Job Opening – Mental Health Vocational Counselor I

May 13th, 2010 Comments off

The Contra Costa County Health Services Department has a job opening for a Mental Health Vocational Counselor I . Details listed below.

MENTAL HEALTH VOCATIONAL COUNSELOR I – PROJECT Class Code:
VQW6

COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA
Established Date: Apr 1, 2004
Revision Date: Oct 1, 2006

SALARY RANGE
$25.45 – $30.93 Hourly
$2,035.85 – $2,474.59 Biweekly
$4,411.01 – $5,361.62 Monthly
$52,932.12 – $64,339.44 Annually

DEFINITION:

Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class. Class specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

Under supervision, assists mental health consumers in obtaining and retaining employment and career advancement leading to self-sufficiency; coordinates and provides training and assistance in job search skills; screens and refers consumers for available job opportunities; assists in determining vocational rehabilitation potential for mental health clients; and performs related duties as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

Positions in this classification are located in the Health Services Department, Mental Health Division. Mental Health Vocational Counselor I – Project is distinguished from Mental Health Vocational Counselor II – Project in that the latter represents the certified, experienced level of the class.

Supervision of this classification is provided by the Mental Health Vocational Services Coordinator – Project.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

License Required: Possession of a valid driver’s license.

Education: Possession of a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling or a closely related field from an accredited college or university or proof of eligibility to sit for the examination for certification by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.

Experience: One (1) year of full-time (or the equivalent of full-time) experience providing vocational services specific to clients with psychiatric disabilities.

KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge of:

  • Advanced principles and methods of mental health and vocational rehabilitation services
  • Vocational rehabilitative programs and community support models
  • The various ethnic, regional and socio-economic groups which make up the mental health consumer population
  • Planning and directing rehabilitation services suited to individuals
  • Vocational opportunities suitable for adults with mental disabilities and the availability and use of rehabilitation facilities
  • Sources and use of psychiatric and medical care services
  • Social and psychological problems of persons with disabilities
  • Standardized tests used in vocational guidance
  • Basic medical and psychiatric conditions in relation to the rehabilitation process
  • Benefits available to the mentally disabled community, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Laws affecting individuals with disabilities

Ability to:

  • Assess the vocational readiness of mental health consumers
  • Maximize and emphasize placement and career advancement of mental health consumers
  • Identify and assess employability factors and assist clients in removing barriers to employment
  • Interview, counsel and maintain rapport with mental health consumers
  • Work cooperatively with co-workers, other agency staff, employers, community and educational organizations, employees and the general public
  • Prepare clear and concise reports and correspondence
  • Work effectively with a multi-cultural population with diverse backgrounds and needs
  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other professionals and to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
  • Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
  • Maintain accurate records

TYPICAL TASKS:

  • Assesses the level of vocational readiness of mental health consumers and refers to appropriate vocational resources
  • Monitors client progress with Mental Health program staff and community-based employment providers
  • Maintains/monitors a data base that tracks current employment status and/or pre-vocational status of County Mental Health consumers
  • Coordinates with County Mental Health offices, using knowledge of county services for persons with psychiatric disabilities
  • Counsels clients regarding Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and other benefits available to the mentally disabled community
  • Attends training related to vocational rehabilitation of mental health clients
  • Acts as resource person when consumers’ progress is impaired and he/she needs assistance
  • Reports client data to Vocational Services Coordinator and to Department of Rehabilitation Counselor job developer and maintains coordination with consumer mental health and vocational programs
  • Attends meetings with County and community mental health staff to promote vocational programs
  • Prepares reports and correspondence
  • Performs other related duties as required

Click on the icon to download this job description in Word Document format.

Marge A. Tierney Scholarship Award Now Available

April 21st, 2010 Comments off

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

The New York State Education Department is pleased to announce that applications are still being accepted for the Marge A. Tierney Scholarship Award. The application deadline for this fall is June 1, 2010.

