Community Support Specialist

Job Summary:

The Community Support Specialist (CSS) provides community-based behavioral health rehabilitation and support services to children, adolescents, and their families enrolled in CORE Tier 2 services. Services focus on restoring, developing, and maintaining functional, social, family, and independent living skills necessary for successful functioning in home, school, and community environments in accordance with Georgia DBHDD Community Support service definitions.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Direct Service Delivery (DBHDD Billable Activities)

• Provide skills training and rehabilitation interventions to improve emotional regulation, coping, problem-solving, and interpersonal functioning.
• Assist youth in developing daily living and independent functioning skills, including organization, hygiene routines, school readiness, and time management.
• Provide behavioral coaching and modeling to support implementation of treatment plan goals.
• Support caregiver skill development, including reinforcement of behavioral strategies and environmental structuring.
• Assist youth in building pro-social skills, peer interaction skills, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Provide community-based interventions that help youth generalize therapeutic skills across home, school, and community settings.
• Support school collaboration, including skill reinforcement related to attendance, classroom behavior, and academic engagement (non-educational instruction).
• Facilitate linkage to natural supports and community resources to strengthen long-term stability.
• Monitor and report progress toward treatment plan goals, including engagement and functional improvements.

Care Coordination and Documentation

• Participate in treatment team meetings and collaborate with therapists, case managers, and caregivers to support integrated care.
• Maintain timely and accurate service documentation in accordance with DBHDD, Medicaid, and agency standards.
• Track service outcomes and engagement metrics to support program performance monitoring.
• Communicate clinically relevant observations to supervising clinicians for treatment planning updates.

Program Support

• Assist in engagement and retention strategies for enrolled youth and families.
• Support crisis prevention strategies through proactive skill reinforcement and environmental support planning.

Maintain professional relationships with schools, caregivers, and community partners.