Mental health worker sample resume

Jason Richardson

109 May Street
Riversdale NSW 2001
T: (02) 9000 1111
M: 0400 333 888
E: j.richardson@email.com

Professional Profile

Compassionate and supportive qualified mental health worker with an ability to relate to clients and their families to facilitate a collaborative environment that fosters opportunities for independence and social acceptance. I have three years of experience providing recovery-focused initiatives for clients seeking housing and accommodation and who are also diagnosed with a mental health condition. I am now seeking a rewarding role in mental health work where I can contribute my knowledge, skills and personal attributes in working with clients to promote mental health recovery within the community setting.

Education

Key Skills and Abilities

Ability to deliver high quality care
I have a proven ability to provide high standard quality of care that is in line with current evidence-based models of practice and national practice standards. My commitment to continuing professional development, combined with my career experience and qualifications, allows me to confidently and capably develop innovative and responsive health services to meet my clients’ needs. In my current role as Mental Health Outreach Worker I use a recovery-oriented model of service and client participation as an important part of the program activities. I consistently evaluate interventions and initiatives using outcome measures and adjust my program depending on changes to my clients’ health, environment and circumstances.

Strong interpersonal, communication and organisational skills
In my current role I develop and maintain strong relationships with a local network of agencies to provide clients with access to the widest range of services available. Internally, I also work within a multidisciplinary team including psychiatrists, nurses and occupational therapists to meet the complex needs of clients. My ability to understand my clients’ needs and work with a broad range of professionals from many different sectors has been key to my success in assisting clients to maximise their personal recovery and capacity to manage their own lives.

Employment History

Sunnydale Community Health Service is a major provider of health and community services in the region with services spanning allied health, drug and alcohol, mental health, casework, family violence, and sexual and reproductive health. My role as outreach worker is to provide support, information, referral and assistance to people who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health and who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless.

Responsibilities:

• Provide proactive and recovery-focused engagement with people who appear to be experiencing mental illness and who have issues with homelessness.
• Contribute to relationships with SCHS stakeholders (such as families and carers, housing services and mental health services) to maintain links to recovery and rehabilitation pathways for clients.
• Provide short- to medium-term case management services including client identification, screening, entry, ongoing assessment, counselling, care planning, care coordination, referral, intervention and support.
• Provide support, training and educational services to the community and to staff within the Community Health Service on recovery initiatives and programs.

Achievements:

• Successfully developed and introduced a goal development paper-based tool for clients called the Goal Plan Diary to help support the development, implementation and review of personal recovery goals. Clients who used the tool improved their goal achieving targets.
• Developed safety and wellness plans and interventions for clients, which I would adjust as required in response to changes in the client’s mental health, and communicated these to both the client and the healthcare team.
• Have helped to support and counsel clients with serious mental health issues in collaboration with other health professionals and organisations.
• Have been able to use my high level of knowledge and strong inter-agency relationships to ensure all clients have continued access to specialist services.

The Riversdale Mental Health Services Department offers a comprehensive range of medical and psychiatric services. My role as social worker within the department was responsible for working with clients once discharged as outpatients, to assist them with engaging in social activities, facilitate patient and family/carer support initiatives, and support ongoing recovery.

Responsibilities:

• Case management – followed up on outpatients, and identified and reported on any decline in patient mental health.
• Home visits – provided information, support and advice to families and carers, and delivered carer programs.
• Undertook supportive counselling and therapeutic interventions.
• Assessed psychosocial needs of clients in accordance with professional practice standards and Code of Ethics.
• Advocated for clients and coordinated services with other departments.
• Assisted clients to find long-term housing.

Achievements:

• Identified clients at risk of homelessness and successfully implemented interventions such as working with the client to develop personal budgets and support plans, and organising respite services to avoid loss of accommodation.
• Successfully worked with hospital psychiatrists and nurses to develop multidisciplinary care plans for clients who I’d identified as suffering from substance abuse.
• Built up excellent relationships with all clients and their families and was commended by clients for my ability to make them feel comfortable and safe.

Professional Associations

Member of the Australian Counselling Association and Australian Association of Social Workers

Skills

Referees