Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Nelson County
Center for Rural Services
Region Ten Community Services Board

CLASSIFICATION TITLE: Clinician I/ Clinician II/ Clinician III



GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

This is a FLSA non-exempt position in which the incumbent serves as a Clinician at Region Ten on the Assertive Community
Treatment team providing community based treatment for people diagnosed with severe mental illness. The incumbent is
responsible for developing and implementing self-care skills training programs concerning individual consumers (health and
safety, personal care, activities of daily living, use of community resources). The incumbent will also assist consumers with
medication management; monitor health, nutrition, and physical condition; and provide assistance with personal care, ADLs, and
use of community resources. He/she is expected to attend team meetings, other professional meetings, and represent the
program to the community as needed. Functions as a clinical member of the multi-disciplinary team and provides treatment,
rehabilitation, and support services.

The incumbent reports to the Program Manager, Nelson County for the assignment of work tasks, scheduling, and overall
supervision of job performance. He/she is expected to perform duties as specified and according to the policies of Region Ten
Community Services Board, as well as those of Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

The essential functions of this job are starred below (*) under “Major duties.”

MAJOR DUTIES:
1. *Provide individual vocational-supportive counseling to enable consumers to identify vocational strengths and

problems, establish vocational or career goals and plans to reach them, and recognize and target symptoms of mental
illness that interfere with work.

2. *Plan and provide work-related supportive services, such as assistance with grooming and personal hygiene, securing
of appropriate clothing, wake-up calls, and transportation.

3. *Teach job-seeking skills.
4. *Develop individualized jobs based on consumers’ needs, abilities, and interests.
5. *Conduct on-the-job performance assessments and evaluations, regular work review sessions with consumers and

their employers, on-the-job support, and crisis-assistance contacts.
6. *Perform job coaching, problem solving, and support on and off the job site.
7. *Coordinate with state vocational rehabilitation and other employment services.
8. Provide benefits counseling (e.g., Supplemental Security Income [SSI], veterans’ benefits).
9. *Assessing needs and planning services, evaluating individual strengths and needs, evaluating the appropriateness of

and need for various community mental health services, developing individual service plans, and monitoring and
evaluating client status.

10. *Maintaining necessary casework records to document the provision for Medicaid reimbursement.
11. *Attending in-service training and staff development programs to enhance mental health services.
12. *Acquiring and maintaining valid certification in First Aid, CPR, medication administration, non-aversive behavior

management and defensive driving in order to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the program.
13. *Reading all agency communication.
14. *Performing other duties as assigned related to program requirements.

Psychiatric Treatment and Substance Use Treatment Services
1. Provide ongoing assessment of consumers’ mental illness symptoms and consumers’ response to treatment. Make

appropriate changes in treatment plans to ensure immediate and appropriate interventions are provided in response to
changes in mental status or behavior which put consumers at risk (e.g., suicidality).

2. Provide symptom education to enable consumers to identify their mental illness symptoms.
3. Provide direct clinical services to consumers on an individual, group, and family basis in the office and in community

settings to teach behavioral symptom-management techniques to alleviate and manage symptoms not reduced by
medication and to promote personal growth and development by assisting consumers to adapt to and cope with
internal and external stresses.

4. Provide multiple-stage individual and group treatment in the office and in community settings to develop a trusting
relationship with consumers so that they may more freely discuss substance use and its effect on mental and physical
health and daily functioning. May participate in setting treatment goals and plans with consumers to reduce or abstain
from substance use and to learn replacement behaviors.

5. Coordinate with outside inpatient services to detoxify consumers and establish linkage to outpatient treatment, self-help
programs (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous), outpatient services, and residential facilities.

6. Participate in providing rehabilitation services.

Activities of Daily Living Services
1. Provide ongoing assessment, problem solving, side-by-side services, skill training, supervision (e.g., prompts,

assignments, monitoring, encouragement), and environmental adaptations to assist consumers with activities of daily
living.

2. Assist and support consumers to carry out personal hygiene and grooming tasks.
3. Provide nutrition education, meal planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation.
4. Assist consumers to find and maintain a safe and affordable place to live-apartment hunting, finding a roommate,

landlord negotiations, cleaning, furnishing and decorating, and procuring necessities (e.g., telephone, furnishings,
linens).

5. Assist and support consumers to perform household activities, including house cleaning and laundry.
6. Ensure that consumers have adequate financial support (e.g., help to gain employment or apply for entitlement).
7. Teach money-management skills (e.g., budgeting and bill paying) and assist consumers in accessing financial services

(e.g., professional financial counseling, emergency loan sources).
8. Help consumers to access reliable transportation (e.g., obtain a driver’s license and car, arrange for cabs, access bus

line, find rides).
9. Assist and support consumers to have and effectively use a personal physician and dentist.

