Activities Specialist

Job Description

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking an Activities Specialist 1 to join the team at the Cherokee Mental Health Institute (CMHI). This is a full-time position with a 7:30am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday work schedule and opportunity for advancement, growth, and development.

This position will assist in direction of CMHI’s Activities and Therapeutic Instructional programs. You will be working in our Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program/Department and primarily responsible for providing group and individual instruction to patients in an acute psychiatric hospital. You will facilitate on various topics such as depression, anger management, stress reduction, and effective coping skills, while working with the team to identify and develop enhancements to the program. As needed, you will assist in coverage of office duties which includes scheduling assessments, class enrollment, and preparing risk management information. The Activities Specialist will assist the administrative assistant in keeping attendance for class statistics purposes. This position requires patient contacts to be timely documented, team treatment plans to actively reflect treatment, and collaboration with other activity specialists and hospital staff to develop rapport and a team-based approach in carrying out duties.

If you enjoy helping adults and families connect with mental health and disabilities services, this could be a great opportunity for you.

CMHI provides active inpatient treatment to adults in need of acute psychiatric care. The facility offers several services including individualized treatment plans. Support for patients with special education needs to continue their education is provided, and individuals are encouraged to collaborate with staff members in formulating their own plan. Medication, group counseling, and activities therapies might be included as well.

We Have a Great Total Compensation Package, Including

• Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS) (Employee contributes 6.29%/State of Iowa contributes 9.44%)
• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan) (State of Iowa matches up to $75/month)
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance (See below for additional information)
• Vacation Leave (96 hours/year to begin, and increases with years of service)
• Sick Leave (144 hours/year)
• Paid Holidays (9 days/year)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance ($20,000 paid for by the State of Iowa)
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
  
  

For Additional Information On Benefits Click Here .

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Cherokee Highlights

CMHI is located in Cherokee, a city of approximately 5,000 set in the beautiful Little Sioux River Valley in Northwest Iowa. Residents enjoy fishing and canoeing on the Little Sioux River which winds through town providing a backdrop to a well-developed parks and trails system. In addition, Cherokee has over 1,000 acres of land devoted to parks and outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and horseback riding. Cherokee is the home of the first accredited museum and planetarium in Iowa, Sandford Museum and Planetarium, established in 1951. Cherokee may be the smallest town in the world to have its own symphony orchestra! This 60-member orchestra has been referred to as the “best kept secret in Northwest Iowa.” Cherokee is 1 hour from Sioux City, 2 hours from Omaha. Check out these 10 Reasons to Move to Iowa .

The State of Iowa is an EEO/AA Employer

HHS values those with “lived experience” and encourages adults who were fostered as youth, foster parents, and/or parents who were in the DHS system to apply. Minorities, women, persons with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply (Hearing and Speech Impaired – Relay Iowa 1-800-735-2942 TDD).

Our agency uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify .

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Graduation from an accredited college or university with major course work in art, the behavioral/social sciences, industrial therapy, music, occupational therapy, physical education, recreation, rehabilitation, therapeutic recreation, or other closely related fields;

OR

experience at a level comparable to Activities Assistant or above may be substituted in any equivalent combination for the required education on the basis of one year of experience for each thirty-semester hours of education to a maximum of four years;

OR

employees with current continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes experience equal to two years of full-time work as an Activities Assistant.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.

Additional Qualification Requirements

Designated positions in this job class require applicants to obtain the required Commercial Drivers License and endorsements within a period of time as determined by the appointing authority at the time of hire.

At the time of interview, applicants referred to Glenwood and Woodward State Hospital-Schools will be assessed to determine if they meet federal government employment requirements as published in the Federal Register, Volume 39, No. 12, Thursday, January 17, 1974, Section 20-CFR-405.1101.