employment Application AND Supplemental Questionnaire in order to be considered for this examination. Paper applications, resumes, or any unsolicited documents will not be accepted in lieu of completing the online application and Supplemental Questionnaire. Application filing may be suspended at any time without advance notice.

Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the
application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add hrexams@ph.lacounty.gov as well as noreply@governmentjobs.com, and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

You have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the 5:00 p.m. PT deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.



SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER:

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES:

For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. Check the website for updated information at https://lacountylibrary.org .
FAIR CHANCE EMPLOYER:
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

DO NOT SHARE USER ID AND PASSWORD:

All applicants must file their application online using their OWN user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.
ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI):
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the in equalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Department Contact Name: Exam Analyst

Department Contact Phone: (323) 659-6546

Department Contact E-mail: HRExams@ph.lacounty.gov

Exam Number: PH9035A-EA

California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922

ADA Coordinator Phone: (323) 659-6546

Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099

Alternate Teletype Phone: (800) 897-0077

For detailed information, please click here

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• Los Angeles County

• (800) 970-5478

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