Behavioral Health Specialist II - Emergency Services & Crisis Care

About the role

This position works as a part of the continuum of crisis services within the Merrifield Crisis Response Center and mobile response teams in the community including co-responder teams with Fairfax County Police and Fire and Rescue Departments. Works as part of multidisciplinary team serving individuals with serious mental illness in acute crisis who are high risk, in addition to those diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disorders and substance use or co-occurring disorders.

Responsibilities

• Works as part of multidisciplinary team serving individuals with serious mental illness in acute crisis who are high risk, in addition to those diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disorders and substance use or co-occurring disorders.
• Assesses, diagnoses, provides crisis intervention services and, when necessary, determines if an individual requires hospitalization for those individuals who are extremely high-risk in consultation with Crisis Intervention Specialist and/or supervisor on duty.
• As needed, provides coverage on the Community Response Team, and/or the Co-Responder Unit working in the field with Law Enforcement officers and responding to 911 calls.
• Recognizes and works with individuals with a wide variety of needs, including Mental Illness (MI), Substance Use, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD).
• Keeps abreast of civil psychiatric detention and commitment law and uses its provisions effectively to initiate involuntary hospitalization when a high-risk individual refuses, or is unable to commit to, voluntary care.
• Uses a comprehensive knowledge of community resources and referral agencies to connect people in crisis with appropriate ongoing clinical treatment options and with agencies that may alleviate exacerbating issues such as hunger, homelessness, medical illness, and other factors.
• Uses a sound understanding of psychiatric disorders, psychotropic medications, and medical conditions to connect individuals with psychiatric services, when appropriate.
• Answers phones in the Emergency Services call center and provides screening, assessment, crisis intervention, and referral.
• Serves as the CSB Representative for civil commitment hearing and/or attends the civil commitment hearings providing expert testimony as required under 37.2-817b of the code of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, nursing, counseling, or a related field, plus 1,500 hours of clinical experience; OR a bachelor’s degree and a valid Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) certification or Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) certification plus 1,500 hours of clinical experience; OR a master’s degree in psychology, social work, nursing, counseling, or a related field plus 500 hours of clinical experience.
• Mandt Certifications within six months of appointment and annually thereafter.
• First Aid and CPR certification, within 90 days of appointment and maintained throughout CSB employment.
• Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) (Required within 6 months of hire.)

Qualifications

• Master's degree in counseling, psychology, or social work.
• At least 1 year of clinical experience providing crisis intervention and working with individuals having co-occurring disorders (SMI, ID/DD, and substance use).
• Currently certified by the Virginia Board of Counseling as a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP).
• Licensed eligible or currently licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia in one of the following:Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or Licensed Nurse Practitioner.

Skills

• Knowledge of the principles, theories, and methods of behavioral health services and social development of the individual.
• Knowledge of evidence based behavioral health treatment methods.
• Knowledge of psychological, physiological and psychiatric terminology, theories and practices.
• Knowledge of assessment processes, methods of gathering social history and interviewing techniques.
• Knowledge of existing public and private agencies and community resources.
• Ability to formulate diagnoses and appropriate treatment plan.
• Ability to perform behavioral health and risk assessments and apply evidence based/informed treatment approaches/modalities.
• Ability to manage a caseload.
• Ability to establish rapport and maintain effective relationships with clients.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, public and private organizations, community groups, and the general public.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to maintain records and prepare reports.

Benefits

Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home — including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others . We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity. A foreign language skills stipend of up to $1560/year (full-time) may be given for qualified bi-lingual employees.

The CSB provides clinical supervision for employees who are registered as licensed eligible mental health in one of the following areas: Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner or Licensed Nurse Practitioner.

In addition, to recognize and reinforce the importance of professional development and enhance future recruitment of licensed professionals, if approved, the licensure supervisors will receive a stipend of $1,500 paid out biweekly over a 12-month period whether for one or more Department of Health licensure candidates.

License/Certification Reimbursement - Reimbursement for job related licenses and/or certifications once per year.

To find out more about the benefits of working with Fairfax County Government, please visit the CSB Careers Page.