Mobile Response Team Specialist

Alachua County; Gainesville (FL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Alachua County is seeking an experienced crisis intervention professional to lead mobile response services for youth and families. The role focuses on immediate crisis intervention, care planning, and warm hand-offs to community providers, with supervision of graduate students toward licensure.

Responsibilities include coordinating trainings, ensuring policy compliance, and maintaining data for program outcomes.

Qualifications

• Licensed in mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, or clinical social work within Florida licensure rules.
• If not registered, must obtain intern registration within six months of employment.
• Must pass pre-employment drug screen and Level 2 background check.

Responsibilities

• Provide trauma-informed mobile crisis intervention to youth and families.
• Develop care plans and warm hand-offs to community providers.
• Deliver crisis counseling via mobile response, phone, or telehealth.
• Supervise and train graduate students toward certification and licensure.
• Ensure data tracking and program compliance across mobile response.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Trauma-informed care

Mobile response

Community collaboration

Staff supervision

Education

Master’s degree in mental health counseling / marriage and family therapy / clinical social work

Job description

Qualifications

Master’s degree in mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, clinical social work, or a closely related mental health field that qualifies the individual for licensure under Chapter 491, Florida Statutes. Applicants within six months of meeting the education requirement may be considered for trainee status.

Licensure Requirements

Licensure in mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, or clinical social work is required within four years of employment. If not currently a registered intern, must obtain an intern registration number in mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, or clinical social work within six months of employment.

Driver License and Motor Vehicle Record

A Valid Florida Driver License is required, and a Motor Vehicle Record that meets the requirements of Alachua County policy #6-7; Motor Vehicle Records will be reviewed prior to employment. If, in the past 24‑month period, the applicant’s Motor Vehicle Record has more than three (3) moving traffic infractions or three (3) or more at fault motor vehicle accidents (or combination of both and/or a conviction/pending charge for driving under the influence) or is in violation of any standard mandated by Federal or State Law or Regulation, the minimum qualifications are not met for the position. Applicants within six months of meeting the minimum education requirement may be considered for trainee status.

Background Checks

Must successfully pass a pre‑employment drug screen and pass a Level 2 background check as specified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This position requires a screening through the Clearinghouse https://info.flclearinghouse.com.

Successful completion of all applicable background checks pre‑hire and ongoing are required.

Employment Status

This is a grant‑funded position. There is no guarantee of permanent employment.

Role Overview

This is responsible professional crisis intervention counseling work providing mobile response team services, and the ongoing development, training and support of the Crisis Center’s mobile response program in the County’s Crisis Center and onsite throughout the community.

An employee assigned to this classification reviews the daily processing of crisis calls, mobile response calls, care plans, follow up contacts and warm hand offs to community providers.

Work is performed under the direction of a higher‑level supervisor and is reviewed through conferences, reports and observation of the results obtained.

This is an emergency essential classification. Upon declaration of a disaster and/or emergency, all employees in this classification are required to work.

Exudes a positive customer service focus.

Advocates building organizational culture through aligning decisions with the County’s core values.

Responsibilities

• Provides trauma sensitive and strength based mobile response crisis intervention services to the community with a specific focus on youth and families.
• Provides direct service through mobile response, crisis phone line, face to face counseling, and/or telehealth services as needed, both on planned basis and in emergencies.
• Provides clients and families with prompt screening, assessment, crisis intervention support, and linkage to community services.
• Develops care plans for mobile response clients and their families focused on strategies to reduce individual and family stressors and for maintaining stabilization.
• Provides care coordination by enlisting the consultation of psychiatric providers and other mental health/social service organizations and transitioning care via a warm hand off when possible and appropriate.
• Coordinates ongoing in‑service trainings and debriefs for mobile response team members.
• Ensures team compliance with policy and procedures.
• Provides supervision and clinical training to graduate students toward their certification and/or licensure.
• Assists all staff and volunteers, through individual and group conferences, in analyzing mobile response cases, client concerns, and the ongoing coordination of care, case problems and in improving their diagnostic and helping skills.
• Informs citizens and community organizations about the Crisis Center’s mobile response team, crisis intervention services and suicide prevention programs that are available to the community.
• Collaborates with local agencies to coordinate client care as well as to develop and implement community‑wide strategies to address mental health issues.
• Collects and organizes feedback from each individual and family regarding the service delivery to improve outcomes of care that inform, individualize, and improve provider service delivery.
• Provides in‑service training for experienced workers in areas such as advanced mobile response and crisis intervention skills, new policies, procedures, and regulations including those related to trauma informed care, cultural and linguistic competency.
• Represents department in community or in interagency activities.
• Conducts and/or directs staff development programs.
• Continuously reviews current caseload.
• Counsels and refers clients to appropriate agencies or services in the community as appropriate.
• Supervises and continuously evaluates, assists, and advises crisis intervention volunteers, practicum and internship graduate students.
• Ensures the proper tracking of data and statistical information related to the mobile response team program.
• Provides after‑hours on‑call and in person supervision for mobile response team and all Crisis Center workers.
• Collaborates with local agencies to develop and implement community‑wide strategies to address mental health issues.
• Coordinates and assists with implementation of mobile response program policies and procedures.
• Coordinates activities, groups and internal projects geared toward personal and professional development of mobile response team, volunteers, graduate students and staff.
• Drives a County and/or personal vehicle regularly to respond to crisis calls 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week; drives to offsite locations to conduct training and/or participate in outreach events.
• Performs the duties listed, as well as those assigned, with professionalism and a sense of urgency.

NOTE: These examples are intended only as illustrations of the various kinds of work performed in positions allocated to this class. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Considerable knowledge of the laws, rules and regulations relating to the operation of community crisis intervention programs.
• Considerable knowledge of current techniques, principles and practices of mobile response, crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs.
• Skill in the use of personal computers including word processing programs.
• Ability to work with diverse populations and demonstrate cultural and linguistic competency.
• Ability to work with and counsel suicidal/distraught clients and work within a family driven and youth guided collaborative model.
• Ability to function in a team setting.
• Ability to train, supervise and appraise volunteers and students.
• Ability to react calmly and quickly in emergencies.
• Ability to coordinate and supervise volunteers and students in emergency situations.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to make public presentations before community organizations about the program.
• Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with assisting agencies, other County departments, employees and the general public.

Physical Demands

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to reach and to be mobile.

The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision, and distance vision.

Work Environment

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The Crisis Center operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and employees in this position will be required to work various hours and days of the week.