Crisis Intervention Specialist I

sluhn; Bethlehem (Northampton County); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Luke's University Health Network seeks a Crisis Intervention professional to provide comprehensive assessments and coordinate admissions for psychiatric patients.

You will work in the Emergency Department and Walk-In Center, interfacing with physicians, nurses and BH staff to ensure appropriate care placement and timely referrals. The role emphasizes regulatory knowledge, patient rights, and a potential preceptor duty, with oversight of agitation, de-escalation and safety protocols.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of direct clinical mental health/crisis intervention experience.
• Experience with case management/utilization review and managed care models preferred.
• Education requirements described in the EDUCATION section.

Responsibilities

• Conduct intake assessments to patients presenting with mental health needs in the Emergency Department and/or Walk In Center and make referral recommendations.
• Interact with care teams to facilitate referral decisions and patient placement.
• Serve as a liaison for other hospital/network sites and support requests of other patient care areas.
• Demonstrates understanding of Mental Health regulations and patient rights during admission.
• Maintain knowledge of growth, development and age-appropriate communication.
• May serve as a preceptor for orientation of new crisis services staff.
• Participate in de-escalation and, if needed, safety procedures for agitated/violent patients.
• Support utilization management via pre-certification for intakes and consults.
• Assist in updating referral/resource information and data collection projects.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Intake assessment

Liaison duties

De-escalation

Documentation

Team collaboration

Case management

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Master's degree in a human services field and 3+ years of equal job experience.

Master's degree in a human services field with license - LSW, LCSW, LPC etc. and 2 + years of equal job experience.

Bachelor's degree and 6+ years of equal job experience.

Job description

St. Luke's is proud of the skills, experience and compassion of its employees. The employees of St. Luke's are our most valuable asset! Individually and together, our employees are dedicated to satisfying the mission of our organization which is an unwavering commitment to excellence as we care for the sick and injured; educate physicians, nurses and other health care providers; and improve access to care in the communities we serve, regardless of a patient's ability to pay for health care.

Position is 3pm-1130pm with working every other weekend.

The primary duty of this position is to provide comprehensive crisis intervention, including coordination of admission / referral for patients and their families presenting for psychiatric symptom assessment. In addition, this position supports requests and assists other hospital services or external customers, in accessing the network Behavioral Health Services.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conducts intake assessments to patients presenting with mental health needs in the Emergency Department and/or Walk In Center and makes referral recommendations to appropriate level of care.
• Interacts with the care teams that may include, physicians, advanced practitioners and other team members in addition to other behavioral health (BH) staff to facilitate referral decisions and placement, may need to coordinate with other BH team members to assist with patient flow and appropriate placement issues.
• Serves as a liaison for other hospital / network sites. Supports the requests of other patient care areas regarding patients with mental health needs, when able.
• Demonstrates understanding and maintains knowledge of Mental Health regulations and procedures as they pertain to patient rights and status of admission (voluntary/involuntary).
• Demonstrates competency in the assessment, range of treatment, knowledge of growth and development, and communication appropriate to the age of the patient treated.
• May serve as a preceptor for the orientation of new crisis services staff.
• Demonstrates skill as a member of the Control Team, in responding to agitation/violent behavior of individuals requiring verbal de-escalation and/or physical restraint.
• Demonstrates competence in caring for the agitated/violent patient, who may require treatment with seclusion/restraints.
• Supports the function of utilization management regarding pre-certification process for all intakes and consults.
• Assists in the update of referral / resource information and other data collection projects as requested by the Manager.
• Monitors the therapeutic environment as necessary.
• Other related duties as assigned.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIREMENTS:

Sitting for up to 5 hours per day, 2 hours at a time. Standing for up to 1 hour per day, 1 hour at a time. Walking for up to 2 hours per day, 20 minutes at a time. Occasionally uses fingers to turn pages. Frequently uses hands to write, type, and hold charts. Rarely uses the hands or fingers for firm grasping or twisting/turning. Frequently uses upper extremities to lift and carry up to 10 pounds. Frequently stoops, occasionally squats, rarely reaches above shoulder level. Hearing as it relates to normal conversation in person or on telephone. Seeing as it relates to general vision, near vision, far vision, color vision, and peripheral vision.

EDUCATION:

• Mental health professional with a minimum of one of the following:
• Master's degree in a human services field and 3+ years of equal job experience.
• Master's degree in a human services field with license - LSW, LCSW, LPC etc. and 2 + years of equal job experience.
• Bachelor's degree and 6+ years of equal job experience.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Minimally, 2 years of direct clinical mental health/crisis intervention experience required. Previous experience with case management/utilization review and managed care models preferred.

Thank you for your interest in St. Luke's!!

St. Luke's University Health Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer.