Behavioral Health Specialist

Connections for the Homeless; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive rewards package

Job summary

Connections for the Homeless seeks a licensed behavioral health clinician to provide trauma-informed assessments, short-term therapy, crisis response, and care coordination in shelter and drop-in settings. This role acts as an internal clinical resource, guiding staff and linking participants to community-based treatment.

Responsibilities include risk assessments, group/individual therapy, and collaboration with health teams, case managers, and providers to ensure coordinated care.

Qualifications

• Current Illinois LCSW or LCPC license, or eligibility to obtain licensure within six months.
• Experience diagnosing mental health and substance use disorders.
• Understanding of trauma-informed concepts, harm reduction, and recovery models.

Responsibilities

• Builds relationships with participants in shelters/drop‑in settings.
• Performs trauma-informed behavioral health assessments and crisis response.
• Provides short-term counseling and care coordination; links to community services.
• Completes risk assessments and coordinates higher level care when needed.
• Provides clinical consultation to agency staff and supervisors.
• Documents case notes in EMR and HMIS.

Skills

LCSW/LCPC lic.

Trauma-informed care

Crisis intervention

Behavioral health assessment

EMR/HMIS documentation

Education

MSW or equivalent

Social Work License (LCSW/LCPC)

Tools

EMR/HMIS

Microsoft Office

Job description

Brief Description

Summary of Position: Provides trauma-informed behavioral health assessments, short-term therapeutic interventions, crisis response, and care coordination to participants, primarily in shelter and drop‑in settings. Serves as an internal clinical resource to agency staff regarding participant behavioral health needs and supports connections to ongoing community‑based treatment.

Summary of Position: Provides trauma-informed behavioral health assessments, short-term therapeutic interventions, crisis response, and care coordination to participants, primarily in shelter and drop‑in settings. Serves as an internal clinical resource to agency staff regarding participant behavioral health needs and supports connections to ongoing community‑based treatment.

Specific Duties

• Builds relationships with participants by initiating engagement in the drop‑in milieu, homeless shelter, or other appropriate locations
• Implements assessments of behavioral health disorders to determine eligibility for internal/external benefits and programs; prepares forms (e.g., disability assessments)
• Provides short‑term “bridge” counseling/therapy to participants in community‑based programs (drop‑in & shelter)
• Develops and maintains relationships with health care and social service providers to facilitate linkage to long‑term community‑based behavioral health services
• Completes suicide, self‑harm, violence, and other clinical risk assessments and coordinates emergency intervention or evaluation when a higher level of care may be necessary
• Provides clinical consultation to agency staff regarding participant behavioral health needs
• Consults internally with health team, benefits specialist, case managers, outreach specialists and other CFTH staff as needed to provide coordinated behavioral health care
• Facilitates and coordinates therapeutic groups for shelter and drop‑in participants
• Participates in individual and group clinical supervision as required by the employee’s license, agency policy, and applicable law
• Enters case notes and records service transactions in the clinic’s electronic medical record (EMR) and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
• Adheres to the Code of Conduct and Core Values of Connections for the Homeless
• Attends required departmental, program and agency meetings
• Performs other duties as assigned

Requirements

The following qualifications are requirements for the position:

• Current Illinois LCSW or LCPC license, or current Illinois LSW or LPC license with demonstrated eligibility to obtain clinical licensure within six months of hire. Employees who are not independently clinically licensed must practice under appropriate clinical supervision and within the scope permitted by Illinois law
• Experience diagnosing mental health and substance use disorders
• Thorough understanding of trauma‑informed concepts, harm reduction, and recovery model of mental illness
• Ability to work independently and possess good organizational and interpersonal skills
• Computer competency and comfort with Microsoft Office suite and data entry

The Following Qualifications Are Highly Desirable

• Certification as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC)
• Knowledge of, and experience with, implementing evidence‑based practices within a trauma‑informed and harm reduction framework
• Five (5) years of experience working in social services with clients with mental illness
• Two (2) years of experience providing group/individual therapy

Other Requirements

• Successful completion of all required background screening, consistent with applicable law and agency policy
• Must submit to or provide evidence of a recent test for tuberculosis
• If no current clinical license (LCSW/LCPC) must obtain within 6 months of hire

Summary

For nearly 40 years, Connections for the Homeless has served and catalyzed our community to end homelessness, one person at a time. Each year we provide eviction prevention, shelter, and housing services to 4,000 people from across north suburban Cook County. Beyond providing direct services we also operate a robust advocacy and community organizing program to address the root causes of homelessness. The COVID pandemic accelerated our growth in the depth and breadth of services we offer and the organizational infrastructure to sustain this highly impactful organization. Connections is a radically reshaped organization deeply committed to demonstrating our core values in all relationships with participants, colleagues, donors, partners, and volunteers.

Join our dedicated team at Connections for the Homeless, where we blend a commitment to making a difference with a competitive rewards package. Our full‑time employees enjoy a range of benefits, consciously crafted through an equitable lens, to support their well‑being and professional growth.

At Connections for the Homeless, we recognize that supporting our employees is essential in achieving our mission. We are ready to invest in you as you make a difference in our community. We can’t wait for you to join us!