Triage Counselor (Nashville, TN)

About the role

Ranked one of Tennessee’s top places to work, MHC is a rare and special place where outstanding company culture is intentional. Where clients and associates are treated the same, as equals. Mental Health Cooperative, Inc. (MHC) was formed in 1993 to serve individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. Since then, we have expanded our services to children and adolescents with severe emotional disorders across Middle and East Tennessee. Our sole purpose is to support and treat those challenged with serious mental illness and poverty. Although based out of Nashville, we serve several communities across middle and East Tennessee with satellite offices in Antioch, Gallatin, Dickson, Columbia, Cleveland, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, Cookeville, Chattanooga, and Memphis. If you are interested in joining a team that is caring, collaborative, innovative and energizing this might be a great place for you! Answer incoming calls to the Crisis Department, determine the nature and necessary response to the calls, and route the calls to the appropriate team.

Responsibilities

• Provide telephone counseling to consumers, their families and other concerned persons involving a psychiatric emergency.
• Assess for a response to the scene by the Crisis Counselor.
• Maintain accurate records and adhere to confidentiality requirements.
• Link client to appropriate community resources.
• Enter information into computer systems.
• Assist community agencies with information and/or disposition.
• In consultation with Crisis Counselors, triage cases in order to determine priority of each call that will require a face-to-face encounter.
• Provide assistance to callers on the Statewide Line and ensure that callers get routed to appropriate team for assistance.
• Provide follow-up calls to consumers seen in crisis as set for in Title 33.
• Maintain appropriate customer service skills at all times.
• Assist in gathering information and providing assistance on walk-in cares in the Crisis department.
• Assist teammates as needed.
• Attend staff meetings.
• Assist in training new staff as appropriate.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a human service related field (counseling, psychology, social work) and one-year mental health experience.
• Mental health professional with specialized training in crisis intervention.
• Valid Tennessee Driver’s License.
• Acceptable Motor Vehicle Report (MVR).
• Acceptable Criminal Background Investigation.
• Personal Automobile Insurance.
• Physical demands: While performing duties of job, employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Skills

• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work independently to make critical decisions and to work collaboratively as an integral part of a team (crisis team and agency wide team).
• Assists teammates when needed.
• Has the ability to initiate, develop and maintain effective working relationships with Consumers, families, law enforcement and other referral sources.
• Understands and is able to use conflict resolution and negotiation skills in order to defuse difficult situations.
• Demonstrates professionalism and empathy with Consumers and referral sources.
• Assessment and Intervention Skills: Ability to evaluate risk factors and potential risk factors during triage assessments.
• Ability to thoroughly and accurately explain and document triage assessment and plan of action for each triaged call.
• Demonstrates