Crisis Clinician, 911

About the role

Under the direction of the 911 Dispatch Program Manager, the 911 Dispatch Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) serves as an embedded member of the Williamson County Emergency Communications Center and the Williamson County Crisis Team. This position is responsible for providing timely, high-quality, and person-centered crisis intervention services to individuals experiencing mental health, substance use, intellectual and developmental disability-related, or co-occurring crises. Working alongside emergency communications personnel, the QMHP supports calls ranging from low to high acuity and assists in identifying appropriate behavioral health interventions and response options based on the individuals presenting needs and immediate safety concerns.

Responsibilities

• Provide phone-based crisis screening and assessment, empathetic active listening, de-escalation, person-centered safety planning, and referral and linkage to appropriate crisis, behavioral health, and community-based services
• Work collaboratively with emergency call takers and dispatchers to gather and evaluate relevant information, engage individuals in crisis and other callers, and coordinate services with the BTCS Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT), Youth Crisis Outreach Team (YCOT), law enforcement, emergency medical services, other first-responders, healthcare providers, schools, families, and social service agencies
• Support timely intervention, coordinated crisis response, and access to the least restrictive level of care consistent with the individuals clinical and safety needs
• Utilize trauma-informed and evidence-based practices to promote stabilization, safety, recovery, and continuity of care
• Rapidly synthesize information, exercise sound clinical judgment, remain calm during high-stress situations, and communicate effectively with individuals from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Engage and assess an individual by telephone while simultaneously reviewing information across multiple integrated computer and database systems, documenting interventions, and coordinating with emergency communications and crisis-response personnel
• Apply comprehensive knowledge of the public mental health system and available community resources to facilitate appropriate service access and reduce barriers to care
• Maintain compliance with program procedures, confidentiality requirements, documentation standards, and applicable data-collection and quality-assurance expectations
• Maintain a flexible work schedule and demonstrate the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment
• Receive cross-training and provide support to other crisis programs based on operational and service needs

Pay

• Hourly salary range: $24.23 - $32.48
• $1.00 per hour - 2 years previous experience
• Up to $4.00 per hour - BTCS Tenure
• $0.75 per hour - Bilingual
• $1.00 per hour - Advanced Licensure
• $1.00 per hour - Williamson County
• $0.50 per year - LCDC Licensure
• Evening shift differential: $2.00 per hour
• Overnight shift differential: $4.00 per hour
• Weekend shift differential: $4.00 per hour
• Weekend Overnight shift differential: $6.00 per hour

Qualifications

• Must meet eligibility requirements for and obtain designation as a Qualified Mental Health Professional-Community Services (QMHP-CS)
• A bachelors degree in a human services field is required. Applicants whose bachelors degree is in another field must have completed at least 24 semester credit hours of human services coursework
• Must possess a valid Texas Drivers License and maintain approved driving status throughout employment
• Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills and the ability to engage individuals experiencing a broad range of behavioral health crisis needs
• Sound judgment, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and the ability to remain calm and communicate clearly during rapidly evolving or high-stress situations
• Ability to interact professionally and collaboratively with emergency communications personnel, first responders, community partners, internal BTCS programs, and individuals from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Proficiency in using integrated computer and database systems to access and synthesize information, review available records, and document crisis interventions and services accurately and within required timeframes
• Ability to navigate multiple systems while actively engaging and assessing an individual by telephone
• Ability to organize and prioritize work assignments, manage multiple competing demands, adapt to changing operational needs, and work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team

Preferred qualifications

• Masters degree in a human services field
• Two or more years of behavioral health experience, preferably involving crisis intervention, behavioral health screening or assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, or other high-acuity services
• Previous experience providing crisis hotline, telephone-based crisis intervention, emergency communications, and/or 911 dispatch services
• Bilingual in English and Spanish, with demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking individuals and families