Vocational Specialist

The Bridge offers supportive housing and behavioral health services to vulnerable New Yorkers facing behavioral health and substance use challenges. We provide individuals with the tools they need to pursue their dreams and live meaningful lives. The Bridge envisions a world where adults experiencing serious mental illness can live and thrive within their communities. As a recognized leader in developing and operating supportive housing and community-based programs, The Bridge has 70 years of experience helping New Yorkers with mental illness, including those affected by homelessness, incarceration, and institutionalization.

Scope of Position: The Employment Specialist is a key member of a multi-disciplinary team of mental health professionals, responsible for leading efforts to support consumer access to and participation in vocational, educational, and employment opportunities. This role plays a critical part in empowering individuals with mental health needs to pursue meaningful career and educational goals that support their recovery and independence. The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive, with the ability to build strong relationships with consumers, employers, and community resources. The Employment Specialist will provide individualized vocational counseling, job readiness training, and ongoing support to help consumers achieve long-term employment success.

This is a field-based position and requires 80% of services to be provided in the community.

Essential Position Functions:

• Complete initial comprehensive assessments and updated six-month assessments using results from standardized screening instruments for substance use, suicidality, and trauma.
• Complete crisis intervention and relapse prevention plans.
• Identify the treatment services recipients should receive based on the severity of their substance use diagnosis, stage of change, and immediate needs, and recommend treatment objectives for the recipient's Service Plan.
• Assess and provide services to recipients to address housing, income support, education and vocational training, social support, employment, and primary care needs.
• Complete comprehensive, recovery-oriented initial service plans and six-month service plan reviews, and modify the plan based on feedback from recipients and relevant others.
• Involve social supports in the recipient's treatment alongside the ACT team.
• Complete progress notes within 24 hours of service delivery and ensure they are available for review in the morning organizational meeting.
• Provide treatment services including engagement, problem-solving, wellness self-management, medication support, family support and treatment, mental health care, relapse prevention, harm reduction, and substance use counseling based on motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral approaches.
• Work effectively with community providers to ensure ACT recipients receive all entitled services.
• Complete the expected minimum monthly service contacts each month.
• Provide weekly reports to AOT staff for recipients under AOT orders.
• Provide individual employment and vocational counseling to recipients pursuing vocational goals, and act as an advocate and liaison to help them access adult education, vocational training, and competitive employment.
• Provide 24-hour crisis intervention on an on-call rotating basis.

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Program Director and/or Division Leadership.

• Master's degree, preferably with licensure, in one of the following areas: Social Work, Psychology, or Mental Health Counseling.

• A minimum of 3 to 5 years of post-master's work experience in the behavioral health and criminal justice field, with progressively increasing responsibilities, preferably with the target population.
• Previous management and supervisory experience preferred.
• Knowledge of treatment, rehabilitation, and community support programs as they relate to recipients/residents, families, and staff.
• Ability to develop, evaluate, implement, and modify treatment interventions to meet the needs of individual recipients.
• Well-developed clinical competence in evidence-based and recovery-oriented practices for high-risk, high-needs individuals in behavioral health settings.
• Ability to prepare accurate and timely reports.
• Proficient in electronic health records, preferably Foothold Technology AWARDS.
• Spanish-speaking is highly desirable, as is lived experience.

The Bridge Inc. is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer