Mental Health Specialist II

Alameda County; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Alameda County Health’s Behavioral Health Department seeks an entry‑level Mental Health Specialist II to provide paraprofessional counseling services to behavioral health consumers. You will work with an inter-disciplinary team, facilitate specialty groups, and help maintain strong community liaisons to ensure services are accessible.

The role requires knowledge of risk assessment, crisis intervention, and the needs of individuals with mental health and/or substance use issues.

Qualifications

• One year of experience as Mental Health Specialist I or equivalent under supervision.
• Possession of a valid California Vocational Nurse license.
• Knowledge of risk assessment, crisis intervention and treatment.
• Understanding of mental health, physical health and/or substance use issues.

Responsibilities

• Provide paraprofessional counseling services to behavioral health consumers.
• Maintain community liaisons to ensure services are available.
• Participate as part of an inter-disciplinary treatment team.
• Facilitate consumer-focused specialty groups.
• Perform related duties as required.

Skills

Peer counseling

Motivational support

Communication

Crisis intervention

Risk assessment

Team collaboration

Documentation

Education

Vocational Nurse license (California)

Tools

Computer applications

Job description

Introduction
THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED
EXAMINATION.
The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list
and may last approximately one year but can be extended.
Supplemental
Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be
submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires
must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00
p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the Application or
Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.
Applications and Supplemental
Questionnaires will only be accepted online.
Qualified
bilingual persons who speak English and are also fluent in: Spanish, Chinese,
Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Korean, Mien, Tagalog, Amharic, Farsi, Dari,
Tigrigna, Russian, Romanian or Sign Languages are especially encouraged to
apply. There is an additional biweekly compensation for persons in positions
designated bilingual.
Qualified candidates may be tested to demonstrate
language proficiency.
DESCRIPTION
THE
COUNTY
Alameda County, located
on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest
county. The County employs 9,700 full-time employees and operates on an
annual budget of $3.4 billion. Oakland, the County seat, is California's
eighth-largest city. One and a half million people call Alameda County
home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities,
and rural areas. As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range
of services to its citizens. The County is a blend of culturally and
ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban
areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active
lifestyles. The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless
recreational opportunities, and an array of fine public and private colleges
and universities.
ALAMEDA COUNTY HEALTH
Alameda County Health
is the local government agency that promotes and protects the health and
well-being of all who live, work, learn, and play in Alameda County. We
coordinate services and cultivate partnerships with community organizations and
providers to help ensure access, organize, and deliver health care and services
to people with Medi-Cal and without insurance, support resilient communities,
and improve health for all. We focus on health equity by developing programs
and systemic solutions that reduce disparities for the people and communities
we serve.
Alameda County Health’s
departments and programs focus on services and support that provide care for
the whole person.
The Behavioral
Health Department provides mental health and substance use services for
people with Medi-Cal and without insurance and supports people along their
path to wellness, recovery, and resilience.
The Environmental
Health Department works to keep our air, water, and food safe; it
regulates, protects, and promotes the health of everyone in Alameda County
by enforcing environmental health codes to reduce exposure to toxins and
diseases.
The Public Health
Department focuses on community and population-level health, preventing
and addressing root causes of health inequity across a range of
communicable and chronic diseases.
Alameda County
Health also provides services through Housing and Homelessness Services,
Emergency Medical Services Agency, HealthPAC, and Healthy Schools and
Communities.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
DEPARTMENT
As part of Alameda
County Health, the Behavioral Health Department supports people with Medi-Cal
and without insurance living with serious mental illness and substance use
conditions along their path toward wellness, recovery, and resiliency. We
provide services through a network of contracted mental health and substance
use providers and administer the State’s resources and training for behavioral
health providers, case managers, and other healthcare professionals. We
advocate for our patients and families and create space for personal engagement
in their care.
We are outpatient
specialists for mental health services for older adults and youth, substance
use providers and treatment program specialists, advocates for quality
improvement and patients’ rights, and psychiatric and integrated health care
providers.
For more information
about the Behavioral Health Department, please visit www.acbhcs.org.
THE POSITION
Under supervision,
provides a variety of paraprofessional counseling services to behavioral health
consumers; recommends appropriate referrals; maintains community liaisons to
ensure adequate services are made available to consumers and provides facilitation
for a variety of consumer-focused specialty groups; participates as part of the
treatment team; and performs related duties as required.
This is the entry-level
class in the Mental Health Specialist paraprofessional series. The Mental
Health Specialist II class is distinguished from the Mental Health Specialist I
class in that the latter is a trainee level class.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
In addition to the
minimum qualifications and knowledge and skills listed below, ideal candidates
for this position will:
Interview and secure personal health and social
information to help determine consumer needs.
Work effectively with staff and consumers in treatment services and as
a member of an inter-disciplinary team of behavioral health care
providers.
Relate and communicate effectively with behavioral health consumers.
Know principles of risk assessment, crisis intervention and treatment.
Know the mental, physical, emotional, and social needs of consumers
with mental health, physical health and/or substance abuse issues.
Apply peer counseling and motivational support techniques for helping
behavioral health consumers.
Analyze problems, identify solutions and respond appropriately to
crisis situations involving consumers.
Communicate effectively verbally and in writing and write concise
reports.
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For more detailed
information about the job classification, please visit: Mental Health
Specialist II (#6491).
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
The minimum
professional requirements for admission to the competitive assessment process
include:
Either
I
Experience:
The equivalent of one
year of experience in the class of Mental Health Specialist I. (Possession of a
California Psychiatric Technician license may be substituted for experience.)
II
The equivalent of one
year of experience performing duties comparable to those of Mental Health
Specialist I, under supervision.
III
Possession of a valid
license to practice as a Vocational Nurse in the State of California,
And
The equivalent of six
months of experience performing duties comparable to those of Mental Health
Specialist I, under supervision.
License:
Some positions require
a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator’s license. Applicants must possess
such license prior to appointment to such positions.
Special Requirement:
In compliance with the
Administrative Simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), employees in this classification are
required to possess a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number prior to their
first day of employment.
In compliance with the
Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Federal Cures Act, Employees
in this classification who are required to render direct specialty mental
health services in the course of their assignment must successfully be enrolled
in Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE) web portal prior
to commencing employment.
NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum
Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the 'Examples of Duties' section of this specification.
The most suitably
qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:
Knowledge of:
Peer counseling and motivational support techniques for helping behavioral health consumers.
The mental, physical, emotional, and social needs of consumers with mental health, physical health and/or substance abuse issues.
Principles and techniques of mental health treatment and recovery principles and practices.
The psychosocial aspects and characteristics of mental illness and severe emotional disturbance.
Principles of risk assessment, crisis intervention and treatment.
Harm reduction principles and practices.
Behavioral health programs, community organizations and resources, and peer support networks in the local community.
Basic understanding of mental health case management and appropriate coding, charting and documentation requirements for health care providers.
Elementary psychiatric and medical terminology.
Familiarity with medications commonly prescribed for consumers.
Computer applications related to the work.
Ability to:
Relate and communicate effectively with behavioral health consumers.
Work effectively with staff and consumers in treatment services and as a member of an inter-disciplinary team of behavioral health care providers.
Provide a variety of mental health services to a varied caseload of consumers in outpatient settings.
Interview and secure personal health and social information to help determine consumer needs.
Analyze problems, identify solutions and respond appropriately to crisis situations involving consumers.
Maintain and monitor records of assigned consumers.
Communicate effectively orally and in writing, and write concise reports.
EXAMINATION COMPONENTS
The examination will consist of the following steps:
1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum
requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the
classification will move on to the next step in the examination process.
2) A review of candidates' Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best
qualified applicants. Those candidates selected as best qualified will move on
to the next step in the examination process.
3) An oral interview examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's
final examination score. The oral interview examination may contain situational
exercises.
CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH
PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.
We reserve the right to make changes to the announced
examination components.
Alameda
County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a
system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal
opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed
to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform
duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and
specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible
list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other
recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or
for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.
To
learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What
You Need to Know” section of our website, hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PLAN
Applicants
will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any
examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates
are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:
TENTATIVE
RECRUITMENT PLAN:
Deadline For Filing:
5:00 p.m., Monday,
September 28, 2026
Review of Minimum
Qualifications
Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified
September 30, 2026
October 19-23, 2026
Virtual Pre-recorded Civil Service Oral Examination:
Virtual Oral Examination Ratings:
Results Notification:
Promulgation of Eligible List:
October 28-November 6,
2026
November 9-13, 2026
Week of November 16,
2026
November 28, 2026
TENTATIVE SELECTION
PLAN:
Departmental Hiring Interviews:
TBD
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION
PLAN
REASONABLE
ACCOMMODATION
Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the
examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with
disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the
California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), and Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy
and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a
disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the
examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources
Representative listed on the job announcement no later than the
recruitment filing deadline. If this is a continuous open
recruitment without a filing deadline, please contact the assigned Human
Resources Representative listed on the job announcement within ten
(10) business days of submitting your application. Unless your
disability is readily apparent (for example, you use a wheelchair and need
wheelchair-accessible spaces), Alameda County requires applicants to provide
supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable
accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants
must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and
applicable statutes.
For more information
regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our
website, https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.
BENEFITS
The County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing. These benefits include but are not limited to*:
For your Health & Well-Being
Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
Vision or Vision Reimbursement
Share the Savings
Basic Life Insurance
Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
County Allowance Credit
Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
Short-Term Disability Insurance
Long-Term Disability Insurance
Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Long-Term Care, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
Employee Assistance Program
For your Financial Future
Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)
For your Work/Life Balance
12 paid holidays
Floating Holidays
Vacation and sick leave accrual
Vacation purchase program
Catastrophic Sick Leave
Pet Insurance
Commuter Benefits Program
Guaranteed Ride Home
Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
Child Care Resources
1st United Credit Union
*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement. This provides a summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.
Conclusion
All
notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be
sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org, [e-mail], and [e-mail] as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you
may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program
may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments.
You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda
online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you.
All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal
online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in
your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications'
button on the Current Job Openings page.
PLEASE TAKE THE STEPS RECOMMENDED ABOVE TO ENSURE YOU DO NOT MISS ANY
notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda
is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any
applicant for a County recruitment.
NOTE:
All notices are generated through an automated email notification system.
Replies to the email boxes [e-mail] and [e-mail], are routed to unmonitored mailboxes. If you have questions,
please go to our website at hrs.alamedacountyca.gov. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job
announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.
Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst
Human
Resource Services, County of Alameda
[phone] • [e-mail]
hrs.alamedacountyca.gov
Disaster Service Worker
All Alameda County
employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law.
Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this
effect.
Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event
of an emergency.
Equal Employment
Opportunity
Alameda County has a
diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is
proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based
on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not
discriminate in employment on the basis of: race, color, religion, sex
(including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political
affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic
information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental
status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal,
state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to
creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.