Crisis Lead Counselor

Lake County; Waukegan (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center is seeking a Lead Counselor for the Crisis Care Program (CCP) to provide crisis interventions via hotline, in person, and chat/text, and to assist with assessment, treatment planning, and coordination of care. The role requires collaboration with the treatment team and ongoing quality improvement activities.

The position demands a Master’s degree in behavioral sciences, at least 1 year of clinical experience, and a valid driver’s license.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in behavioral sciences.
• At least 1 year of clinical experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide crisis intervention services via crisis hotline, in-person, and chat/text.
• Evaluate and assess clients for level of care; prepare and implement treatment plans.
• Provide individual, group, and case management; ensure 24-hour unit coverage.
• Review, manage and analyze data related to NSPL calls; conduct follow-ups as needed.
• Coordinate with treatment team to develop goals, referrals, and ongoing care.
• Train and document clinical chart requirements to meet standards.

Job description

The Lead Counselor of the (CCP) Crisis Care provides support to the team:

• Crisis intervention services to clients via the crisis hotline (calls, texts/chats) and in-person.
• Evaluates and assesses clients for level of care.
• Prepares and implements treatment plans with clients.
• Provides therapeutic and supportive services to clients, including individual, group, and case management.
• Responsible for unit coverage and emergency telephone interventions.
• Responsible for reviewing, managing and analyzing data related to NSPL calls.
• Responsible for ensuring follow-ups are being done with callers who need immediate follow-ups.
• Responsible for 30-day follow-ups with linkage, as appropriate.
• Responsible for quality improvement projects.

Schedule: 40 hours a week

• Monday - Friday (10:00 am - 6:30 pm)

• Utilizes PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycles of quality improvement. Conducts follow-up reviews to determine whether actions resulted in improvements and takes timely, appropriate actions to ensure improvement.
• Conducts follow-up reviews to determine if actions resulted in improvements and takes timely and appropriate actions to ensure improvement.
• Participates in periodic calls with DMH staff regarding Vibrant-reported performance metrics and contact data described below.
• Reviews and enters all contact data (calls, text, chat), to be reported monthly to DMH.
• Provides crisis counseling on the phone, chat/text, and in-person.
• Collaborates with client and the treatment team to develop, review, and update treatment goals and referrals both internal and externally.
• Takes responsibility for training in and documenting clinical chart requirements to meet program and state standards.
• Provides education and direction to clients, family members and/or significant others.
• Organizes and participates in treatment-related clinical conferences and staffing’s on assigned clients.
• Reports client progress, behavior problems, or need for medication evaluation to program supervisors/physicians/psychiatrists regularly.
• Performs initial evaluations and assessments of potential clients regarding their appropriateness for participation in the program. Provides ongoing assessment of client’s progress/growth.
• Provides coverage of the unit/site, ensuring 24-hour coverage is maintained at all times.
• Conducts emergency assessments of clients arriving at the Crisis Unit.
• Provides crisis intervention to stabilize clients and refers them to the most appropriate continuing care in conjunction with case coordinators.

• Master’s degree in behavioral sciences and at least 1 year of clinical experience
• Must possess a valid driver's license.

As the largest human service provider in Lake County, we believe that services must be available without barriers. No residents are turned away due to the inability to pay. We believe in providing services in an environment of mutual respect, free of discrimination or bias. Whether assuring accessible and effective care, impacting policy, or assessing and monitoring risks, the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center has been an essential part of the public health system in Lake County for 60 years. We are looking for passionate, qualified team members who can help make a difference in our agency and, most importantly, in our community.

Additional information about the Lake County Health Department, our culture, and why you should join our team can be found at https://lakecountyil.attract.neogov.com/health-department.

At this time, you must live in Illinois or Wisconsin to be eligible to work at Lake County Health Department. You can find our salary grades at https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4515/Salary-Grades. For unionized positions, a list of our collective bargaining agreements can be found here: https://www.lakecountyil.gov/2686/Collective-Bargaining-Agreements.

Any offer of employment is conditioned on the successful completion of a background screening, drug and alcohol testing and may include a pre-employment medical exam.

The Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.