Mental Health Assistant 2

Are you passionate about mental health care and looking to make a real impact in your community?

Join our mission-driven team as a Mental Health Assistant 2.

Apply today

The State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) is seeking a dedicated and compassionate Mental Health Assistant 2to join our Behavioral Health Home team. This is a unique opportunity to work in a dynamic, community-based setting where your work directly supports individuals with serious mental illness and co-occurring conditions.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS:

• FACILITY: Capitol Region Mental Health Center (CRMHC)
• UNIT: Behavioral Health Home
• LOCATION: Hartford, CT
• SCHEDULE: Full-time (40 hours weekly), Monday - Friday, First Shift, 8:00 AM. - 4:30 PM
• POSITION NUMBER: 121833

WHY THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT:

• Explore our comprehensive State Employee Benefits Overview to see what we offer
• Enjoy endless opportunities forprofessional growth and development
• Embrace a healthywork/life balance tailored to all employees

DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITY TO:

• Provide direct care and case management support to clients living in the community
• Participate in community outreach, including home visits and family engagement
• Assist clients in developing daily living skills and achieving personal treatment goals
• Coordinate care with community providers, including medical, psychiatric, and housing services
• Support clients in accessing entitlements, insurance coverage, and essential resources
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team committed to dignity, recovery, and wellness
• Promote a safe, respectful, and empowering environment for all clients

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.

The Behavioral Health Home at CRMHC is an innovative, integrated care coordination program designed to support individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and chronic medical conditions. This interdisciplinary team delivers recovery-oriented, person- and family-centered services that aim to improve health outcomes and enhance the overall client experience. The BHH model offers comprehensive care management, health promotion, transitional care, patient and family support, and connections to vital community and social services.

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.

START WITH US. STAY WITH US. GROW WITH US.

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:

Check out our Applicant Tips on How to Apply Need more resources? Visit our Applicant Toolkit for additional support throughout the recruitment process.

BEFORE YOU APPLY:

• Meet Minimum Qualifications: Ensure you meet the Minimum Qualifications listed on the job opening by the job closing date. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements listed must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• Educational Credits: List your earned credits and degrees from accredited institutions accurately on your application. To receive educational credits towards qualification, 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 contact listed below by the closing date listed on the job posting.
• Resume Policy: Per Public Act 21-69, resumes are not accepted during the initial application process. As the recruitment process progresses, candidates may be required to submit additional documentation to support their qualification(s) for this position. This documentation may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the request and discretion of the hiring agency.
• Preferred Shift/Location: Select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
• Timely Submission: All application materials must be received by the job posting deadline. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State. Late submissions are rarely accepted, with exceptions only for documented events that incapacitate individuals during the entire duration of the job posting. Request exceptions by emailing

• Salary Calculations: 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.

• Note: 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.

AFTER YOU APPLY:

• Referral Questions: This posting may require completion of additional Referral Questions (RQs), which must be completed by the questionnaire's expiration date. If requested, RQs can be accessed via an email sent to you after the job close date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section).
• Prepare For An Interview: Interviews are limited to those whose experience and training are most aligned with the role. To prepare, review this helpful Interview Preparation Guide to make the best impression
• Stay connected Log in daily to your JobAps Personal Status Board to track your status and check email (including spam/junk folders) for updates and tasks.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Note: This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. 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, available at

QUESTIONS? WE'RE HERE TO HELP:

Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt or provide status updates directly. For recruitment updates, please check your Personal Status Board and review our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions about the recruitment process, reach out to Alyssa Hovanec at

Join the State of Connecticut and take your next career step with confidence

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services hospital, community behavioral health facility or program this class is accountable for leading Mental Health Assistants in the assessment, planning and implementation of paraprofessional nursing, clinical and/or rehabilitative interventions designed to support client short and/or long-term needs. In outpatient or community programs this class is accountable for independently performing the full range of paraprofessional functions in case management and crisis intervention services.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Functions as a member of a multidisciplinary team and provides direct care to clients with severe mental illness living in the community
• Provides case management assistance as needed
• Participates in community outreach programs that include client and family contact in the home
• Accesses a wide range of community resources and incorporates the community supports into clients' plan of care
• Makes arrangements for outpatient appointments
• Provides transportation to appointments based in the community
• Consults with care givers in other facilities
• Assists clients in learning and practicing daily living skills
• Provides individual and group supportive treatment
• Assists in the management of client behaviors using supportive verbal communication
• Motivates clients to actively participate in therapeutic activities
• Participates in multidisciplinary team meetings to discuss and develop treatment goals that include identification of clients' needs and strengths
• Maintains a safe and healthy environment that protects clients' civil rights
• Observes and documents client behaviors, and reports concerns to the supervisor
• May problem solve while in the community.
• May coordinate and direct programs and activities for a group of clients
• May function as a liaison to community agencies
• Performs related duties as required

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of
• psychiatric rehabilitation and/or case management principles, practices and procedures;
• acceptable standards of nursing care;
• Knowledge of
• dynamics of human behavior;
• hygiene and sanitation;
• safety and fire procedures and security measures;
• community resources and programs;
• Considerable
• interpersonal skills;
• oral and written communication skills;
• counseling skills;
• Observation skills;
• Ability to
• lead staff;
• supervise client activity;
• interpret and implement agency and/or facility policies and procedures;
• apply principles of therapeutic counseling under supervision;
• develop curricula and instruct groups;
• organize;
• understand, interpret and carry out oral and written instructions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Three (3) years of experience at the level of a Mental Health Assistant 1.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

• College training in mental health technology, a behavioral science, social work, rehabilitation therapy or its equivalent may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of two (2) years.
• Completion of a mental health trainee certificate program may be substituted for one-half (1/2) year of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in an outpatient behavioral health setting
• Experience providing direct care to individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders living in the community
• Experience assisting clients with maintaining and accessing entitlements or insurance coverage
• Experience supporting clients in developing daily living skills and promoting independence
• Experience working collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary behavioral health or healthcare team
• Experience conducting home visits or community outreach with diverse populations
• Experience documenting in an electronic health record
• Experience using Office 365, Microsoft Teams, and similar cloud-based collaboration tools

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class may be required to be bilingual or fluent in American Sign Language.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator's license.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be required to lift and restrain clients and may have significant exposure to infectious and/or communicable diseases, strongly disagreeable conditions and risk of injury.

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