Mental Health Professional (Intake and Engagement)

Position Description

POSITION TITLE: Intake and Engagement Therapist (Licensed or Licensed Eligible)

About the Role

This position provides assessment and behavioral health services to children, adults, and their families, as needed and assigned.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment and behavioral health services to children, adults and their families, as needed and assigned in line with education, training and or experience.
• Perform a basic screening to determine whether COD might exist and be able to refer the consumer for a formal diagnostic assessment for co-occurring disorders.
• Manage a crisis involving a client, including a threat of suicide or harm to others.
• Complete necessary paperwork for chart termination/closures/discharges in a timely manner.
• Support and promote a service environment for individuals in need of behavioral health and/or co-occurring services that is trauma-informed, recovery focused, welcoming, and attentive to the needs of individuals who may have experienced trauma in their lives.
• Be able to engage the client in an emotionally intelligent manner so as to enhance positive rapport and facilitate future positive interactions.
• Have the skills to de-escalate clients who are agitated, anxious, angry, or in other vulnerable emotional states.
• Complete and maintain records and other required documentation in a manner to meet established requirements.
• Refer a client to the appropriate mental health or substance abuse treatment facility when needed and follow up to ensure the client receives needed care.
• Have knowledge of psychotropic medications and their actions.
• Attend weekly staff meetings consistently as well as other departmental, clinical, or agency meetings when scheduled.
• Participate in professional development workshops, trainings, etc. to maintain continuing education training hours to ensure annual licensing and/or certification requirements and to stay up-to-date on the latest research and information in the field.
• Use integrated models of assessment, intervention, and recovery for persons having co-occurring disorders, both substance-related and mental disorders.
• Work with client to collaboratively develop and implement an integrated treatment plan based on thorough assessment that addresses both/all disorders and establishes sequenced goals based on urgent needs, considering the stage of recovery and level of engagement.
• Responsible for teaching clients about, implementing, and participating in regular community meetings and safety planning with client(s) as part of the agency’s commitment to the Sanctuary Model of client care.
• Be responsible for seeing that all services provided to any client to whom he/she is assigned will be properly charted and reported within agency standard timelines.
• Responsible for submitting accurate and timely monthly and quarterly service numbers as required/requested.
• Use the current edition of criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition to assess substance-related disorders and Axis I and Axis II mental disorders.

Qualifications

• Possession of a Master’s degree in counseling, social work, or other mental health related field from an accredited graduate school.
• Must be licensed or licensed eligible. (LPC, LMFT, LBP, LCSW).
• Have working knowledge of DSM-V.
• Ability to diagnose, intervene, and effectively refer persons in need of mental health services.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) in practice.
• Ability to evaluate situations and adopt an effective course of action, to delegate responsibilities, organize and present facts effectively.
• Ability to establish working relationships with clinical, administrative, and support staff in order to develop professionalism and coordination within the team.
• Professional presentation of oneself at all times with the ability to establish and maintain effective, cooperative working relationships with fellow employees, clients, community partners, and the general public while maintaining objectivity and a positive, collaborative, emotionally intelligent attitude.
• Must possess good working knowledge of community social service resources, effective crisis management skills, behavioral health resources, ability to provide trauma-informed care and a commitment to the Sanctuary Model components and philosophies.
• Ability to communicate clearly and in an emotionally intelligent manner with clear, polite, and respectful communication with staff, clients served, administration, community partners- in person, through written correspondence and on the telephone.
• Demonstrate professional and ethical behavior as well as the ability to maintain strictest confidentiality guidelines for interactions regarding client information.
• Ability to work well under pressure meeting deadlines with efficiency and consistency while maintaining a balance between good physical and mental health and the job requirements.
• Ability to consistently practice and promote the Sanctuary Model’s seven commitments of: non-violence, emotional intelligence, social learning, open communication, social responsibility, democracy, and growth/change as well as safety planning and community meetings.
• Willingness to meet individuals and families in their environment, including homes, school/work, and community.
• Ability to maintain strictest confidentiality guidelines for interactions regarding client information.