INTRODUCTORY PERIOD:
All regular appointees serve a six (6) month introductory period.

CITIZENSHIP/IMMIGRATION STATUS:
In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Neighborhood House Association hires only U.S. citizens and others lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. 

This Job Announcement is not an offer of employment. The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an express or implied contract. Any of the provisions contained in this job announcement may be modified or revoked without notice. Any person who is hired may voluntarily leave their employment upon giving proper notice and may be terminated by the Agency at any time and for any reason.  Any oral or written statements to the contrary are hereby expressly disavowed and should not be relied upon by any prospective or existing employee.

Please note that offers of employment are only valid if they are made by the Human Resources Department

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

The BIH office is located at 3156 Vista Way, Oceanside, CA 92056. 


POSITION PURPOSE: 

Under the direction of the Program Manager for Black Infant Health (BIH), the Mental Health Specialist performs specialized paraprofessional to professional-level duties to support and assist BIH clients and family members including pre-enrollment assessments for program and group readiness, enrolling new participants, participating in select prenatal and postpartum groups, case management and care coordination responsibilities and co-facilitation of prenatal, postpartum and other program specific groups.  

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES: 

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of various types of work that may be performed.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to this position. 

• Responsible for all initial BIH participant enrollments; 
• Provides ongoing multi-disciplinary psycho-educational counseling, assessments, and care coordination with BIH participants; 
• Collaborates with other service team members on participant concerns; attends, participates in and provides information about assigned participants in service review and care coordination meetings and consultations;  
• Requests assistance and guidance from management and professional staff when necessary to address participants issues and problems; 
• Participates in relevant BIH Prenatal and Postpartum group sessions;
• May participate as a co-facilitator for BIH Prenatal and or Postpartum group as needed; 
• Supports in BIH Outreach and recruiting of new participants; 
• May carry a case load of BIH participants depending on program need;
• Fully embraces and supports the BIH Governing Concepts of cultural competence, client-centered, strengths-based services, and utilization of cognitive skill building approaches.  

DESIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

Knowledge of: 

• Women’s health, including prenatal and postpartum mental health and psychosocial issues; life course perspective; impact of psychosocial, cultural and economic factors on the health of women, their infants and their families; psychosocial risk status of client, including stress, health, social relationship, environment (housing), financial status, transportation that may impact her pregnancy or participation in the BIH Program; prevailing trends and policies in mental health, public health and public welfare; 

• Location and scope of community services, including, but not limited to: social services, mental health, substance abuse treatment programs, domestic violence programs, legal systems, housing and other resources for referral; 
• Federal, state and local laws and regulations applicable to the Black Infant Health Program and the assigned areas of responsibility and expertise; 
• Social, cultural health and economic issues encountered by special population groups, such as African American women and the African American community; 
• Methods and practices of assigned areas of responsibility and expertise, including early childhood education, social services, emotional and/or physical health, and learning and/or physical disabilities.   

Ability to: 

• Organize, set priorities and exercise sound independent judgment within areas of assigned responsibility;  
• Interpret, apply, explain and reach sound decisions in accordance with program regulations, policies and procedures; 
• Instruct and train individuals in a group setting and one-on-one; 
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing; prepare clear, concise and accurate reports, correspondence and other written materials; exercise tact, objectivity, sensitivity, strategy and judgment in dealing with volunteers, parents and staff; 
• Organize and maintain specialized documentation; 
• Demonstrate cultural competence and operate in a culturally affirming manner;  
• Implement clinical experience in individual and group psychotherapies dealing with individuals in multiple systems of health and social systems; 
• Identify behavioral tendencies impacting function, and recommend cognitive behavioral approaches that integrate client strengths into improving functioning; 
• Conduct crisis intervention as needed or as resources allow; exercise sound communication and interpersonal skills;  
• Display critical thinking and problem solving skills;  
• Utilize basic administrative skills (e.g. appointment scheduling, documentation, report writing, computer skills);  
• Comply with record keeping and filing practices and procedures. 

Language Skills: 

Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, participants, customers, and the general public; able to display skills in written and oral communication in English. 

Mathematical Skills: 

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals and ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs. 

Reasoning Ability:  

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.  

Education and Experience: 

Master’s Degree in social work, psychology, counseling or a related field from an accredited college or university is required. A minimum of one year of professional experience working as a mental health professional that included maternal, infant and child health and/or specialization providing services to special population groups, such as African American women. 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS, LICENSES & CERTIFICATES:

A valid California driver's license with current insurance. Current CPR certification is required or to be obtained within 90 days of employment;  TB test required upon hire and must be maintained every four (4) years. Must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS: 

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

Physical Demands: 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit or stand for long periods; talk or hear, both in person and by telephone; use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate standard office equipment; reach with hands and arms; and lift or move at least 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus to view documents. 

Mental Demands: 

While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret data, information and documents; analyze and solve problems; observe and interpret situations; learn and apply new information or skills; perform work on multiple, concurrent tasks; and interact with program management, staff, volunteers, representatives of the public.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

The employee works under typical office conditions; the noise level is usually quiet.