A scholarship of up to $1,000 is awarded annually to an individual enrolled in a Graduate Rehabilitation Counseling Program. Although the candidate must be a New York State resident, the applicant can be enrolled in a program outside New York State. Preference is given to individuals with a disability.

This scholarship was established in memory of Marge A. Tierney, an employee whose career in vocational rehabilitation spanned 33 years. Marge’s professional life centered on the vocational rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities, ensuring that they received the services needed to obtain employment. Her commitment to the rehabilitation community and professional development of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors makes this scholarship an appropriate tribute to her efforts on behalf of the vocational rehabilitation profession and individuals with disabilities.

Information about Marge and the scholarship is available at:
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/scholarship/about.htm or you can search the name on the VESID website at: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov.

Please share this information with students and colleagues.

Questions regarding the scholarship can be directed to Karen LaJoie at 518-486-7437 or klajoie@mail.nysed.gov

CRC Exam Registration Coming Up!

April 14th, 2010 No comments

Hello All Rehabilitation Students who are graduating this spring or have 75% of their coursework completed:

TAKE the CRC (certified rehabilitation exam) Soon after you graduate !

If you submit your application to CRCC by May 15 th , 2010 you can take it this October (and study in the summer!)

Here is the CRCC website to access the application: (DON’T PROCRASTINATE) – you need signatures…

http://www.crccertification.com/

Please come see me if you have questions.

Julie Chronister

RSA Meeting on March 16th!

March 12th, 2010 Comments off

Attention Rehabilitation Counseling Students (and those interested)

The Rehabilitation Student Association (RSA) will be holding a meeting/get together on
Tuesday March 16th from 5-6pm in Burk Hall 247.

Topics for discussion:

  • Electing officials for RSA for 2010-2011*
  • Spring Rehabilitation Counseling Event Planning
  • LPCC (Licensure) as it relates to Rehabilitation Counselors

*If you are unable to make the meeting and would like to nominate yourself or another
peer for elected official in RSA, please email karenak@sfsu.edu (Karena Kirkpatrick, President RSA)

Please Join us.

Misty does it again!

February 21st, 2010 Comments off

Congratulations to Misty! Misty’s paper on career counseling
individuals with HIV was just published in the Journal of
Rehabilitation, (2010) Vol 76 Issue 1 (Jan/Feb/Mar).
Fantastic work Misty!

From SFSU Counseling Department Chair Robert Williams:

“You continue to set a high bar for yourself and our faculty colleagues. Getting a single publication while enrolled in graduate studies is excellent at the doctoral level. Your accomplishment is even greater because you have gone well beyond our expectations in this department.”

NCRE Spring Conference-Student Monitors

January 29th, 2010 Comments off

If you are a rehabilitation student and you are interested in attending the National Council for Rehab Educators (NCRE) conference and want a free registration, consider applying for the student monitor volunteer positions. The conference is in Manhattan Beach CA in April.

Contact Julie Chronister for more details

Click the icon to download the NCRE Application

New Job Listings

December 18th, 2009 Comments off

Here are some rehab job opportunities that have recently become available:

There are two openings that are basically full-time, temporary, MH Vocational Counselor I, within Contra Costa County Mental Health Vocational Services. The position is available immediately but has a firm ending date of September 30, 2010. The two new counselors will participate in intensive training because we need them to function independently (with close supervision and CRC support) and manage a caseload of clients working with the Department of Rehabilitation ASAP. The candidates must be CRC eligible. The counselors will likely travel between Richmond, Concord and Antioch during the work week.

Please contact John Hollender at jhollend@hsd.cccounty.us or 925-646-5777 IMMEDIATELY if you are interested.

Job Opportunity in Seattle, Washington:

The REHABILITATION THERAPIES AND CLINICS department at Harborview Medical Center has an outstanding opportunity for a Rehab Counselor II. This individual will provide vocational rehabilitation counseling in the Rehab Medicine clinic’s CORP (Comprehensive Outpatient Rehab Program) and across the continuum.  Vocationally counsel people with disabilities, advocate for accommodation, administer and interpret testing, communicate with other treatment providers and community resources.  Duties may also include making arrangements for vocational placements and follow up on vocational placements.

