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Job Type
Full-time
Description
POSITION SUMMARY
What does the role of "Social Practitioner" entail?
- You will spend much of your time in your "unit," - one of a number of functional areas of the clubhouse - where you will work side-by-side with groups of members on the daily tasks that run the clubhouse, whether it be cooking lunch, doing data entry, reviewing scholarship applications, cleaning the bathrooms, or producing our quarterly literary magazine.
- You will, at times, work side-by-side with and train members on real entry level jobs in the community, like at City Meals-on-Wheels or at a local cafe.
- You will, occasionally, work side-by-side with members on overnight trips to our 200-acre working farm in western NJ, taking care of our animals and planting in our gardens.
- You will, occasionally, work evenings and weekends doing social activities that you plan with members based on their interests, from things like cooking clubs to museum trips.
- You will do all of this in a way that is intentional and focused on the rehabilitative and therapeutic potential of the work, the relationships and the community.
In doing this work, you will cultivate and support a rehabilitative community within your unit and within the clubhouse. You will develop relationships with and between members that can be leveraged to provide support for positive change and risk-taking, to combat social isolation and increase meaningful connections, and to introduce members to new opportunities in service of their recovery.
As you build relationships with members, you will also serve as a guide and advocate, working together on the more concrete steps needed to achieve their goals including accessing social services, social security and welfare funds, education, employment, and housing.
Read more about social practice as a developing theory here: https://www.fountainhouse.org/about/social-practice
OTHER JOB INFORMATION
This is a full-time, 40 hour-per-week position. You will primarily work from 9:00am to 5:00pm with some exceptions for occasional evening and weekend programming and overnight trips to the Fountain House High Point Farm!
This position is included in our staff union, which is a part of AFSCME DC37 Local 215. Please find the Fountain House Workers Union collective bargaining agreement here: https://www.fhworkersunion.com/contract
Please Note: To be considered, we would like all candidates to include a cover letter with your application!
Social Practice is a specialized form of therapy that uses a community-based approach of assisting individuals in their mental health recovery to:
- Learn new skills,
- Hone their talents
- Build dignity
- Develop a sense of belonging, and
- Make progress towards their goals
The Mental Health Social Practitioner (MHSP) is responsible for making sure the elements of social practice, as described above, are carried out to benefit members. In addition, the MHSP role will support related unit-specific goals (culinary, home and garden, education, wellness, etc.), while adhering to the International Standards for Clubhouse Programs.
Fountain House practices the International Standards for Clubhouse Programs - a Clubhouse is a place that offers respect and an opportunity to its members - as the definition for the Clubhouse Model of Rehabilitation and agreed upon by the worldwide Clubhouse community. The principles expressed in these Standards are at the heart of the Clubhouse community's success in helping people with mental illness stay out of hospitals while achieving social, financial, educational, and vocational goals. The Standards also serve as a "bill of rights" for members and a code of ethics for staff, board, and administrators.
Shift: Monday - Friday 9AM-5PM with some evenings and weekends as needed.
Salary: $29.12 hourly with wonderful benefit options and generous Paid Time Off (PTO).
Requirements
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Member Support & Advocacy
- Perform member engagement, social design, relationship development, continuous assessment and therapeutic intervention and management of transitional environments with the Fountain House membership
- Support and develop a therapeutic community based on Social Practice and the International Standards for Clubhouse Programs
- Utilize the community to design positive interventions to deal with common barriers such as social isolation, poor self-esteem, anxiety, symptom management, and poverty
- Create access to environments outside of Fountain House not traditionally therapeutically oriented, to build general skills, a sense of confidence, and to support members' self-efficacy. This includes the provision of on-site support in employment, education, and housing environments outside of Fountain House
- Develop relationships with Fountain House members and the community that can be leveraged to provide support for positive change and risk-taking, combat social isolation and increase meaningful connections, and introduce members to new opportunities
- Engineer various environments and social interactions to create therapeutic results and develop an accessible positive community
- Observe and assess experiences with members in a variety of naturalistic environments in order to create specific interventions for individuals' rehabilitation
- Provide daily advocacy and engagement with Clubhouse members to help gain self-worth, purpose of confidence, while offering guidance for appropriate problem-solving techniques
- Provide counsel for members, individually and in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, and making changes
Training Support & Entitlements
- Provide training support (vocational training) for transitional employment opportunities and maintain strong relationships with employers for job opportunity developments
- Support and fill-in for members in their Transitional Employment (TE) opportunities, if/when needed
- Assist members with entitlements and benefits; food stamps, SSI/SSDI, Medicaid/Medicare and ticket to Work/ACE/Access VR, Supplemental Need Trusts, & ADA accommodations
- Facilitates supported housing applications (2010E), Single Point of Access applications and work to find appropriate housing; assist members with physical moves into housing units
- Advocates for members well-being, safety, and livelihood with supports around clinical, legal, housing, appointments, medications, and independent living opportunities
- Acquire proficiency in skills and tasks of the (unit) you are assigned. This may include safety protocols, health guidelines, inventory lists, how to guides, etc.
- Complete all documentation including but not limited to progress notes and reach out documentation on time
- Maintain compliance with all government agency requirements, company policies and procedures
- Periodic overnight travel to High Point Farm, work some holidays including Thanksgiving, some weekend and evening hours
- Flexibility with staying late or arriving early, if necessary, to fulfill unit or member needs, and interchangeability with other staff on the unit.
- Maintain confidentiality of records relating to members' progress
- Perform related duties as assigned by supervisor
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
- Undergraduate degree or an equivalent combination of training and experience required
- Graduate degree or equivalent preferred
- 1-3+ years' experience working with individuals with serious mental illness and or/hands on experience working in a community setting preferred
- 1-2 years coaching and counseling experience preferred
- 1-2 years of vocational rehabilitation, training or employment specialist experience preferred
- Ability to effectively manage and handle member concerns and behaviors
- Proven experience with mental health crisis management by supporting and counseling members under emotional distress
REQUIRED AND PREFERRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND CREDENTIALS
- Undergraduate degree or an equivalent combination of training and experience required
- Graduate degree or equivalent preferred
- 1-2 years' experience working with individuals with serious mental illness and or/hands on experience working in a community setting preferred
Physical Requirements
- To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and meet all physical requirements satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Salary Description
$29.12
