School Based Mental Health Associate

** This is a 10 (ten) month permanent position. Salary will be paid averaged over 12 (twelve) months for 10 (ten) months worked. The working days follow an Academic Calendar (middle of August-middle of June).**

The School Based Mental Health (SBMH) Program is a unique partnership between Polk County and five local school districts. Housed within the Family & Community Outreach Department, SBMH staff are placed in Elementary, Middle, and High School settings throughout rural Polk County. SBMH team members get to work with all students to address barriers to coming to school and being successful regardless of insurance or ability to pay, as this program does no billing of any kind.

This position provides a range of short-term and evidence based services, including individual and group skill-building, social emotional learning facilitation, and support for crisis response(suicide assessments). Staff consults with families and school staff to assist with connecting students and families to community resources. Staff further develop a range of skills according to interests and individual school needs which may include classroom presentations on character education, supporting building-wide PBIS efforts, facilitation of parent education, suicide prevention, or social skill development.

Monday - Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Perrydale School

Bachelor's degree in a behavioral science, educational field, or three years of experience working in social services, educational, or related field; or any equivalent combination of experience and training.

Must possess and maintain a valid Oregon driver’s license and automobile insurance, and have access to and use of a personal automobile as a condition of employment.

Polk County takes pride in knowing that our employees are what makes the County a great place to work. We have a strong desire for each employee to feel respected; connected to the department they work for as well as other County departments and the community at large; and know that they are critical to County business. We understand that work may be necessary, but not what should define each individual.

We all have diverse personalities and interests away from the job, and at Polk County we encourage our employees to be connected to something bigger than work.

Polk County offers generous employee benefits including, but not limited to:

• 11 paid holidays per year
• 8 hours of vacation earned monthly with increases every 5 years
• 8 hours of sick leave earned monthly
• 4-5 Personal Leave Days earned each fiscal year (Depends on position; prorated depending on date of hire)
• PERS (Public Employees Retirement System) - 100% employer funded contributions
• Full health benefits for the employee and qualified family members with the employee paying only 10% of the premium
• Basic life Insurance - employer paid
• Optional benefits such as additional life insurance, short term disability, deferred compensation savings program and flexible spending accounts for unreimbursed medical and dependent care expenses
• Qualifying employer for Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Polk County is located in the Willamette Valley just an hour from the Pacific Coast to the west and an hour from Portland to the north. The population is approximately 87,000 and the area spans about 744 square miles, with two thirds of the western part of the county being forest. National protected areas include the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Siuslaw National Forest.

The County is part of the agricultural richness the Willamette Valley has to offer. In recent decades, the valley has also become a major wine producer, with Polk County being one of the best in the area. The valley is often known as the “Oregon Wine Country.” Polk County has over 25 wineries alone.

Polk County also houses the beautiful liberal arts college, Western Oregon University (WOU), and is only 30 miles from Oregon State University. WOU was an inaugural winner of the Higher Education…