Job Type

Description

Shift: Office Day

Days Off: Saturday and Sunday

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

About DESC:

DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing. Our vision is a community where no person is abandoned, ignored, or experiencing homelessness.

As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 2,000 people each day. Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness.

JOB DEFINITION:

The Mobile Response Team (MRT) provides 24/7 mental and behavioral health services to adults (18 and over) at Health through Housing (HtH) facilities and targeted Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) sites across King County. The primary goal of the program is to provide in the moment crisis behavioral health services and time-limited behavioral health case management via mobile intensive response teams for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming aware of behavioral health and other community service options. The MRT is a mobile interdisciplinary team consisting of certified peer counselors, behavioral health case managers, substance use disorder professionals, mental health professionals, and registered nurses.  

The Mobile Response Team Occupational Therapist (OT) functions as part of the larger team to provide integrated behavioral healthcare services with clients in need of psychiatric and other medical or rehabilitative attention, client education, health assessment and related services. The OT will provide in-the-moment, low-threshold care to clients who may otherwise not present to more traditional clinics. This position is involved in all aspects of referral, outreach and engagement, intensive case management services, and coordination with other providers to assure successful transition of consumers to on-going care. Services will be provided in the Seattle and King County areas. 

Interested individuals should have high level collaboration skills, interest in social justice, advocacy, and health integration. This position requires high coordination and collaboration with other DESC programs and outside agencies.  

Work is done under the supervision of the Mobile Response Team RN Supervisor, along with DESC's Senior Manager of Nursing and Nursing Director.  

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide outreach and engagement services, as assigned, working with Supervisor & other team members when meeting new referrals.
• Provide variety of case management, focus on stabilization and transition to other ongoing providers as appropriate.
• In collaboration with clients, staff across disciplines and departments are responsible for evaluation, planning, directing and administering occupational therapy evaluation and intervention to clients.
• Partners with the client, considering the person's environment, evaluates and provides services for functional living skills such as self-care, life skills, vocational and avocational skills and community integration.
• Provide and prioritize crisis intervention with clients as needed.? This may include de-escalation, going to EDs, and/or making referrals to crisis system if necessary.
• Assume primary responsibility for coordinating all aspects of clients' support and treatment plans. This includes providing and/or coordinating the following: survival services; stabilization in housing; acute and ongoing medical care, psychiatric treatment, financial assistance, criminal justice system coordination, substance use treatment.
• Advocate for clients' access to community resources and services, ensuring that clients' needs are met and rights maintained; consult and collaborate with community providers to ensure continuity of care.
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with DESC staff, and other service and resource organizations to ensure full continuity of care for clients.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Participate in psychiatric consultation, supervision, program meetings and in-service trainings; participate in clinical reviews and case conferences for clients on caseload.
• Comply with the agency's clinical accountability policies and procedures; maintain timely and complete clinical records; participate in quality assurance reviews when assigned.
• Comply with applicable program research and evaluation procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Current Washington State license to practice as an Occupational Therapist or a valid probational certificate issued by the state of Washington to practice occupational therapy.   
• Interest or experience in working with clients who have difficulty engaging with traditional programs. 
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds. 
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of behaviors. 
• Subscribe to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for clients. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bilingual in Spanish and English. 
• Ability to drive an agency or personal vehicle to conduct agency related business, which requires a current Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record.
• Experience working with adults who have experienced homelessness 
• Experience working with adults who have experienced mental health and substance use issues 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit, drive, walk, stand, communicate with other employees and vendors, is required to lift and carry items weighing up to 10 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Considerable stress may occur. Employee will be working both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace, and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Salary Description