Milieu Manager - AltaPointe Health

The Children's Residential Services Program serves children and adolescents ages 5 to 18 years of age who are experiencing severe emotional or behavioral disturbance. These children have failed to respond successfully to multiple less restrictive treatment interventions. BayPointe offers a caring, structured environment and developmentally appropriate therapeutic services for each child 24 hours a day.

The program provides support to families or caregivers that helps maintain, enhance, or develop attachment with their child/adolescent during treatment and throughout the discharge process. Children and adolescents diagnosed with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders receive care in a special mental illness-substance abuse service track. The consumers, families, caregivers, school system personnel, DHR workers, and others as appropriate, are directly involved in the consumer’s treatment and discharge planning.

The goal is to improve each child’s or adolescent’s level of functioning and to discharge to a less restrictive treatment setting. The program primarily serves residents of south Alabama; however, the program considers referrals from across the state.

Primary Job Functions:

General responsibilities

• Participates in program planning- helps identify consumers’ problems, needs and strengths. Suggests modifications to plan based on observations of consumers’ behavior and provides input into discharge planning.
• Participates in implementing consumers’ plans by monitoring consumers’ progress; communicating information regarding consumers behavior to other team members; maintains communication with consumer, family members and referral sources in the consumers’ interest; co-facilitates didactic, educational and community groups within the context of the program; encouraging and facilitating consumer participation in activities ; supervises consumers’ to ensure their safety and involvement in working the program and provides input during shift report.
• Supervises therapeutic program specialists in collaboration with clinical coordinators. Assists in the orientation and training of new employees.  This includes being available to answer questions and to serve as a mentor to new hires.
• Attends 100% of mandatory training; attends meetings and/or seeks out information delivered in the event of an inability to attend.
• Participates in maintaining the therapeutic milieu within assigned program.
• Assists in providing an appropriate milieu by providing consumers with positive reinforcement and natural and logical consequences as appropriate.
• Maintains consumer program, department and related documentation according to policy, including observations, point sheets, corrective action, BLS documentation, and incident reports.
• Provides assistance to nursing staff necessary for the treatment of consumers as assigned and supervised by the LPN/RN. Maintains a safe, orderly, and physical environment for consumers’.
• Collaborates with the Administrator, Clinical Coordinator and Nurse Coordinator on milieu related challenges, training needs for program specialists, guidance of program specialists with supporting clinical goal attainment, and overall daily management of the milieu. 
• Assists consumers’ in carrying out activities of daily living, when congruent with the consumer’s individual plan and needs, age, and developmental level.
• Carries out clerical and administrative duties as assigned to support consumer, department and facility operations.
• Accompanies and transports consumers’ as needed.
• Participates in activities which enhance professional growth and development.
• Demonstrates conduct in keeping with facility ethical standards.
• Maintains professional demeanor when interacting with consumers and coworkers.
• Complies with facility safety, infection control, and security program.
• Supports facility internal and external customer service standards.
• Maintains appropriate supervision at all times, never leaving consumers unattended. This includes providing coverage for program specialists in case a fellow employee is unable to be present until proper relief/coverage is secured.
• Demonstrates conduct in keeping with the facility code of ethics, AHS compliance program and service excellence standards by serving as a role model for other employees by virtue of exemplary behavior on and off the job and assisting other employees in understanding the intent of each.
• Ensures unit schedules are followed by program guidelines.
• Demonstrates the ability to recognize the elements of a crisis state and knows how to deescalate and resolve the situation.
• Provides Ukeru training/re-training to staff.
• Provides MindSet re-training to staff
• Applies Ukeru and MindSet per AltaPointe policy and procedure.
• Works with consumers and staff to ensure unit cleanliness to include consumers’ rooms and common areas. Supervises and delegates housekeeping duties as necessary.
• Assists in providing a relief system for staff breaks and lunches in collaboration with the unit nurse and/or nurse coordinator.
• Provides relevant input into the unit delegation of staff daily.
• Performs additional duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Supervision and consultation

• Seeks supervision and consultation as needed.
• Accepts and employs suggestions for improvement.
• Actively works to enhance skills.
• Provides regular feedback to supervisor on issues/problems pertaining to work functions.

Clinical record keeping

• Documents in a timely fashion per AltaPointe policy.
• Documents in a clear and concise manner types of consumer problems on shift logs, progress on BLS, BLS summaries, treatment goals addressed, and services.
• Documents legibly.

Courteous and respectful attitudes towards consumers, visitors and co-workers

• Treats consumers and co-workers with care, dignity and compassion.
• Respects consumers’ and co-workers’ privacy and confidentiality.
• Is pleasant and cooperative with others.
• Assists consumers and visitors as needed.
• Personal values don’t inhibit ability to relate and care for others.
• Is sensitive to consumers’ needs, expectations and individual differences.
• Is gentle and calm with consumers and families.

Administrative and other related duties as assigned

• Actively participates in Performance Improvement activities.
• Actively participates in AltaPointe committees as required.
• Completes assigned tasks in a timely manner.
• Follows AltaPointe policies and procedures.
• Attends appropriate in-service trainings and other workshops.

Physical Requirements of the Job: 

• There is frequent standing, sitting, and walking in bursts of 5 to 10 minutes at random.  There are times when this can be extended to pacing with the consumer for underdetermined amounts of time.  Sitting and standing can be extended with the employee having the ability to change positions as permitted by the observance and behavior of the consumer at that time.
• There is occasional forward bending from the hips while kneeling to reach to the side.
• There is an occasional need to be able to assume a full squat/lunge from a standing position.
• There is an occasional need to maintain back extension while being on stomach with one’s own body weight on hips and legs.  This position is maintained for several minutes.
• Occasionally, be able to put one’s own body weight on one knee and one elbow on the same side of one’s body.
• Occasionally, be able to kneel and reach to same side toward the floor.
• Lift up to 10 pounds from the floor to various levels, including from the floor to overhead occasionally during shift.
• Have the ability to lift up to 50 pounds to assist in activities of daily living, as required. Be able to lift up to 50 pounds from floor to waist.
• Strong grasp is needed to use keys to open doors throughout the facility and to maintain constant contact with a consumer during a restraint procedure or with other hold techniques.
• Pushing/pulling force up to 25 pounds occasionally during shift.
• There are times that require the employee to be able to ambulate as quickly as possible to assist coworkers with a consumer in a restraint procedure, for example:  jog/run up to 0.1 mile.
• At times therapy may be inside or outside the facility; therefore, some activities will dictate physical requirements for playing or games.

Minimum Qualifications: 

Bachelor’s degree in a related mental health field preferred. Previous relevant work experience in a mental health field, preferably with adolescent/child population. Previous supervisory experience preferred.  Valid driver license in state of residence, meet age requirements for driving requirements and have proof of liability insurance. Knowledge of the child/adolescent specialties outlined below: 

• Knowledge of psychiatric disorders.
• Knowledge of growth and development of consumers related to all intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects.
• Knowledge of cultural diversity.
• Knowledge of behavior management, crisis intervention and interventions common to acute psychotic consumers and common to non-violent consumers.
• Knowledge of educational methods for consumers with severe and persistent psychiatric disorders.
• Knowledge of psychiatric rehabilitation principles.
• Subject matter expert (SME) on Mindset and ability to demonstrate techniques correctly.