Crisis Mental Health Specialist

Mid-Columbia Center for Living; The Dalles (OR); On-site; USD 67,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-paid medical/dental/vision

Job summary

Mid-Columbia Center for Living is seeking a Crisis Mental Health Specialist to deliver crisis counseling, assessment, and case management across tri-county communities. Responsibilities include coordinating with other services, ensuring trauma-informed care, and supporting families and individuals in distress.

The role requires strong cultural sensitivity, professional licensure or QMHP credentials, and a valid driver’s license. On-call rotations and community outreach are part of the job.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in MH field or QMHP credential required.
• Two years of experience counseling/case management for SPMI.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychotherapy, counseling and case management to individuals, couples, families and groups.
• Conduct assessments, develop service plans and monitor progress.
• Coordinate with team and community resources for crisis services.
• May provide mobile crisis response and after-hours coverage.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Trauma-informed care

Cultural sensitivity

Counseling skills

Team collaboration

Education

Master's degree in mental health field

QMHP certification or OHA variance

LCSW/LMFT/LPC license (for Level II/III)

CADC I or CADC II preferred

Driver's license (valid)

Tools

Clinical software system

Job description

Sign-on bonus Available!
Mental Health Specialist QMHP, Not Licensed: $7,500.00
Mental Health Specialist LPC/LMFT/ LCSWLicensed: $10,000.00 Working Title: Crisis Mental Health Specialist
Program: Crisis- Mobile
Report to: Clinical Services Manager
Pay Range:

• Mental Health Specialist I $5,569.21– $6,769.41 per/month
• Mental Health Specialist II $5,903.37– $7,175.58 per/month
• Mental Health Specialist III $6,257.57– $7,606.11 per/month

Location: On-site, The Dalles, Oregon (Subject to work in Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman Counties)
Hours/FTE: 1.0 FTE(37.5 hours/week) Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm This position requires the ability to work rotating on-call shifts to be split amongst the team to cover 24-hour crisis support services.
FSLA Status: Exempt

t he Crisis Mental Health Specialist I, II, or III employs strong clinical skills to provide services in a community mental health setting over the tri-county area. With the high prevalence of trauma among individuals receiving mental health services, the Crisis Mental Health Specialist I, II, or III must possess demonstrated understanding of the effects of trauma on health, relationships, coping and other aspects of the lives of those we serve.

The Mental Health Specialist provides culturally competent, appropriate, and trauma-informed crisis and behavioral health treatment for assigned clients. This position provides counseling and education for individuals, couples, families, and groups. The Mental Health Specialist provides behavioral health services to other community agencies, coordinates behavioral health services with other community and State resources, and performs related work as required. Incumbents must demonstrate cultural sensitivity and understanding of how culture influences and impacts behavioral health services while incorporating this understanding into trauma-informed care.

Mid-Columbia Center for Living (MCCFL) is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) that specializes in providing services that are both trauma-informed and recovery-oriented to persons / consumers with mental illness and addictions. Trauma-informed care includes safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, cultural sensitivity, and empowerment for both clients and staff. MCCFL serves Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman Counties and utilizes a consumer-involved, consumer-engaged, and consumer-driven model. MCCFL provides a whole-person care approach to adults and children to address both physical and mental health needs. MCCFL offers a variety of programs including a mobile crisis unit, intensive case management, ongoing counseling, community support, supported employment, jail diversion, hospital discharges, hearings, and more.

What you'll need:

Any qualifying combination of education, licensure and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position is qualifying. This includes:

• Master's degree in a Mental Health and Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) qualifying field, or current variance approval through the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to provide mental health services as a Qualified Mental Health Practitioner (QMHP) AND
• Two (02) years of relevant experience providing counseling, case management, or care coordination of clients with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI).
• Mobile Crisis Response experience is preferred.
• Experience with co-occurring disorders is preferred.
• Bilingual fluency in English/Spanish is preferred.
• Certification as an alcohol and drug counselor certification (CADC I or CADC II) is preferred.
• Must obtain certification from the Department of Human Services as a Mental Health Investigator and Mental Health Examiner. Must keep certification current and in good standing.
• Must possess a valid Oregon or Washington Driver's License, maintain an acceptable driving record, and be insurable for client service purposes and for travel between business office for meetings and/or trainings.
• This position must pass all criminal history check requirements as required by ORS 181.536 to 181.537, and in accordance with OAR 407-007-0220 to 407-007-0370.

