Industrial Therapist (Safety)
California State Personnel Board Specification
Schematic Code: TR25
Class Code: 8320
Established: 08/01/2000
Revised: --
Title Changed: --
Definition
Under direction to assist with the industrial therapy program for forensic clients, patients, or inmates of a State developmental center, State hospital, or correctional facility contracting with the Department of Mental Health for diagnostic and treatment services; and to do other related work.
Distinguishing Characteristics
This class is distinguished from the Industrial Therapist by the custody requirements imposed by the criminal nature of the forensic client, patient, or inmate population, and the security features of the facility.
Typical Tasks
Analyzes industrial jobs to be filled, including supervision received, general environment, industrial hazards, working hours, and physical, psychological social requirements; obtains the industrial and psychological history of each forensic client, patient, or inmate for whom industrial therapy is prescribed, and interviews such forensic clients, patients, or inmates to ascertain their interests and abilities; with the concurrence and approval of the forensic client's, patient's, or inmate's physicians, and after consultation with medical and nursing staff, therapists, and industrial supervisors, assigns forensic clients, patients, or inmates to developmental center or hospital industries in accordance with their psychological needs; visits wards, industries, occupational therapy shops, and recreation groups to ascertain if forensic client, patient, or inmate is available for industrial placement or to learn of forensic client's, patient's, or inmate's progress and interests; with the therapeutic team, plans treatment goals for specific forensic clients, patients, or inmates; assists in coordinating industrial therapy with other therapeutic programs; evaluates forensic clients', patients', or inmates' progress and recommends change in assignments or release from industrial therapy; keeps work and progress records for individual forensic clients, patients, or inmates; and observes and intervenes in instances of disruptive or assaultive behavior.
Assists staff in the counting, distribution, and accounting for all utensils to prevent their use as weapons; inspecting facility to identify security breaches that could lead to forensic client, patient, or inmate escape; observing and intervening in forensic client, patient, or inmate behavior that may signal an impending escape attempt; and escorting forensic clients, patients, or inmates to other areas of the facility.
Minimum Qualifications
Either I
Education: Equivalent to graduation from a recognized college with major work in occupational therapy, vocation education, or social work.
Or II
Experience: One year of experience performing the duties of a Senior Psychiatric Technician in a California state developmental center or hospital. and
Education: Equivalent to graduation from a recognized college. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for a maximum of four years of the required education on the basis of six months of experience being equivalent to one year of education.)
Knowledge and Abilities
Knowledge of: Theory and practice of mental and physical rehabilitation of developmentally, mentally, and physically handicapped persons; physical, psychological, and social requirements of various developmental center or hospital occupations and analyzing developmental center or hospital jobs in terms of supervision received, general environment, industrial hazards, and working hours; institution organization and procedure; basic pathology involved in diseases and injuries resulting in developmental, mental, and physical handicap, and physical and psychological problems of the handicapped forensic client, patient, or inmate.
Ability to: Analyze developmental center or hospital jobs in terms of supervision received, general environment, industrial hazards, and working hours; interpret industrial therapy to hospital personnel, relatives, forensic clients, patients or inmates, and others; evaluate forensic clients, patients, or inmates and place them according to their physical, social, and psychological needs; determine the progress of forensic clients, patients, or inmates and recommend change in assignment or release from industrial therapy; keep reports and records to be included in case histories; analyze situations accurately and take effective action.
Special Personal Characteristics
Willingness to work at developmental centers, State hospitals, or correctional facilities contracting with the Department of Mental Health for diagnostic and treatment services; ability to establish and maintain cooperative interrelationships with individuals and groups; sympathetic and objective understanding of the problems of developmentally or mentally disordered offenders; neat personal appearance; pleasing personality; tact; patience; and emotional stability.
Special Physical Characteristics
Incumbents must possess and maintain sufficient strength, agility, and endurance to perform during physically, mentally, and emotionally stressful and emergency situations encountered on the job without endangering their own health and well-being or that of their fellow employees, forensic clients, patients, inmates, or the public.
Drug Testing Requirement
Applicants for positions in this class are required to pass a drug- screening test. (The drug-screening test will be waived for employees who are currently in a designated "sensitive" class for which drug testing is required under State Personnel Board Rule 213.)
