Unit Treatment & Rehabilitation Specialist

How a Unit Treatment & Rehabilitation Specialist Will Make a Difference:

This is work responsible for providing residential care, assisting with enrichment activities and supporting the treatment, psychiatric rehabilitation, stabilization and recovery of people with a mental illness. As a Unit Treatment & Rehabilitation Specialist you will treat people in a respectful manner that preserves their dignity and rights and maintain a professional caregiver relationship with people served.

Growth Opportunities:
With 12,000 employees across the state DCF promotes opportunities and training for all. Our jobs are among the most challenging, complex, and difficult in State government. They are also among the most rewarding. All employees are encouraged to take advantage of available Department opportunities for advancement and professional development.

Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:
Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• No state income tax for residents of Florida
• Annual and Sick Leave benefits
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions. For more information, please click myfrs.com.
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Tuition waivers
• And more! For a more complete list of benefits, visit mybenefits.myflorida.com.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must be 18 years of age; and
• Valid Drivers; and
• One year of experience working in a medical, psychiatric, nursing or child care setting, or in working with developmentally disabled persons; or working in a correctional facility, or in a customer service setting; or
• College or vocational/technical training from an accredited institution can substitute at the rate of 30 semester, 45 quarter or 720 classroom hours for the required experience.

Specific Responsibilities:

The incumbent is responsible for preserving the rights, safety and security of people served by observing them:

• At all times to learn what type of environment and interactions make them feel safe, secure and calm and to identify distressful stimuli or triggers:
  • When providing ward coverage.
  • When escorting to and from activities and appointments to ensure that they arrive safely.
  • During meals to monitor intake and ensure that they don’t choke or trade food.
  • When a person served is placed on special observation status to address dangerous or high-risk behaviors.
  • When a restrictive intervention such as seclusion or restraints is used to assess for release criteria and immediately identify health needs that may arise.

Communicating with them:

• At all times to develop a trusting, caregiver relationship and identify signs of distress or health concerns.
• When a person served is placed on special observation status, in the seclusion room or in restraints to assure the person that he or she is safe, help them develop trust in you as a caregiver and identify signs of distress or health concerns.

Intervening:

• To separate them from distressful stimuli and assist in resolving conflict.
• To ensure that people served are not neglected, abused or exploited; or to ensure that it is reported to the abuse hotline if they are.
• To ensure safety during medical or disaster emergencies.
• To ensure safety when a person served is exhibiting a behavior dangerous to self or others, which may involve the use of physical holds and placing people served in a seclusion room or mechanical restraints.