Consumer Services Assistant - Qualifications Waived

The Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, in Sparks, NV, is recruiting for a Peer Support Specialist/ Consumer Services Assistant (CSA). Consumer Services Assistants are Peer Support Specialists with lived experience in substance or mental health recovery. CSAs act as peer advocates; model positive behaviors; and provide the powerful affirmation that recovery is possible. They conduct groups, activities, advocacy, and service improvement activities on behalf of clients in mental health service agencies.

This position will work weekday shifts, Monday - Friday.

• Assist professional staff by performing advocacy and service improvement activities on behalf of clients in mental health service agencies; performing a variety of routine support services; acting as liaison among staff, community and clients; and modeling behavior supportive of client recovery goals.
• Provide peer support to clients; assist clients in completing forms; provide basic clarification of agency processes, client rights and options to assist professional staff; encourage participation in support networks; assist clients to adjust to transitions in levels of care, and new services or residential support; make home visits; perform basic client de‑escalation techniques; interpret and apply division and agency policies and procedures regarding client rights, confidentiality, abuse and neglect;
  
  monitor and report to professional staff on client progress; identify and report problems; record appropriate case‑related information and complete progress notes.
• Contact clients to inquire about needed services; collect and disseminate information regarding educational and community resources and activities; assist clients in applying for social services; assist with scheduling appointments for clients and remind them of appointments; write related correspondence; accompany clients to scheduled appointments and coordinate or provide transportation as required.
• Represent client perspective to service providers and to the community; assist clients to present complaints and resolve problems; participate in community organizations, local advisory boards and stakeholder meetings as a consumer representative; actively promote quality of life for persons with mental and emotional disabilities.
• Assist in monitoring the quality of services provided to clients; participate in the development and use of satisfaction surveys and service improvement plans by providing the clients’ perspective.
• Assist professional staff with client self‑help sessions and group activities; encourage client participation and discussion track attendance; and lead peer support activity groups as required.
• Assist clients through demonstration and coaching to develop independent living skills such as housekeeping, shopping and use of public transportation; coordinate companion or training program activities.
• Assist in office operation by greeting clients, answering telephones, entering information into a computer, scheduling facilities or rooms, and setting up meeting rooms.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

This class specification lists the major knowledge, skills and abilities of the job and is not all inclusive. Incumbent(s) will be expected to have knowledge, skills and abilities from a previous level.

• One year of mental health consumer advocacy experience of which six months were spent working for a mental health service delivery system that included monitoring and reporting to professional staff on client progress, providing client perspective to service providers, and providing peer support such as assisting clients to present complaints and resolve problems, complete forms, and adjust to changes in levels of care;
• Six months experience as a Consumer Services Assistant 1 in Nevada State service;
• An equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Working knowledge of national mental health advocacy efforts and groups; mental health services available in Nevada; active listening techniques such as the use of verbal and non‑verbal cues.
• General knowledge of federal and State regulations related to mental health client rights; basic techniques used to assist clients in developing independent living skills such as role modeling, coaching and prompting; basic de‑escalation techniques; group dynamics.
• Ability to participate as a team or committee member; establish rapport with consumers of mental health services with varied social and cultural backgrounds; communicate consumer/client perspective to staff, management, and in public meetings; write progress notes and basic correspondence using appropriate grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and vocabulary.

Recruiter:
Jennifer Kauble – jenniferkauble.gov