Mental Health Specialist (Personal Services)

The YMCA of Snohomish County provides jobs and careers with a cause. Every day, the Y makes a lasting impression in our communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Our unique work environment constantly changes to adapt to the needs of our communities. We are a non-profit, in the people business. This means that we help members meet a fitness or ability goal, see that children thrive in our child care programs, encourage family togetherness, and give youth an opportunity to learn life skills through water safety, sports, and teen programming.

Our Commitment to Inclusion:The Y is made up of people of all ages and from every walk of life, working side by side to strengthen communities. Together we work to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, age, cultural background, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, ideology, income, national origin, race or sexual orientation, has the opportunity to reach their full potential with dignity. Our core values are caring, honesty, respect and responsibility--they guide everything we do.
We look forward to having you on our YMCA team!*The YMCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer that celebrates diversity at all levels of our organization!

Position Summary: Promote youth success within YMCA programs by supporting participants in maximizing their potential through developmentally appropriate social emotional, academic, and behavioral interventions both individually and in small groups; to provide staff and participants with education and tools needed to promote participate success; provide community resources for participants and their families. Travel may be required.


Job Duties/Responsibilities:

· Conduct small group or individual activities related to behavioral, personal, and social and emotional issues
· Assists in handling participant behavior management problems and in resolving concerns and personal issues. Follows up with staff to provide preventative measures.
· Coordinates with supervisors, site coordinators, and other staff to provide integrated program support and planning for youth.
· Connect with school personnel (counselors, paraeducators, principals, and vice principals) to create establish consistency between school and YMCA programs.
· Provide advice and referrals for individual participants and staff as time permits in the solution of personal problems
· Provides short term participant crisis intervention and follow up consultation with parents, including safety planning, behavior modification planning.
· Attend meetings with directors and coordinators to provide overarching guidance as requested.
· Keep an organized record of behavioral interventions utilized for all sites visited.
Knowledge:
· Best practice in area of counseling/guidance programs and strategies that are developmentally appropriate, evidenced base, and support the overall comprehensive counseling model
· Principles, methods, techniques, strategies, and trends in educational, vocational, social, and emotional counseling
· Social service and youth service agencies in the local area
· Social, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of students
· Legal, moral, and ethical responsibilities of a counselor
· Principles, goals and objectives of youth serving organizations

Skills and Abilities:
· Assist students in effectively analyzing and developing alternative solutions to behavioral, educational, social, and emotional concern
· Effectively help with site personnel, parents, social and youth service agencies in resolving student concerns
· Demonstrate exceptional interpersonal communication skills in a variety of situations and with a variety of audiences
· Understand and carry out oral and written directions with minimal accountability controls
· Inspire confidence and trust in others
· Provide conflict resolution and mediation support

Qualifications:
· B.A. or B.S. in social work, education, psychology, or related field services preferred
· MSW or MA/MS in social services desired
· Experience assisting students and families with mental health and social programs
· Experience and/or training with cultural and learning diversity
· The ability to speak and write Spanish is highly desirable

Y Culture:
· Build relationships with a diverse membership base in culturally responsive ways, connect members with one another and to the YMCA
· Exhibit Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility
· Complete required training and certifications within established guidelines



Embrace Team Leader Core Competencies:
Mission Advancement:
· Models and teaches the Y's values
· Ensures a high level of service with a commitment to improving lives
· Provides volunteers with orientation, training, development, and recognition
· Cultivates relationships to support fundraising
Collaboration:
· Champions inclusion activities, strategies, and initiatives
· Builds relationships to create small communities
· Empathetically listens and communicates for understanding when negotiating and dealing with conflict
· Effectively tailors communications to the appropriate audience
· Provides staff with feedback, coaching, guidance and support
Operational Effectiveness:
· Provides others with frameworks for making decisions
· Conducts prototypes to support the launching of programs and activities
· Develops plans and manages best practices through engagement of team
· Effectively creates and manages budgets
· Holds staff accountable for high-quality results using a formal process to measure progress
Personal Growth:
· Shares new insights
· Facilitates change; models adaptability and an awareness of the impact of change
· Utilizes non-threatening methods to address sensitive issues and inappropriate behavior or performance
· Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills required to perform well; uses best practices and demonstrates up-to-date knowledge and skills in technology.


Physical and Mental Demands: The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to sit, walk and stand; talk or hear, both in person and by telephone; use hands repetitively to handle, feel or operate standard office equipment; reach with hands and arms; and lift up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Mental Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret data, information and documents; analyze and solve non-routine and complex problems; may use math and mathematical reasoning; observe and interpret situations; learn and apply new information or skills; perform highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks; work under intensive deadlines with frequent interruptions; and interact with members, staff, volunteers, and others encountered in the course of work, some of whom may be dissatisfied individuals.

Working Conditions: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Typically interaction with others is busy, constant and occasionally interruptive. Work may be demanding at times. May require ability to work irregular hours. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job descriptions represent a general outline of job duties, functions and qualifications. They are not intended to be comprehensive in nature. In addition, jobs evolve over time and therefore their description may not reflect the precise nature of the position at a given point in time.