Function of the Mental Health Technician: 

Responsible for provision of routine mental health/medical assistance/psychiatric care for patients in the Partial Hospitalization Program, the Mental Health Technician participates in the direct delivery of patient care by observation; involving patients in scheduled program activities; providing direct skill building and psychoeducation to patients in group settings; escorting patients to appointments and outside activities; monitoring and reporting behaviors to the Lead Therapist and/or Program Manager; and obtaining vital signs, monitoring nutritional intake, sleep patterns and other indicators of mental/behavioral status and document results per policy.

Job-Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

· You must practice in accordance with the scope of your license, certification, training, and education.

· Assist in developing strategies for helping patients to be as independent as possible

· Provide input to the treatment team that contributes to formulation/revision to the treatment plan

· Perform assigned nursing tasks in a competent and timely manner

· Monitor for behavioral improvements and reinforce these behaviors

· Encourage patients to participate in interpersonal and other therapeutic activities to enhance their interpersonal skills

· Reinforce new skills learned by patients from therapists, psychiatrists and other treatment providers that promote improved physical and/or mental wellness

· Possess good working knowledge of basic psychiatric, psychosocial, medical, and spiritual needs, environmental concerns, self-care needs, educational needs

· Exhibit respect for cultural and age-related variances with patients

· Knowledge of proper use of blood pressure equipment, thermometers and a knowledge of proper procedure for taking temp, pulse, respirations ad blood pressures.

· Basic knowledge of learning differences in both the individual and the age-related group to which the patient belongs

· Excellent phone skills with families and professionals 

· Superior customer service skills

· Effective documentations skills 

· Provide patient personal and belongings searches according to Healthy Minds policy

· Participate in restraint/seclusion as assigned

· Link individuals to community resources and peer supports to promote community integration.

· Actively engage individuals in services.

· Ensure all required documentation is completed in a timely, comprehensive manner.

· Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and collaborate with all team members, including the therapist and psychiatrist, along with others involved in the patient’s life (ie: teachers, family members, etc).

· In case you didn’t know, confidentiality of health information is important. Follow HIPAA.

· Establish and maintain appropriate boundaries with patients and their families.

· Participate in quality improvement.

· Monitor and record patients' progress to ensure that goals and objectives are met.

· Prepare and maintain records and case files, including documentation such as patients' personal and eligibility information, services provided, narratives of patient contacts, and relevant correspondence.

· Consult with the patients treating therapist to review diagnostic procedures that determine patients' needs.

· Confer with physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and other professionals to help develop and implement patient’s treatment.

· Collaborate with patients' families to implement plans such as behavioral, residential, social, and employment goals.

· Develop and maintain relationships with community referral sources, such as schools and community groups.

· Attend Treatment Team Meetings alongside the therapist, to provide collaborative care with the patient’s team. This is where all treatment decisions get made, so you need to attend prepared to describe the patient’s response to group treatment.

· You must work closely with the quality assurance when monitoring medical care in a manner that encourages self-evaluation, anticipates, and plans for change, and meets regulations.

· We need you to be on the same page as the other office managers regarding policy, procedure, and improvements, so please touch base with them regarding misunderstandings or miscommunications. 

· Resolving conflicts, avoiding power struggles, ignoring negativity, emphasizing reinforcement, and even communicating with children can be challenging. That’s why it takes someone like you to teach and model this for others along with writing quality incident reports. However, your job is to be teaching others to do this, not to keep doing it for them on an ongoing basis; there’s a difference.

· When critical incidents occur, it is critical for you to write detailed reports including antecedents, interventions, and debriefing and to send them to your supervisor along with treating providers. 

Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in human services or related field

· Experience in PHP/IOP setting is preferred

· Knowledge of the DSM and basic mental health terms will make the job more interesting and make you more successful

· Ability to remain calm, compassionate, tolerant, and courteous in the face of rudeness and disrespect, while keep appropriate boundaries with patients.

· Ability to be aware of and understand patients’ reactions and your reactions to patients

· Ability to predict the future. Not really but you have to be able to identify warning signs for when something is likely to go wrong and then generate and implement solutions.

· Ability to consider multiple perspectives and alternate explanations when problems arise

· Awareness, sensitivity to, and respect for cultural variation and the power of personal values and biases

· Excellent organizational and time management skills

· Problem-solving and critical thinking skills

· Ability to work with supervision, receiving instructions/feedback/coaching/counseling and/or disciplinary action.

· Effective, efficient googling skills

· Leads by example, team player attitude, and shares our values – integrity, flexibility, empathy, excellence

· Proficiency in computer skills, especially using Word, Excel, and customized databases- this is a must!

· You have to be able to prioritize and get things done

· Bilingual in English/Spanish is a plus. 

· Demonstrate strong boundaries

· Must be able to pass a background check.