New York State of Opportunity

Mental Health Program Specialist 2

Written Test To Be Held
December 01, 2018
Applications Must Be Submitted or Postmarked By
October 17, 2018

 

Exams Included on This Announcement
Exam Number Exam Title Salary Salary Grade Non−Refundable Processing Fee (Waivers available)
26-555 Mental Health Program Specialist 2 $73,284 G-23 $40

IMPORTANT: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination. If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT received by the Department of Civil Service. No late applications will be accepted after the filing deadline has passed.

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before December 1, 2018 you must have a bachelor���s degree in one of the major fields of study as follows: psychology, counseling and community psychology, social work, nursing, recreation therapy, rehabilitation counseling, special education, child and family studies, mental health counseling, psychoanalysis, marriage and family therapy, creative arts therapy, public administration, public policy, hospital administration, health administration, public health, sociology, or criminal justice; AND you must have three years of professional clinical experience or professional administrative experience in a mental health program.* (See descriptions and definitions below.) You must clearly and sufficiently describe your experience or your application may be disapproved.

Substitution:

Note:

The maximum degree substitution is up to two years of the required experience.

*Mental Health Program: For the purposes of this examination, a mental health program is defined as a federal, state, or local government operated, licensed, certified, or funded mental health program in which the primary population served (75% or more) consists of individuals whom have been diagnosed with mental illness and are receiving mental health services.

Non-qualifying programs include, but are not limited to, programs in which the primary population served consists of individuals receiving developmental disabilities services, juvenile justice services, criminal justice services, health services, foster care services, social services, or substance use disorder services.

Professional Clinical Experience: For the purposes of this examination, Professional clinical experience is defined as the provision of professional level care, treatment, or instruction, to individuals who have been diagnosed with mental illness, in the disciplines of: psychology, social work, nursing, recreation therapy, rehabilitation counseling, mental health counseling, psychoanalysis, marriage and family therapy, or creative arts therapy.

Examples of qualifying professional clinical experience includes but are not limited to providing: psychotherapy; psychological diagnosis, assessment, and evaluation; psychological services treatment plan development; mental health counseling; and psychiatric registered nursing.

Examples of non-qualifying clinical experience includes but are not limited to: intern/externships; and providing direct care and/or support services, such as those normally provided by therapy aides, nursing assistants, direct support aides, and caseworkers.

Professional Administrative Experience��� For the purposes of this examination, Professional administrative experience is defined as experience performing one or more of the following:

Examples of qualifying professional administrative experience includes: experience in Federal, State or local government mental health program; experience in a local community provider licensed or regulated or funded by the Office of Mental Health.

If you expect to meet the educational requirements by June 30, 2019, you can be admitted to the written test, but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirement to the Appointing Authority at the time of the employment interview. Failure to meet the educational requirements by June 30, 2019 may result in your removal from the eligible list.

Notes

  1. Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the New York State Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S1JFG.
  2. A promotion examination is also being held for these positions. If you are eligible for appointment from a promotion list, you may not be appointed in your own agency from the list resulting from this examination open to the public.
  3. Although promotion examinations are being held, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of these examinations open to the public.
  4. You may file for these examinations by completing one NYS-APP application form or applying on the Internet. Unless you are eligible for a fee waiver, the indicated processing fee must be submitted for each examination listed on your application.
  5. Background Investigation/Justice Center Review: In some agencies, the names of all prospective employees will be:
    • Checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL) maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s);
    • Investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). All convictions must be reported. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal laws;

    and may be:

    • Screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees whose names appear on the SCR may be barred from appointment.

    You will be responsible for payment of all required fees.

  6. Medicaid and Medicare: In order to be eligible for appointment and to maintain employment, you cannot be listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of the Federal and/or State Medicaid and Medicare exclusion lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program). If you are appointed and subsequently listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally-assisted program), you may be terminated from your employment.
  7. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
  8. New York State residence is not required.
  9. The Positions

    These positions exist in the New York State Office of Mental Health.

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    Duties

    As a Mental Health Program Specialist 2, you would perform professional, administrative, and technical duties promoting the development, implementation, and evaluation of a mental health service delivery system and its component services. You may be responsible for small to medium size State facilities or local programs or serve as a member of a team responsible for larger and more technically complex programs that require additional support and guidance.

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    Subject of Examination

    There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

    1. Developing, implementing and evaluating mental health programs - These questions test for the knowledge of issues, initiatives, programs, and trends in the field of mental health. Questions will focus on the oversight of programs that diagnose and treat mental health issues.
    2. Ensuring effective inter/intra agency communications - These questions test for understanding of techniques for interacting effectively with individuals and agencies, to educate and inform them about topics of concern, to clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with the staff of one's own agency and/or that of other agencies in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.
    3. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
    4. Understanding and interpreting tabular material - These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.
    5. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.
    6. Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

      Important: The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies may communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your examination results and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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      How To Apply

      This announcement is for viewing purposes only.

      Additional Information

      New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

      It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

      Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

      Eligibility for Employment

      You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

      Religious Accommodation

      Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

      Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

      It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

      Admission to Examination

      Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your written test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

      Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

      If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

      Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

      Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.

      S1/TB1 JFG-vla
      Issued: 09/14/2018

      This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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