Emergency Services Intake Counselor Flex PRN

Universal Hospital Services Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Universal Health Services seeks an Emergency Services Intake Counselor to perform crisis risk assessments and clinical triage for families and professionals. You will manage fast-paced admissions, ensuring paperwork, pre-certifications, and physician collaboration are handled efficiently.

The role requires a Masters in a clinical field, IL licensure eligibility, and BLS/CPI certifications. You must uphold confidentiality, stay compliant with mental health laws, and work with a multidisciplinary

Qualifications

• Masters degree required in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related clinical field.
• Licensure or eligibility for licensure (LPC, LSW, LCPC, LCSW) or Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois preferred.
• BLS (AHA) and CPI certifications required upon orientation completion.
• Knowledge of DSM-V criteria, psychotropic medications, and assessment skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct crisis risk assessments and provide clinical triage for families and professionals.
• Manage admissions process, including paperwork coordination and pre-certifications.
• Collaborate with bed management and multidisciplinary teams to optimize care.
• Maintain records and uphold confidentiality and legal compliance.

Skills

Crisis risk assessment

Clinical triage

Multitasking

Communication skills

Education

Masters degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology

Job description

Responsibilities

Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital provides compassionate, evidence-based psychiatric and behavioral health support to children and teens ages 3 to 17. Guided by the highest standards of ethics and individualized care, our mission is to exceed patient expectations, instill hope in families, and meet the diverse needs of our community.

We are passionate about transforming lives through quality behavioral healthcare, and we are excited to further serve our patients by expanding our partial and intensive outpatient programs through an upcoming construction project.

Job Summary:

As the Emergency Services Intake Counselor you will conduct crisis risk assessments and provides clinical triage for families and professionals.

You will also manage the fast-paced, high-stress admissions process, ensuring compliance with mental health laws and confidentiality policies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Clinical Assessment: Conducts risk evaluations (suicide, psychosis, substance abuse) and gathers health and treatment histories.
• Admissions Management: Coordinates intake paperwork, pre-certifications, and physician care collaboration.
• Team Collaboration: Manages bed availability, patient deflections, and multidisciplinary team updates.
• Regulatory Compliance: Mainitains records and upholds legal and confidentiality standards.

Environment & Demands:

• Fast-Paced Setting: Operates in an environment equivalent to an Emergency Room.
• High-Stress Resilience: Requires strong multitasking skills and high physical stamina to support children and families in crisis

Work Schedule:

PRN/ Flex/ Per Diem; Weekends, PM, Night shifts

This position is not eligble for benefits

Qualifications

Education:

Masters Degree required in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related clinical field.

Licensure/Certification:

• Licensure or eligibility for licensure (LPC, LSW, LCPC, LCSW) or Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois preferred
• BLS (AHA) and CPI certifications required upon orientation completion

Knowledge:

Thorough understanding of the DSM-V criteria, psychotropic medications, and assessment skills with the ability to develop quick and strong clinical rapport. Working knowledge of Illinois Confidentiality Act, Illinois Mental Health Code, EMTALA and ILPA process. Must posses a detailed understanding of psychiatric criteria for various levels of care and insurance/benefit verifications. Have the ability to provide de-escalation techniques and crisis stabilization. Must be able to utilize CBT, Trauma Informed Care and Crisis Intervention effectively. Must be able to work cooperatively with other hospital staff and community agencies. Good organization skills, attentive to detail, thorough, as well as excellent oral and written clinical communication skills.

Language:

Bilingual in both Spanish and English preferred

About Universal Health Services

One of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. Growing steadily since itsinceptioninto an esteemed Fortune 500®corporation, annualrevenuesduring2025were$17.4billion.In 2026,UHS was again recognized as one of Fortune World's Most Admired Companies™ and in 2025, waslisted in Forbes ranking of America’s Largest Public Companies.

Headquarteredin King of Prussia, PA, UHS has approximately101,500employeesand continues to grow through its subsidiaries. Operating acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points, an insurance offering, a physiciannetworkand various related serviceslocatedin 40U.S.states, Washington, D.C., PuertoRicoand the United Kingdom.Foradditionalinformationvisit www.uhs.com.

EEO Statement

All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success.

To encourage pay transparency, promote pay equity, and proactively address regulations, UHS and all our subsidiaries will comply with all applicable state or local laws or regulations which require employers to provide wage or salary range information to job applicants and employees. Salary offers may be based on key factors such as education and related experience.