Family Support Specialist

The Mental Health Association of Monmouth County seeks a passionate and qualified Family Support Staff for its Intensive Family Support Services (IFSS) program. Reporting to the IFSS Manager, the Family Support Staff will play a key role in providing ongoing consultation sessions to families of adults 18+ with serious mental illness. The goal is to influence positive change, enhance stability and quality of life and ensure the empowerment and basic rights of families.

Responsibilities :

• Provide ongoing consultation sessions to families of adults 18+ with serious mental illness to influence change, improve stability and quality of life, enhance empowerment, and assure the basic rights of the family.
• Assist in developing coping and stress reduction strategies, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Address relationships and difficulties within the social environment.
• Focus on grief and loss across the life cycle.
• Provide groups to support families.
• Provide psychoeducation on up-to-date information regarding all characteristics of major mental illness, including but not limited to bio-neurological aspects, the impact of substance use, psychotropic medication, and the risks associated with mixing various other mood-altering substances.
• Design and deliver psychoeducational workshops and presentations on evidence-based treatment practices and modalities.
• Provide crisis intervention and safety planning.
• Complete all required documentation in family files / EHR on a timely basis as per policy.
• Follow appropriate termination processes to best meet the needs of the family.
• Assist families with utilizing all available community resources to best meet their needs.
• Deliver services with regard to time and place to accommodate the individual needs and preferences of family members; services are available in-home and off-site.
• Attend peer supervision meetings and other meetings as requested.

Qualifications :

About the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County

Established in 1950, the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County is an affiliate of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey and the national nonprofit Mental Health America. Our professional staff has been on the forefront of creating a meaningful system of mental health care that strategically focuses on eliminating social barriers and mental health discrimination. With over 15 free programs and services, we create healthy communities for the future.

Our mission is to promote mental health as a critical component of overall wellness, including prevention services for all, early identification and intervention for those at risk, integrated care and treatment for those who need it, with recovery as the goal.