Mental Health Specialist

About the Role

Driscoll Children’s Hospital aims to create a thoughtful, impactful preventative and treatment program to help caregivers and children struggling behaviorally or emotionally, providing them with the tools, resources, and coping skills to navigate challenging times. The hospital-based Mental Health Specialist will deliver a wide variety of services, including individual, family, collateral, and group counseling; diagnostic evaluation; health and behavioral assessments; safety planning; crisis intervention; and referral to community resources. This role focuses on addressing the impact of illness through mental health support and treatment, with a goal of population-level intervention to prevent child abuse and treat mental illness.

The specialist will train other mental health professionals to better assist children and adolescents dealing with anxiety and depression, while also supporting caregivers and parents of chronically ill children.

Responsibilities

• Maintains utmost confidentiality and adheres to policies and procedures.
• Demonstrates ethical business practices and personal actions in alignment with corporate compliance and integrity guidelines.
• Follows The Driscoll Way customer service standards.
• Completes annual education requirements (Cornerstone).
• Maintains and follows the Code of Conduct and Standards of Practice set forth by Texas Licensure Boards.
• Responsible for professional supervision and continuing education to maintain state licensure.
• Attends and participates in staff meetings.
• Participates in the training (precepting) of new employees, supervision of social work students, and cross-training of co-workers.
• Provides mentorship and peer support.
• Participates in annual performance improvement activities and periodic review/revision of policies and procedures.
• Conducts process and debriefing support for staff on issues such as grief, conflict, and family interactions.
• Provides screening, assessment, evaluation, therapeutic intervention, treatment planning, education, safety planning, and coordination of behavioral health services in school settings.
• Delivers mediation and crisis intervention services for patients and families.
• Develops and facilitates programming for individual, group, and family support/therapy to reduce maladaptive behavior and foster effective psychological functioning.
• Implements therapeutic interventions and treatment strategies, including motivational interviewing, treatment engagement, crisis intervention, intensive crisis stabilization, brief and solution-focused therapy, and safety planning.
• Plans and facilitates support groups for patients, parents, and families.
• Engages in shared decision-making and treatment planning.
• Reports suspected or confirmed abuse, neglect, or exploitation of children, elderly, or disabled persons to the appropriate agency (Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services and/or law enforcement).
• Serves as a liaison and advocate with community programs and agencies related to health, mental health, and community supports.
• Provides presentations and in-services to school personnel, students, and the community as requested.
• Collaborates with staff from outside agencies to ensure quality care along the continuum.
• Testifies in court regarding child abuse and/or neglect.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Social Work or Master’s Degree in Counseling.
• Two years’ experience working in the mental health/behavioral health field.
• Experience diagnosing mental health and substance use disorders.
• Experience providing individual, group, and family counseling.

Qualifications

• Licensure by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (LCSW, LCSW-S, or LMSW under supervision).
• Licensure by the Texas State Board of Professional Counseling (LPC or LPC-A).
• Spanish language proficiency is preferred.