Crisis Family Specialist I

Initial compensation for this position ranges from $31.40 - $38.61 per hour, depending on experience, location, and internal equity considerations.

Pay

• Base pay: $31.40 - $38.61 per hour
• 8% license differential for LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, PsyD, and select Peer Certifications
• Bilingual differentials: up to 7.5% for qualifying direct service roles; up to $80.00/month flat fee for qualifying non-direct service roles

Benefits

• Benefits eligibility starts on day one
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401K employer match up to 4%
• Competitive time-off plans (eligibility requirements apply)

Schedule

On-call for the Crisis Stabilization Unit. Requirements include:

• Submit written availability by the 15th of each month for the following month, including at least eight days (with a minimum of four weekend days) and willingness to cover at least one holiday shift per year
• Provide advance written notice for unavailability due to vacations, illness, or emergencies
• Shift offers depend on program needs; no penalty if staffing support is not required
• Adhere to punctuality and attendance policies, including arriving within two hours if called for an unexpected last-minute shift

About the Program

CSU is a 23-hour, 59-minute unit for youth placed on a 5150 hold who require intensive stabilization. The goal is to divert youth from more extended psychiatric hospital stays.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct services to youth and families, including billable mental health services documented in alignment with MediCal regulations
• Engage and build relationships with parents, youth, and others to support family-driven, strength-based planning and interventions
• Utilize strengths of youth, families, and others to assist in achieving goals and outcomes
• Understand and leverage therapeutic opportunities in crisis situations
• Conduct observations of specific target behaviors, track progress, and modify plans with families to support identified outcomes
• Assist teams in developing hypotheses of function and underlying unmet needs to create individualized, strength-based strategies and interventions
• Engage caregivers, family members, and natural supports in building youth-specific parenting responses to support positive behavior change
• Work in the community with youth and families to develop and implement safety and skill refinement plans
• Support families in accessing and building natural resources and community-based program supports
• Develop community resources to serve children and families
• Assist youth and family teams in meeting specific service needs and monitor outcomes
• Participate in family finding team activities, including identifying needs, obtaining authorizations, creating teams, conducting searches, and setting deadlines
• Complete Connectedness Maps as needed
• Document interactions and maintain administrative expectations in a timely manner
• Assist in developing program responses to needs identified across multiple youth and families where natural community resources are unavailable or inappropriate
• Build on individual strengths, concerns, and needs with a balanced focus on the family as a unit
• Facilitate, co-facilitate, support, and model participation in healthy group dynamics in various settings (e.g., family homes, schools, parks, treatment facilities)
• Build solid, cooperative, culturally responsive relationships with youth, families, and community resources
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned to support department/business needs

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED and one (1) year of relevant experience working with children, or equivalent combination of education and experience (two years of relevant experience equals one year of education)
• Ability to speak, read, and/or write another language consistent with the program's client needs

Skills

• Conflict Resolution
• Clear and Accurate Documentation
• Customer Focus
• Learning on the Fly
• Time Management

Physical Requirements

• Must remain physically fit to ensure client safety
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, use hands, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, talk, hear, taste, or smell
• Ability to move quickly or run if needed
• Must pass an initial physical abilities test (PATS) and be certified in crisis intervention techniques within the first 30 days and annually
• If employed at a Crisis Stabilization Unit, must pass a Human Performance Evaluation Test, including lifting, pushing/pulling, repetitive coupling, static weight, and other required movements
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required: close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus

Driving may be required. Position may have unsupervised contact with children and requires a full background check and TB exam.