CORP is designed for patients with multiple rehabilitation needs. The Team includes Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), Speech/Language Pathology (SLP), Therapeutic Recreation (TR), Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, Rehabilitation Psychology and Social Work.

Interested applicants can apply online at http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/jobs/apl/index.html

NCRE office hours are 7:30am to 4:30pm PST, Monday to Friday. www.rehabeducators.org

Paid Internship Opportunities at DOR

October 31st, 2009 Comments off

Hello All Rehabilitation Counseling Students! (and those interested or considering the area)

The California Department of Rehabilitation is recruiting 60 PAID Internship opportunities (Graduate Student Assistants). See information below and contact me if you are interested. Most of you have your placements, but consider for next year. Julie

Employment Opportunites

“Student Intern”

The Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) is excited to announce that we are recruiting 60 Graduate Student Assistants (GSA) as Interns!  This opportunity is a result of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), available only through September 30, 2011.  Please act quickly and alert eligible students to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn about DOR’s vocational rehabilitation counseling.

The GSAs will participate in the delivery of a wide range of vocational rehabilitation services and gain practical experience from observing and assisting the DOR counseling staff.  GSAs will work in a DOR district or branch office throughout the State; students at the following CORE Universities will have first priority for the internships:

·        California State University at Sacramento,

·        San Francisco State University,

·        California State University at Fresno,

·        California State University at Los Angeles,

  • Click here to download a Microsoft Word document with further information.
  • Click here to download a PDF document regarding contract/salary inforamation.

Update regarding Paid Internships at Department of Rehabilitation:

At this point, to apply for paid internships at DOR Follow the directions below:

Student Information:

Students access the University Enterprise Inc. (UEI) at Sacramento State University Website: The U.E.I. website at: http://www.enterprises.csus.edu/.  On the right side bar select “Student Employment Services”.  Students need to create a password and login to complete an application.  Job postings can be viewed without creating an account.

If you are having problems, please contact:

Students can contact U.E.I. Human Resources Department at: (916) 278-5444 or patriciaj@csus.edu for any assistance or questions they may have.

The information should also be up on the DOR website soon. I encourage students to get an application in, then you give yourself the choice down the road.

ACA Student Ethics Case Study Competition

October 28th, 2009 No comments

image001
ATTENTION ALL GRADUATE STUDENTS!

The Sixth ACA Student Ethics Case Study Competition is accepting registrations through November 29, 2009. This popular student activity has both a Masters Degree level and a Doctoral Degree level competition and is open to teams of students in counselor education nationwide.

This is a case study competition in which university counselor education teams analyze a hypothetical ethics case in order to create an appropriate ethical decision and a plan to respond to that decision. Teams of three or four students participate in either a Masters level or Doctoral level competition. There will be four winning teams at each level. First place winners will win a $75 gift certificate for the ACA Bookstore to each team member and a certificate along with a letter of recognition. Second place, each team member will receive a $25 gift certificate at the ACA Bookstore, a certificate and letter of recognition. Third place will receive a letter of recognition and certificate and all participating programs will receive a letter of recognition. There will also be an “Honorable Mention” given to the fourth place winner. The competition is limited to one team per institution.

Winning entries – along with the winning team members and institutions – will be highlighted in Counseling Today and at the ACA annual conference.

Visit http://www.counseling.org/competition to learn more about the competition and for instructions on registration. Registration must be completed by November 29 and submissions will be accepted until December 13, 2009.

Steve Shanahan elected President of the ROC!

October 5th, 2009 Comments off

Steve Shanahan, who works at DOR and is current chair of our rehab occupational committee for the whole state, just WON the Presidency for the entire bargaining unit! Nancy Swindell will no longer be president and we will now have someone who will bring our profession in California forward (instead of the opposite, which was happening). His entire slate won. Still awaiting the very final ratification, but the polls have closed! This is just wonderful news and he asked me to share with all who may be interested.