Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Resident/Supervisee)

Job Description

Please note: This position includes a $2,500.00 gross signing bonus at hire and $2,500.00 gross bonus at the completion of the probationary period.

Arlington County's Department of Human Services (DHS) is hiring experienced Behavioral Health Clinicians to serve as Emergency Services Clinicians in the Client Services Entry (CSE) Bureau of the Behavioral Healthcare Division (BHD). These employees will provide comprehensive crisis intervention and stabilization to persons with serious mental illness, dual diagnoses, and acute psychiatric and substance abuse-related issues, in order to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and lengthy emergency department stays, and to de-escalate and prevent future crises. Services offered are trauma-informed, culturally competent, strengths-based, needs-driven, and are responsive, adaptive, as well as respectful.

This position encompasses multiple levels in a career ladder ranging from Behavioral Health Emergency Services Resident/Supervisee to Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Licensed).

Responsibilities

Specific duties include:

• Providing assessments and interventions in multiple settings including home, schools, juvenile justice settings, community organizations, as well as hospital inpatient units and emergency departments;
• Developing and maintaining working relationships with BHD staff and with other agencies including police, courts, schools, magistrates, fire and rescue, VHC Health, and other agencies involved in emergency interventions;
• Conducting diagnostic assessments and risk analyses, utilizing a strengths-based approach;
• Developing and implementing strategies for clients and for families to alleviate crisis including time-limited crisis interventions, short term counseling, and/or intensive care coordination;
• Conducting pre-admission screening for hospitalization or other diversionary services (partial hospitalization, residential, respite, intensive community services), ensuring that services are provided in the least restrictive environments; and
• Ensuring high quality and timely documentation within an electronic record management system by staff.

The ideal candidate is patient, understanding, inquisitive, convincing, while often under pressure to complete tasks under the allowed time limit. They will have proven experience completing documentation in a timely manner to ensure that subsequent staff have the information necessary to follow up on cases. The ability to work under uncertain conditions and unknown hours is also essential for this role

Qualifications

Note: Please refer to the guidelines for registration and licensure set forth by the Virginia Department of Health Professions prior to completing this application.

Minimum Qualifications (all levels):

• Master's degree in Counseling, Psychiatric Social Work, Psychology, Art Therapy, Psychiatric Nursing or other directly related discipline, all of which required a clinical practicum involving diagnostic and treatment services; and
• Two years post-Master's degree experience providing mental health services, which includes one-year minimum of working with seriously mentally ill individuals in crisis.

Possession or obtainment of:

• Preadmission Prescreening Clinician Certification from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Development Sciences (DBHDS) within 60 days of employment (90 days for on-call, temporary employees) (http://www.dbhds.virginia.gov/behavioral-health/mental-health-services/protocols-and-procedures);
• TOVA training from Arlington County within one year of employment; and
• Medication Administration Certification from a CSB-approved vendor within 90 days of employment.

Clinicians may be hired at the following levels:

Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Licensed):

• Licensure by the appropriate board of the Virginia Department of Health Professions, appropriate to the employee's discipline (e.g. LPC, LCP, LMFT, or LCSW) at time of employment.

Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Resident/Supervisee):

• Within 90 days of hire, obtaining a temporary license as a Resident in Counseling (for LPC or LMFT), Resident in Clinical Psychology (for LCP) or registering as a Supervisee in Social Work (for LCSW) with the Virginia Department of Health Professions (VDHP). Licensure by the appropriate board of Virginia Department of Health Professions must be obtained within 3 years of hire.

Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Non-VA Licensed):

• Licensure in another jurisdiction at time of employment and licensure by the appropriate board of the Virginia Department of Health Professions, appropriate to the employee's discipline (e.g., LPC, LCP, LMFT, or LCSW) must be obtained within 90 days of employment.

Substitution: Directly related higher level clinical degrees may substitute for the Master's Degree education requirement and one year of experience.

Desirable: Preference may be given to candidates with experience or certification in one or more of the following:

• Providing services to individuals experiencing a behavioral health emergency;
• Working with clients with co-occurring substance use disorders;
• Collaborating with criminal justice partners (particularly law enforcement, correctional officers, and court staff); and/or
• Prescreen certified.

Special Requirements

• Background Check: A pre-employment criminal records check will be conducted. It will include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit history. You will be required to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain your background information.
• Must complete pre-hire federal background check and State of Virginia Central Registry check.
• Driver's License: Applicant must possess, or obtain by time of appointment, a valid driver's license, and must provide or authorize Arlington County to obtain a copy of official driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon favorable review of the applicant's driving record. Alternatively, the applicant must have the ability and willingness to use alternative methods of transportation to perform assigned duties and responsibilities at locations other than the primary worksite.

Employment restrictions: To ensure that dual relationships are avoided and that employees who are also clients do not relate to their service provider as co-professionals, employees will not be hired by the County to provide or support services to the team or program in which they are current clients:

• You cannot concurrently receive behavioral health services from Arlington County Community Service Board (CSB) programs while employed in an Arlington County CSB program (exception Crisis Intervention services).
• At least 24 months must have passed between receipt of CSB services from Arlington County and employment in an Arlington County CSB program.

Working Conditions:

• The worker must be available to work after hours and in emergency situations.
• Work is performed as part of a 24/7 operation and the worker must be available to work shifts as necessary, based on assignment.
• The duties of these positions may be performed in an office environment and, based on assignment, may also be performed at locations throughout the community, including client homes, hospitals, and other facilities.
• *Emergency services with mobile response are considered "essential", and therefore, must be available to provide overnight, weekend and holiday coverage, as well as inclement weather coverage.

Please complete each section of the application including the supplemental questions. Your responses to the supplemental questions are required because they provide us with specific information necessary to evaluate your qualifications for this position. These responses are considered part of the selection process. A resume may be attached; however, it will not substitute for a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please do not write "see resume" as a response to the questions. In accordance with § 19.2-392.15, applicants are not required to provide information regarding sealed arrests, charges, or convictions in response to any questions or inquiries during the hiring process.

Additional Information

This position is funded with ongoing State funds.

Work Hours: The current vacancy is for an overnight shift. Work shifts are assigned as needed to provide coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Weekend work is required for all shifts. This position is classified as essential. Selected candidate must be available for call back, working on call, during weekends, holidays, and emergencies.

Salary Ranges:

• Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Licensed) and (Non-VA Licensed): $96,304-$149,240 Annually
• Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Resident/Supervisee): $83,158.40-$128,876 Annually

This position is eligible for County government employee benefits that include health, dental, vacation and sick leave, commuter transportation subsidies, tuition reimbursement, as well as a generous retirement plan.

For more information on Arlington County's generous benefits and retirement plan, click here.

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