Overview

The Children's Residential Services Program serves children and adolescents ages 5 to 18 years of age who are experiencing severe emotional or behavioral disturbance. These children have failed to respond successfully to multiple less restrictive treatment interventions. BayPointe offers a caring, structured environment and developmentally appropriate therapeutic services for each child 24 hours a day.

The program provides support to families or caregivers that helps maintain, enhance, or develop attachment with their child/adolescent during treatment and throughout the discharge process. Children and adolescents diagnosed with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders receive care in a special mental illness-substance abuse service track. The consumers, families, caregivers, school system personnel, DHR workers, and others as appropriate, are directly involved in the consumer’s treatment and discharge planning.

The goal is to improve each child’s or adolescent’s level of functioning and to discharge to a less restrictive treatment setting. The program primarily serves residents of south Alabama; however, the program considers referrals from across the state.

Responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• Leads the program groups and activities to actively engage consumers in treatment.
• Works collaboratively with the nursing staff, therapy staff, recreation therapy staff to ensure effective milieu management.
• Assures that objectives and goals associated with group therapy are met for hospitalization.
• Provides staff coverage for crisis intervention.
• Provides psychoeducational and group activity interventions utilizing basic therapeutic models geared toward age and consumer comprehension.
• Follows curriculum as outlined by supervisor.
• Conducts groups and all consumer engagement in a timely manner and consistently follows outlined schedule.
• Manage assigned unit to ensure that consumers are in groups, meals and completing hygiene as scheduled
• Follows the program schedule to maximize consumer engagement and quality of care.
• Demonstrates the ability to recognize the elements of a crisis state and knows how to deescalate or resolve the situation.
• Applies seclusion and restraint according to Policy and Procedures.
• Effectively collaborates with the treatment team members and outside sources in the delivery of clinical services
• Effectively demonstrates the application of child/adolescent specific competencies

Clinical Record Keeping

• Documents in a timely fashion per AltaPointe Policy
• Documents appropriate, complete and comprehensive notes.
• Documents legibly with attention to spelling, grammar and content.

Supervision and Consultation

• Seeks clinical supervision and consultation as needed
• Accepts and employs suggestions for improvement
• Actively works to enhance clinical and leadership skills

Courteous and respectful attitudes towards consumers, visitors and co-workers

• Treats consumers with care, dignity and compassion
• Respects consumer’s privacy and confidentiality
• Is pleasant and cooperative with others
• Assists consumers and visitors as needed
• Personal values don’t inhibit ability to relate and care for others
• Is sensitive to the consumer’s needs, expectations and individual differences
• Is gentle and calm to consumers and families

Administrative and Other Related Duties as assigned

• Actively participates in Performance Improvement activities
• Completes all task in a timely manner
• Follows policies and procedures

Physical Requirements:

• There is frequent standing, sitting, and walking which are in bursts of 5 to 10 minutes. However, there are times when this can be extended to pacing with the consumer (time could be undetermined), and at times sitting and standing can be extended with the employee having the ability to change positions as permitted by the observance and behavior of the consumer at that time.
• There is occasional forward bending from the hips while kneeling to reach to the side.
• There is an occasional need to be able to assume a full squat/lunge from a standing position.
• There is an occasional need to maintain back extension while being on stomach with one’s own body weight on hips and legs. This position is maintained for several minutes.
• Occasionally, be able to put one’s own body weight on one knee and one elbow on the same side of one’s body.
• Occasionally, be able to kneel and reach to same side toward the floor.
• Lift up to 15 pounds from the floor to various levels, including from floor to overhead occasionally during shift.
• Have the ability to lift up to 50 pounds to assist in activities of daily living, as required. Be able to lift up to 50 pounds from floor to waist.
• Strong grasp is needed to use keys to open doors throughout the facility, and to maintain constant contact with a consumer during a restraint procedure or with other hold techniques.
• Pushing/pulling force up to 25 pounds occasionally during shift.
• At times, be able to ambulate in a quick manner (jog/run) for distances up to 50 feet.
• Carrying up to 15 pounds various distances throughout the facility.
• Occasional step ladder climbing to retrieve medical records that are on higher shelves.
• Fine manipulation/dexterity to handle medical records and complete documentation.
• At times therapy may be inside or outside the facility; therefore, some activities will dictate physical requirements for playing or games.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a mental health discipline or Social Work preferred. Six months of work experience with mental health or child and adolescent population in lieu of degree.

Knowledge in child and adolescent specialty, outlined below, to be attained within six (6) months of employment:

• Knowledge of psychiatric disorders in child and adolescent populations
• Knowledge of growth and development of child/adolescent consumers as related to all intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects of their development
• Knowledge of principles of play therapy
• Knowledge of behavior management, crisis intervention and interventions common to acute psychotic consumers, as well as, to non-violent crisis intervention practices
• Knowledge of family dynamics and parenting issues
• Knowledge of effects and treatment of physical/sexual/emotional abuse and neglect issues
• Knowledge of community resources as applied to the child/adolescent
• Knowledge of cultural diversity
• Knowledge of educational methods appropriate to child/adolescent population
• Knowledge of basic interventions for child and adolescent mental and behavioral health disorders.