COUNSELOR 2, EMPLOYEE ADVISORY SERVICE

Definition

Under the direction of a supervisory official in the Office of Employee Advisory Service of the Civil Service Commission, functions as a supervisor in the counseling and referral programs for clients who seek the services of, or who are referred to the Employee Advisory Service; supervises staff and work activities; prepares and signs official performance evaluations for subordinate staff; carries a partial client load in addition to the supervisory responsibilities; functions in an advisory and consultant capacity with all levels of management; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

• Supervises and conducts confidential interviews of clients who have been referred or who self-refer to identify/assess and help resolve personal concerns, including behavioral health, marital, family, financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal issues that may affect work performance or quality of life issues.
• Evaluates the nature and extent of clients' problems, provides supportive services, and refers them when necessary to appropriate managed care providers and/or community resources.
• Provides individual and group counseling for alcohol and substance abuse, stress, financial issues, family problems, office conflicts, and other personal and work-related problems and issues.
• Carries a partial client load and assigns client loads to Employee Advisory Service staff.
• Reviews policies and provides recommendations to make the program more effective.
• Supervises and coordinates contacts with managed care providers and/or community resources.
• Initiates and supervises the preparation of referral agreements with managed care providers and/or community resources.
• Evaluates workplace violence and critical incident issues, and provides supportive services for clients and organizations.
• Uses constructive confrontation, motivation, and short-term problem solving to address issues.
• Supervises the follow-up of clients referred to managed care providers and/or community resources to determine their progress and participation.
• Supervises the follow-up of clients who have received support services in-house, to determine their progress.
• Supervises the continuing evaluation of community resources and managed care providers.
• Generates, reviews, recommends, and processes plans and projects concerning interview loads, referrals of clients, and procedural changes to further the progress of the Employee Advisory Service.
• Designs and implements presentations for workshops/seminars/group sessions.
• Prepares and submits yearly Employee Advisory Service utilization reports and recommends service improvements.
• Prepares and submits various reports to senior officials, including monthly reports and special reports.
• Supervises, reviews, and maintains statistical data on the Employee Advisory Service as required.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with community resource agencies, managed care providers, and other involved in the work of the Employee Advisory Service.
• Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or disciplining of employees.
• Interviews prospective employees and recommends appropriate personnel actions.
• Attends and participates in meetings.
• Provides training and instruction to Employee Advisory Service staff.
• Establishes and maintains essential records, files, and case histories.
• Testifies at hearings and court.
• Will be required to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office or related units.

Education

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree in counseling, psychology, social work, and/or other field related to behavioral health studies.

Experience

Five (5) years of professional experience providing counseling and advice to individuals, evaluating personal, substance abuse, and other problems, and referring clients to appropriate community resources in a formal counseling environment. Two (2) years of this experience shall have been in a mental health and/or substance abuse program.

License

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of personnel policies and procedures in New Jersey State Government.
• Knowledge of available managed care providers and community resources.
• Knowledge of current workplace problems and issues, and other types of personal matters having the potential to adversely impact employee performance.
• Knowledge of individual and group dynamics.
• Knowledge of interviewing principles, practices, and techniques.
• Knowledge of supervisory techniques and methods, the principles of organization and personnel management.
• Knowledge of counseling principles, practices, and techniques.
• Knowledge of diagnostic principles, practices, and techniques.
• Knowledge of conflict resolution, intervention, and stress management techniques.
• Ability to understand new developments in the areas of mental professional health, counseling, and community resource development.
• Ability to read and interpret laws, rules, and regulations, and apply them to specific situations.
• Ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and supervise the programming of the Employee Advisory Service.
• Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of community resources and managed care providers.
• Ability to evaluate and provide recommendations on the progress of the Employee Advisory Service.
• Ability to analyze and interpret statistical data.
• Ability to prepare clear, technically sound, accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Ability to prepare correspondence.
• Ability to conduct interviews and provide counseling on alcohol and substance abuse, stress, financial issues, family problems, office conflicts, and other personal and work-related problems and issues.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with community resource agencies, coworkers, and others involved in the work of the Employee Advisory Service.
• Ability to maintain the confidence of clients who contact the agency.
• Ability to effectively and quickly defuse volatile situations involving individuals, groups, and organizations.
• Ability to use constructive confrontation, motivation, and short-term problem solving to address employee and organization issues.
• Ability to evaluate workplace violence and other critical incident issues.
• Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of community resources and managed care providers.
• Ability to evaluate and provide recommendations to individuals, groups, and organizations.
• Ability to supervise assigned staff and plan, organize, and implement projects within the unit.
• Ability to compile data and prepare reports.
• Ability to prepare correspondence.
• Ability to provide testimony in court.
• Ability to establish and maintain essential records and files.
• Ability to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.

Note

A client may be defined as an employee or his/her dependents.

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

A license as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC), or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), issued by the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, Division of Consumer Affairs, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General may be substituted for the above education requirement.

A license as a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), issued by the State Board of Social Work Examiners, Division of Consumer Affairs, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General may be substituted for the above education requirement.