IPS Employment Specialist
Job in
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, 37247, USA
Listing for:
Park Center Inc.
Full Time
position
Listed on 2026-01-12
Job specializations:
-
Social Work
Mental Health, Community Health
Salary/Wage Range or Industry Benchmark: 26.41 USD Hourly
USD
26.41
HOUR
Job Description & How to Apply Below
Job Description
Job Description
Job Title
IPS Employment Specialist
Reports to
IPS Manager
FLSA / WAGE
Non-Exempt / $26.41 per hour
Original Date
July 2022
Revised
May 2024
JOB SUMMARY
The IPS Employment Specialist works directly with members to find competitive employment and exhibits a strong commitment and passion to making competitive employment an attainable goal for all members of Park Center. The Employment Specialist implements the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment, the most researched and best described model of supported employment. IPS promotes a “recovery through work” philosophy whereby members diagnosed with mental illness (and both mental illness and substance misuse) achieve competitive, integrated employment when assisted with ongoing support services.
Employment Specialists receive specific IPS training and work towards partnering with up to 20 Park Center members at any given time to conduct a rapid job search and development approach with each member (instead of providing lengthy pre‑employment assessment, training, and counseling). Employment specialists also provide time‑unlimited and individualized support for as long as the member wants and needs the support.
This position will cover Montgomery, Robertson, and Cheatham counties.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
1. Responsible for implementing the Intentional Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment with high fidelity to the IPS model.
Actively implement and communicates the eight evidence base principles of IPS clearly and uses those principles to engage Park Center members in job search, job development, and ongoing support, while emphasizing member choice and preferences, “zero exclusion” from IPS services, and integration of IPS with mental health treatment teams in the community.Exhibits a command of the IPS fidelity scale and uses the scale to assess performance regularly and to implement continuous improvement strategies.Acts as an agent of hope believing that members want to work and can work.Believes that stigma is not an insurmountable barrier to competitive employment.Collaborates with external mental health treatment teams to help integrate IPS in mental health services. Attends and participates in external treatment team meetings to review progress of Park Center members.Builds an employer network with the IPS team by making systematic contacts with local employers and attending to those relationships.Partners with the Social Security Administration, Benefits Counselor’s and local organizations that provide benefits counseling to guide members in navigating work and Tenn Care, Medicaid, and other government payments.Completes intake and required documentation upon intake such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, members rights and responsibilities, release of information, disclosure.Conduct motivational interviewing with members to assist with preparing for employment.2. Lives out the principle of “recovery through work” and member choice.
Communicates passionately and effectively to a broad range of audiences about how competitive employment is an attainable goal for people diagnosed with mental illness.Identifies and removes any barriers or preconditions for participating in the IPS program, so that members are not excluded based on readiness, diagnoses, substance abuse history, legal system involvement, physical health, etc.Uses recovery language with the IPS team and its partners that promotes member choice and a zero‑exclusion approach.3. Integrates IPS and other services at Park Center
Meets with staff of other Park Center programs to identify and implement strategies to connect members to IPS services more effectively.Uses storytelling to communicate hope and optimism about how members can find competitive employment through IPS services.4. Builds and maintains relationships with IPS community stakeholders
Works closely with the TN Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the TN Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, and private funders like the United Way to identify ways to meet outcomes more effectively.Complete required documents for Vocational…
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