Mental Health Specialist V

Location: San Antonio, TX

About the role

The Mental Health Specialist V performs highly advanced (senior-level) clinical and administrative social work for patients with complex behavioral, medical, psychosocial needs, and substance use needs. This position supports a multidisciplinary team serving individuals with long-term or court-ordered hospitalizations due to infectious disease and co-morbid behavioral health conditions. The role provides trauma-informed, evidence-based counseling; discharge and transition planning; and operational support for behavioral health services. The position functions with minimal supervision and exercises extensive independent judgment.

Responsibilities

• Conducts comprehensive psychosocial assessments for patients with complex behavioral, medical, and social needs, including substance use history, risk behaviors, and recovery readiness (15%).
• Screens for chemical dependency, trauma, psychosocial factors, and non-medical social determinants of health to inform care planning, withdrawal risk, relapse indicators, and recovery needs; integrates this into treatment planning (10%).
• Participates in developing and maintaining facility-level chemical dependency programming and group curricula for patients; conducts chemical dependency program orientation sessions (10%).
• Maintains patients' treatment plans and progress records; modifies treatment plans in timely, accurate documentation aligned with clinical, ethical, and regulatory standards (10%).
• Facilitates individual and group counseling for patients with co-occurring behavioral health and substance use conditions using motivational interviewing, trauma-informed, evidence-based approaches (10%).
• Participates in quality improvement initiatives to enhance care coordination, treatment access, and health optimization; prepares clinical analyses and monitors behavior modification plans (10%).
• Designs and delivers staff development on trauma-informed care, ethics, and behavioral health best practices; develops and presents educational programs on substance abuse (10%).
• Participates in conferences for diagnosis and treatment planning; facilitates discharge planning by linking patients to community resources, social support, and follow-up services (10%).
• Provides clinical supervision and consultation to behavioral health staff, interns, and support personnel; directly supervises staff in the Behavioral Health Department; serves as interim or backup Behavioral Health Director (10%).
• Other duties as assigned, including disaster response, recovery, or Continuity of Operations (COOP) activation (5%).

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a master's or doctorate degree in counseling, psychology, social work, or a related field.
• Three years of experience in psychological/therapeutic work.
• Two or more years of experience with assessment and treatment, including work with populations evidencing moderate to severe addiction and mental illness (preferred).
• Must have one of the following licenses: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical or Master Social Worker (LCSW or LMSW), Licensed Psychological Associate (LPA).
• Must pass a fingerprint criminal background check, pre-employment drug screen, and registry checks (Client Abuse/Neglect Reporting System, Nurse Aid, Medication Aide, Employee Misconduct, List of Excluded Individuals/Entities).
• Males between the ages of 18-25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Must be at least 18 years of age; Terrell and Waco Center for Youth applicants must be 21 years of age.
• Compliance with HHSC immunization policy and state hospital operating procedures related to immunizations is required.

Skills

• Counseling, psychology, therapy, chemical dependency, addiction, co-dependency, counseling techniques, recovery processes, and related disciplines.
• Psychological tests, measurements, and related disorders; laws and regulations regarding the treatment of substance abusers.
• Treatment of mental illness; Joint Commission, CQI principles, DSHS standards, Texas Administrative Code Minimum Standards, and Texas Health and Safety Code Regulations.
• DSHS and TCID mission, policies, and procedures; ethical principles and code of conduct; Texas Mental Health Code for civil and criminal commitments.
• Psychiatric Disorders (DSM V TR), medical issues, treatment milieu, and behavior.
• Interviewing, listening, counseling clients and patients, and computer/software use.
• Screening and evaluating clients; planning, developing, and implementing rehabilitative and chemical dependency treatment programs; preparing reports.
• Effective communication, problem-solving, crisis intervention, CPR, and CPI.
• Working effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team; managing rapidly changing priorities and diverse caseloads.
• Managing conflict among staff; analyzing workloads and assigning staff to accomplish tasks.
• Interpreting diagnostic interviews and test data; conducting individual and group discussions; analyzing behavioral deficits.
• Developing plans for implementing and monitoring rehabilitation activities in skill acquisition and behavior management.
• Serving diverse populations, including using interpretation services for non-English patients.
• Functioning effectively as a treatment team member; serving as liaison between TCID, community resources, the court system, patients, and families.

Benefits

DSHS offers insurance coverage and other benefits available through the State of Texas Group Benefits Plan administered by the Employee Retirement System of Texas (ERS).

Pay

$5,530.00 - $7,253.83 monthly

Schedule

• Full-time
• Regular night shift with additional days (first shift) as needed
• Not eligible for telework
• Up to 10% travel required
• FLSA exempt