Community Specialist
Behavioral Health ICM for Older Adults
Agency Overview
Founded in 1889, Felton Institute/Family Service Agency of San Francisco has a 129-year history of innovation in services for vulnerable children, families, and adults. Our mission is to strengthen families by providing caring, effective, and innovative social services, with special emphasis on the needs of low-income families, children, and the elderly and disabled people, thus improving the quality of life for all San Franciscans. Felton offers a dynamic, challenging, and supportive work environment, with excellent benefits package and salaries. We are seeking employees who are excited by the idea of lifelong growth in the skills they bring to helping those in need.
Program Description
The Intensive Case Management Program (ICM) is the newest part of Felton Institute’s Geriatric Mental Health Model, which offers specialized mental health services to older adults living with severe psychiatric disorders. Services encompass a continuum of care centering the individual's care goals and needs, including recovery-oriented treatment services. Clients served experience a range of needs pertaining to aging, risk of homelessness, institutionalization, and harm reduction/substance use support. Under contract with the Department of Public Health's Behavioral Health Services (BHS), the ICM program provides services city-wide that include extensive outreach to engage clients in care and multi-disciplinary support to reduce risk of individual's psychiatric hospitalization and to live within their community. The program collaborates with the broad spectrum of social service providers to connect, coordinate, and meet an individual's needs. Felton is committed to implementing evidence-based practices and behavioral health research into its community-based mental health services.
The Community Specialist role is filled by an experienced peer or family member with lived experience, and/or someone who also has experience working with older adults with serious mental illness. This Community Specialist is an integral part of the Senior Intensive Case Management program, serving older adults who are in crisis and need a significant level of care, and who may or may not be housed. This intensive case management program provides wraparound care in the community. The team is a multidisciplinary team includes medication support providers, clinical case managers, and other community specialists.
Job Description
The Community Specialist works directly with the interdisciplinary clinical team to provide outreach and engagement, rapport building, and case management services including linkage to housing and other services. This person will also provide support individuals to learn independent living skills, communication skills, social skills and other necessary skills to support independence and mental health recovery within the community. The Community Specialist will document all client encounters in a timely manner using appropriate documentation procedures for MediCal billing. The Community Specialist also will support client access to medical appointments, grocery shopping, and other independent living tasks as the needs are identified. This person will also bring expertise regarding community resources, recreational opportunities, and other connections to services, formal and informal, participants, and will work with the staff to develop the center in innovative ways to reduce social isolation and increase mental health.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Passionate about working with older adults who may be isolated, have mental health issues, have cognitive impairments, substance abuse issues, or other needs that are not being met.
- Demonstrated outreach, rapport building, and engagement experience.
- Familiar with and/or ability to provide targeted case management services and mental health focused skills building services.
- Ability to travel frequently in SF and work in office, community, home, and hospital settings.
- Lived experience with mental health services/peer certified/trained preferred/older adult preferred.
- Previous work experience in social services or related field; working knowledge of social service resources in San Francisco for older adults preferred.
- Previous experience leading activities and groups preferred.
- Driver’s license preferred.
- Demonstrated computer skills in word processing (i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel) and ability to learn electronic charting.
- Strong skills in working independently and also as a team member.
- Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to follow instructions and work under the direction of others.
- Time management skills and ability to prioritize projects and follow through.
- Problem solving skills: able to discern when to consult, when to make independent decisions, and able to offer suggestions for solutions.
- Openness to learn, consult, and receive constructive feedback.
- Ability to be a team player with a welcoming attitude.
- Available to work business hours, Monday through Friday, predominantly in field/office settings.
Additional Information:
Division: Senior
Position: 100%
Reports to: Program Director
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