Social and Interpersonal Relationships and Leisure Time
1. Provide individual supportive therapy (e.g., problem solving, role-playing, modeling and support), social-skill

development, and assertiveness training to increase consumer social and interpersonal activities in community
settings.

2. Plan, structure, and prompt social and leisure-time activities on evenings, weekends and holidays.
3. Provide side-by-side support and coaching to help consumers socialize (e.g., going with a consumer to a basketball

game, coaching and supporting a consumer before he or she goes to a family reunion).
4. Organize and lead individual and group social and recreational activities to structure consumers’ time, increase social

experience, and provide opportunities to practice social skills and receive feedback and support.

Support

1. Provide practical help and supports, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem solving,
direct assistance, training, and supervision to help consumers obtain the necessities of daily living including medical
and dental health care; legal and advocacy services; financial support such as entitlement (e.g. SSI, Social Security
Disability Insurance [SSDI] and veterans’ benefits) or housing subsidies (e.g., HUD Section 8); supported housing (e.g.,
adult foster care; paid roommates, meals brought in for those who need it); money-management services (e.g. payee
ships); and transportation.

QUALIFICATIONS:
To ensure the safe and efficient operation of the program, a valid Virginia Driver’s License plus an acceptable driving record as
issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles are required. For business use of a personal car, a certificate of valid personal
automobile insurance must be provided. Must meet certification as a QMHP (Qualified Mental Health Professional) or QMHP
Trainee as set forth by Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. A Bachelor’s Degree is required; a
Master’s Degree in a related human services field is preferred. Incumbent must be able to perform CPR/First Aid (training will be
provided). Incumbent must be able to teach skills, visit consumers in an array of settings, and assist with teaching and
monitoring a variety of ADLs. In addition, the incumbent must have at least an entry level the following knowledge, skills and
abilities. These must be documented or observable in the application form of supporting documentation or in the interview (with
appropriate documentation).

Knowledge of: the nature of serious mental illness in adults and mental illness with substance abuse; treatment modalities and
intervention techniques, such as behavior management, independent living skills training, supportive counseling, family
education, crisis intervention, discharge planning, and services coordination; medical issues related to mental illness; substance
abuse symptomatology; medication side effects; different types of assessments and planning; consumers' rights; local
community resources and service delivery systems, including support services (e.g., housing, financial, social welfare, dental,
transportation, communication, recreation, and legal/advocacy); eligibility criteria and intake processes; termination criteria and
discharge processes; general community resources (e.g., churches, clubs, self-help groups); types of mental health programs
and services available; effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication principles and techniques; general principles of
record documentation; the service planning process and major components of a service plan.

Skills in: interviewing; observing, recording and reporting on an individual's functioning (e.g., observation of medication effects,
substance use/ abuse, and abuse); identifying and documenting a consumer's needs for resources, services, and other
supports; using information from assessments, evaluations, observations, and interviews to develop service plans; identifying
services within the community and established service system to meet the individual's needs; formulating, writing, and
implementing individualized service plans to promote goal attainment for individuals with a serious mental illness; negotiating

with consumers and service providers; coordinating the provision of services by diverse public and private providers; identifying
community resources and organizations; coordinating resources and activities; using assessment tools; providing consultation;
computers and keyboarding.

Abilities to: demonstrate a positive regard for consumers and their families (e.g., treating consumers as individuals, allowing risk
taking, avoiding stereotypes of individuals with a serious mental illness, respecting consumers' and families' privacy, believing
consumers are valuable members of society); be persistent and remain objective; work as a team member, maintaining effective
inter-agency and intra-agency working relationships; work independently and perform position duties under general supervision;
communicate effectively, verbally and in writing; drive defensively.

CLINICAL PROVIDER PERFORMANCE EVALUATION STANDARDS:

This position is evaluated according to the Clinical Provider Performance Evaluation Standards.

POSITION LOCATION: Nelson Counseling Center
71 Tanbark Plaza

Lovingston Va, 22949



POSITION ORGANIZATION CHART

Program Manager

I
Clinician I/ Clinician II/ Clinician III

GRADE: Grade 9: Clinician I
Grade 10: Clinician II
Grade 11: Clinician III



SCHEDULE: As scheduled including nights and weekends.

Position Description Updated: May 5, 2021






I have reviewed this job description and acknowledge the duties as well as the KSA (knowledge, skills, abilities) included in this
description. I also understand the performance standards as they apply to this position.