Mental Health Professional

Maricopa County; United States; On-site; USD 76,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition reimbursement

Exceptional work-life balance

Growth opportunities within Maricopa

Job summary

Maricopa County Correctional Health Services seeks an experienced behavioral health clinician to address urgent mental health needs within the county jail system. You will assess individuals with diverse mental health conditions, provide continuity of care, and work with psychiatrists, psychologists, and medical staff to deliver comprehensive services.

The role emphasizes crisis intervention, risk assessments, treatment planning, and collaboration with law enforcement and healthcare partners,

Qualifications

• Two years of behavioral health experience post-master's degree.
• Master’s degree in social work, counseling, psychology, or related field from an accredited program and completion of clinical training hours for licensure.
• A valid, unrestricted license issued by the Arizona State Board of Behavioral Health Examiners as a LCSW, LMFT, LISAC/LIAC, or LPC.

Responsibilities

• Engage in crisis intervention, de-escalation, and conduct suicide risk assessments.
• Perform routine follow-up appointments to monitor patients with serious mental illness or after discharge.
• Complete comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments including substance use evaluation components.
• Develop treatment plans for patients with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders.
• Conduct short-term, solution-focused therapy aligned with treatment plans and objectives.
• Facilitate therapeutic and psychoeducational group sessions and document clinical notes.
• Collaborate with the multi-disciplinary team and coordinate care with MCSO.
• Maintain HIPAA confidentiality and adhere to licensure, accreditation, and CPR requirements.

Skills

Crisis intervention

De-escalation

Bio-psychosocial assessment

Suicide risk assessment

Education

Master’s degree in social work, counseling, psychology, or related field

Licensed or eligible licensure: LCSW/LMFT/LISAC/LIAC/LPC

Job description

Posting Date 10/21/26 Application Deadline 11/04/26 Pay Range $75,750 - $108,000 annually Salary offers are based on the candidate's equivalent experience and internal equity with other employees within the same job classification. This position is not eligible for overtime compensation. Job Type Unclassified Department Correctional Health

About the Position

If you love complex clinical challenges and you value working within a sophisticated multidisciplinary team, consider joining the Correctional Health Team! You will work hand in hand with multidisciplinary team members, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and medical staff, to ensure that CHS responds to urgent mental health needs, provides continuity of care, and offers appropriate mental health services to patients in the county jail system. Your expertise can be utilized to assess individuals with varying degrees of mental illness, psychosis/agitation, substance abuse, and potential risk of harm to themselves or others. Are you ready to serve the community and make a difference?

About Us

It’s time for you to utilize and perfect your talents. Correctional Health Services (CHS) is an industry-leading healthcare organization for the incarcerated population. Our department’s culture promotes collaboration, continuous training, and flexibility. We challenge our team to spearhead initiatives, break down barriers, and advance their expertise.

Proud to Offer

• Work with a greater purpose
• Tuition reimbursement
• Exceptional work-life balance
• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County
• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents
• Child care benefits, including access to the Maricopa County Kids Club, dedicated to serving Maricopa County families
• Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave
• Extensive wellness program, including an incentive
• Enrollment in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement benefit requiring an 11.98% per paycheck contribution rate that includes a 100% employer match on Day 1

Want to learn more about the County’s Qualifying and Compensation Philosophy? Follow this link to learn more!

We Require

• Two years of behavioral health experience post-master's degree
• Master’s degree in social work, counseling, psychology, or a related field from an accredited program and completion of clinical training hours necessary to achieve independent licensure
• A valid, unrestricted license issued by the Arizona State Board of Behavioral Health Examiners as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), OR Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), OR Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC)/Licensed Independent Addiction Counselor (LIAC) OR Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• Broad-based work experience with the seriously mentally ill (SMI), substance abuse, direct mental health services, and crisis work

Job Contributions

• Independently engages in crisis intervention, de-escalation, and completes suicide risk assessments
• Performs routine follow-up appointments to monitor patients with serious mental illness, discharged from suicide watch/safe cells, or discharged/stepped down from the acute unit
• Independently completes comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments, which include additional components, such as brief screening tools to evaluate substance use disorders, and special needs treatment plans
• Addresses patients’ behavioral needs resulting from refusals to follow instructions or threats made to self/others by using de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention skills to intervene with patients with acute symptoms of mental illness
• Evaluates the mental health status of patients before they are placed in segregated housing areas
• Develops treatment plans for patients with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders
• Conducts short-term, solution-focused therapy with the use of treatment plans, goals, and objectives
• Independently facilitates therapeutic and psychoeducational group treatment
• Completes routine clinical documentation, such as consent forms for treatment, treatment refusal forms, and notes completed for non-face-to-face interactions
• Works collaboratively with multi-disciplinary team members regarding patient care
• Coordinates and documents mental health care with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO)
• Maintains familiarity with mental health diagnoses that correspond to ICD-9DM and DSM-IV TR (DSM 5) manuals
• Maintains HIPAA patient confidentiality in the management of information
• Adheres to all applicable professional standards and requirements, including modeling the code of ethics associated with licensure and certification and meeting regulatory, licensure, accreditation, health assessment, and CPR requirements

Working Conditions

• Travel or floating to various clinical locations is required within a 5-mile radius
• Must be able to respond to emergencies
• Must maintain CPR certification and get on the floor to perform CPR/chest compressions, push medical equipment, climb stairs, and lift patients on a gurney
• Must be able to work inside a jail and stand/walk/bend for extended periods of time throughout the shift
• Must be able to pass a fingerprint/security clearance process and maintain MCSO jail access
• This position requires accurately handling a high volume of work, communicating with a culturally diverse patient population, and adapting to frequent changes, interruptions, and unscheduled tasks
• Position includes day or night shift work, which may include weekends and holidays

Selection Procedure

Consideration will only be given to candidates who submit online applications. Candidates will be contacted primarily through email and their Workday online application profile. Must pass a pre-employment background and/or fingerprint investigation as required by statute or policy, including drug and alcohol testing requirements for positions designated as safety-sensitive.

Maricopa County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process or to perform the essential functions of the position under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact [e-mail] to initiate the interactive process.

We are Maricopa County

Who is that, you may ask? Forbes has rated Maricopa County one of Arizona’s Best Employers in 2024. We are over 13,000 employees strong, providing vital services for one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, with over four million residents who call Maricopa County home. You may wonder what we do, and it may be easier to answer that by asking what are you interested in! Join us and you will become part of a dynamic group of diverse and talented professionals who are passionate about making a difference and giving back to their communities. We offer career paths and opportunities in just about every job category and job level imaginable, so your journey with us is what you make of it! Along with offering purposeful careers, you can expect a rich selection of economical and comprehensive healthcare options, robust retirement plans, tuition and loan payment programs, and multiple paid leave options, as part of an overall generous compensation and benefits package. Thinking about career options, then please think about us! We are Maricopa County, and we are looking forward to working with you.