Mental Health Associate - Unlicensed

Salary : $48,073.78 - $67,319.77 Annually
Location : throughout Ventura County, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Job Number: 1214HCA-24AA (VM)
Department: Health Care Agency
Division: Behavioral/Mental Health
Opening Date: 02/02/2024
Closing Date: Continuous
Description
Under clinical supervision, provide services to Mental Health clients and their families; provide liaison with other community agencies serving Mental Health clients; and perform related work as required.
WHAT WE OFFER:
The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package. Aside from our base salary range, an employee within this position will also be eligible for the following:

• Educational/Bilingual Incentive: Incumbents may be eligible for an educational incentive of 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on completion of an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree. Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill.
• Health Plans: Biweekly County contribution towards medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from a group of authorized plans
• Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 3% match on your 401(k) contributions.
• Pension Plan - Participation in the County's defined benefit pension plan. If eligible, you may establish reciprocity with other public retirement systems such as CalPERS.
• Holidays - 12 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.
• To learn more about the benefits, please click on the following link:

AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: Health Care Agency - Behavioral Health
Mental Health Associate (unlicensed) is represented by the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU) and is eligible for overtime compensation.
The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra-Help vacancies within the Health Care Agency. There are currently seven (7) Regular vacancies and two (2) Intermittent vacancies.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: February 2, 2024
CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs. It is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible.
Examples Of Duties
Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Teaches relevant social and daily living skills, provide supportive counseling;
• Serves as a client advocate and assist clients in using community resources;
• Participates as a team member in client evaluation, treatment planning and implementation of approved treatment plans;
• All the above activities will be supervised by a Psychiatric Social Worker, Mental Health Nurse, Clinical Psychologist or a Psychiatrist;
• May transport clients to appointments; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Typical Qualifications
These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:

• Two (2) years of experience providing patient care in a Mental Health setting and/or support services to Mental Health clients and their families.

OR

• A Bachelor's degree in Social-Behavioral Sciences including psychology, social work, or sociology, AND one of the following:

• Successful completion of the formal internship in the Behavioral Health Department's Mental Health Associate Intern Program with the County of Ventura

OR

• A minimum of six (6) months of experience performing work on a full-time basis providing patient care in a Mental Health setting and/or support services to Mental Health clients and their families.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must possess and maintain a valid California driver's license.
  
• Positions may require standby or on-call work hours.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:
Knowledge of the following:

• Methods and techniques of group and individual counseling;
• Basic knowledge of psychopathology and treatment procedures for the mentally ill;
• Community resources, (public and private agencies and services available);

Ability to do the following:

• Establish and maintain cooperative relations with public and private agencies;
• Make maximum use of community resources for the advantage of the client;
• Prepare clear and concise narrative descriptions of client's behavior, care, field activities, and research studies;
• Develop patient care plans; and
• Provide individual and group counseling.

Recruitment Process
FINAL FILING DATE: This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date.
To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at . If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.
Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.
LATERAL TRANSFER: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click for additional information.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed from consideration.
APPLICATION EVALUATION - qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the screening and selection process.
WRITTEN EXAMINATION - 100%:An online, un-proctored job-related written examination will be administered to test candidates' knowledge of psychiatric treatment, counseling, case management, effective work relations, and language usage. Candidates must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.
Applicants successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.
For further information about this recruitment, please contact Vivian Merida by e-mail at Vivian.Meridaor by telephone at (805) 677-5231.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYThe County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE
Service Employees International Union (LOCAL 721)
(SEIU)
To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

• or you may call (805) 654-2570.

Union Codes: UPA, UPC, UPE, UPH, UPI, UPJ, UPT, UWS
01
Do you possess a Bachelor's degree in Social-Behavioral Sciences such as Psychology, Social Work, or Sociology? If yes, be sure to indicate this degree and major in the "Education" section of your application.

• Yes
• No

02
Have you successfully completed the formal internship in the Behavioral Health Department's Mental Health Associate Intern Program with the County of Ventura?

• Yes
• No

03
Do you currently possess and can you maintain a California driver license as a condition of continued employment?

• Yes
• No

04
This position may require working standby or on-call hours. Are you able and willing to work such a schedule to meet the demands of the position?

• Yes
• No

05
Describe your full-time experience providing patient care in a Mental Health setting and/or support services to Mental Health clients and their families. Full-time is considered 40 hours per week; anything less than that must be prorated. In your response, include the following:
A) Name of employer(s) where you gained the experience
B) Dates of employment reflected as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY or Present
C) Job duties performed, and,
D) Position title(s)
NOTE: In order to receive credit for this experience, you MUST include each employer in the Work Experience section of your application, and all details for each employer must be included. if you do not have this type of experience, please state, "No experience".
Required Question