Crisis Worker

Location: One Hamilton Health Place, Hamilton, NJ 08690

Status: Per Diem, Hourly – Evening shift

Pay Range: $34.43 per hour

About the role

Are you a dedicated mental health professional ready to provide critical support during moments of acute crisis? At RWJBarnabas Health, our teams work collaboratively to deliver compassionate, rapid crisis intervention. By providing clinical evaluations and connecting vulnerable individuals to vital resources, our crisis professionals play a pivotal role in the patient journey. We view our specialists as a critical component of the care plan, redefining the patient experience through teamwork, empathy, and excellence.

Responsibilities

• Performing face-to-face mental health and emergency crisis evaluations for patients in the Emergency Department.
• Collaborating closely with the nursing team, emergency physicians, and psychiatrists to determine safe, appropriate patient dispositions.
• Providing immediate onsite crisis intervention, counseling, treatment planning, and comprehensive discharge planning.
• Managing hotline coverage and maintaining consistent monitoring and clinical supervision of patients in distress.
• Coordinating the legal commitment process seamlessly through designated state screening centers when acute care is necessary.
• Securing insurance pre-certifications for patients requiring inpatient psychiatric admission and facilitating safe medical transfers.
• Connecting voluntary patients with open beds, completing required documentation, and linking individuals to vital follow-up mental health services.
• Arriving onsite within 30 minutes of receiving an emergency call when serving in an on-call capacity.

Requirements

To be considered for this opportunity, you must meet one of the following criteria:

• PhD or MA in Mental Health, MSW or RN with psychiatric experience required or BSW with Screening experience.
• Ability to maintain compliance with the state standards of a Crisis Intervention Specialist under N.J.A.C. 10:31.
• Experience in crisis intervention/emergency services preferred.
• Ability to work a per diem schedule (evenings/weekends/holidays).

Skills

• Deep passion for delivering a supportive, safe, and differentiated healthcare experience for individuals navigating psychiatric crises.
• Excellent collaboration and communication with physicians, emergency staff, family members, and community agencies.
• High standards for clinical documentation, ensuring all assessments, insurance authorizations, and statistical records are completed accurately.
• Ability to adapt clinical approach to meet the age-specific growth and developmental needs of each individual patient.
• Commitment to crisis stabilization through clinical excellence, kindness, and swift action.