Additional Specifications for Level I:

• Must be certified as a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) or register as QMHP-R within 14 days of hire OR
• Must have an equivalent certification that meets OAR 309-019-0125 at time of hire. This may be a Professional Counseling Associate (PCA), Clinical Social Work Associate (CSWA), and/or Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (MFTA).

Additional Specifications for Level II:

• Professional licensure in the State of Oregon as an LCSW, LMFT, or LPC.

Additional Specifications for Level III:

• Licensure as required for Level II AND
• Licensing Board approval to supervise licensure candidates.

What you’ll do

• Provide psychotherapy, counseling, and case management services to individuals, couples, families and groups. Conduct interviews to accumulate pertinent data; assess presenting issues; develop service plans. Counseling and psychotherapy may include working with assigned clients in developing communication skills, providing assertiveness training, providing behavior modification programs, and monitoring the effects of prescribed medication.
• Depending on position, may provide substance abuse disorder assessment and provide integrated dual-diagnosis services to assigned clients.
• Utilize agency clinical software system to prepare current client records of treatment and reports as necessary and required. Maintain timely and cogent progress notes and service plans. Ensure that client records and other documentation are up-to-date and justify the services provided.
• Serve as investigator and/or examiner in involuntary commitment procedures.
• Assist and/or provide back-up support with screening, referral, and crisis services as needed and directed by supervisor. May provide after-hours emergency services on a 24-hour, rotating basis, such as telephone consultation, crisis intervention, and pre-hospital screening examinations.
• Actively participate in joint case planning and coordination with internal multi-disciplinary team and agency psychiatrists. Collaborate in case planning and service coordination as needed with other community agencies such as schools, group homes, community detention facility, community medical hospital and other DHS programs.
• Participate in all team and agency meetings as scheduled.
• Use agency vehicles to provide community-based services and transport clients to appointments, activities, and other approved destinations. Ensure the comfort, dignity and safety of clients during transport, following all applicable safety protocols.
• Perform all relevant essential responsibilities using the English language.
• Regular and reliable attendance, professional communication, and confidentiality

Position‑Specific Essential Responsibilities of the Crisis Mental Health Specialist I, II, or III

• Respond to emergency services requests from supervisor, clientele, families, law enforcement, community hospitals and other community partners. Provide crisis counseling/crisis intervention, risk assessment, risk mitigation and safety planning, referral to appropriate resources, individual counseling and case management services to individuals, couples, families, and groups.
• Provide face‑to‑face response to requests for crisis counseling/intervention in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community partner offices, individual homes, and/or any location within the community; may require accessing sites with unimproved terrain, flights of stairs, and/or exposure to adverse weather conditions for extended periods of time.
• Initiate Director’s Custody/Director’s Hold based on assessed imminent risk to self or others, or grave disability.
• Provide short‑term, community‑based, intensive behavioral health stabilization services for individuals post behavioral health crises. Collaborate with the Mobile Crisis team, families, and community partners to provide mental health assessments, brief solution focused individual/family therapy, crisis and safety planning, skills training, on‑going mobile crisis response and de-escalation, care coordination and discharge planning.
• Provide Civil Commitment Investigations/Examiner duties for Involuntary Commitment Program; investigate the individual's mental health status to determine if the person has a mental illness and is dangerous to self and/or gravely disabled. Attend hearings as necessary.
• Maintain compliance of OAR 309-072-0120 by completing required Mobile Crisis trainings.
• Provide telephone or walk‑in screening and referral assistance to a wide variety of clientele making initial contact with MCCFL. Provide appropriate outside referral information to initial contacts that are not appropriate for MCCFL services.
• Develop crisis resources materials to assist on‑call staff. Maintain an up‑to‑date knowledge of available agencies and community resources.
• Train staff on community resources, crisis counseling techniques, community hospital issues, and crisis services policies and procedures. Provide mobile crisis training to staff and community partners as directed by Clinical Supervisor.
• Provide behavioral health education and information to various interest groups. Maintain and develop relationships/partnerships with community partners including community hospitals, state and local law enforcement, mental health providers, the school system, local medical professionals, and other community organizations.
• Must be able to meet the unique physical demands required of this role, including, but not limited to: a high level of physical mobility and exertion; regular exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

What we’ll do:

We recognize your value and will strive to keep you engaged and appreciated. The selected candidate will receive:

• Competitive salary, dependent on experience
• 95% employer-paid comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees only. Low deductible plans for family coverage through PEBB
• PERS Retirement Contribution
• 11 Holidays, including 1 floating holiday
• 15 vacation days
• 12 sick days a year
• Loan forgiveness- HRSA!