Salary : $64,104.00 - $101,124.00 Annually
Location : 1301 Piccard Dr Rockville MD 20850 USA
Job Type: Permanent
Job Number:
Department: Department of Health and Human Services
Division: HHS 60 Behavioral Health and Crisis Services Division
Opening Date: 09/18/2026
Closing Date: 10/2/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
FLSA: Exempt

About the Position
Please note: The salary range above represents this position's earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $64,104 to $82,614, based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Behavioral Health and Crisis Services is currently recruiting dedicated and compassionate Behavioral Health Technicians to support our Crisis Stabilization Center. These front-line team members play an important role in supporting individuals experiencing acute mental health or substance-related crises in a safe, supportive, and trauma-informed environment. If you are passionate about client safety, therapeutic engagement, and helping individuals on their path toward stabilization and recovery, we welcome your interest in joining our team

What You'll Be Doing

• Maintaining a calm, structured, trauma-informed treatment environment for individuals in acute crisis.
• Conducting continuous observation, safety checks, and monitoring behavioral, medical, and psychiatric changes.

• Utilizing verbal de-escalation and approved physical interventions, including therapeutic holds and mechanical restraints when necessary.
• Responding to crisis "Code" events, including elopement attempts, violent behavior, or high-risk emergencies.
• Assisting clients with ADLs, providing supportive engagement and facilitating therapeutic groups or structured activities.
• Documenting observations and interventions in electronic health records and communicating promptly with clinical/nursing staff.
• Maintaining environmental safety, performing contraband checks, and supporting infection-control procedures. Participating in training (CPI, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention) and supporting quality-improvement practices.
• This position is considered essential personnel for the Department of Health and Human Services during county emergencies.

The individual selected for this position will be considered an Essential Employee. Essential employees must report to work during a period of general emergency or liberal leave.
This position requires a driver's license as the selected candidate will travel throughout the County to perform job duties.
The selected candidate will be required to successfully complete a pre-placement medical exam, drug screening and a background check.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: One (1) year experience providing basic crisis intervention or casework services in a public or private social service agency to clients having emotional, behavioral, mental health or substance abuse problems, or who are victims of abuse or sexual assault.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, counseling or a related field.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

In lieu of a Bachelor's Degree, candidates with 5 or more years of experience providing basic crisis intervention or casework services in a public or private social service agency to clients having emotional, behavioral, mental health or substance abuse problems, or who are victims of abuse or sexual assault.
LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, OR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Certification: None at the time of application.
Certification: Requirements upon appointment as noted below:
• Obtain certification in CPR during the probationary period - CPR certification must be maintained.
• Positions assigned to the Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Center must have the appropriate level of Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) certification within 60 days of appointment. CPI certification must be maintained.

Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences

The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevance of training, and experience in the following areas:

• Experience working in a behavioral health, crisis stabilization, inpatient psychiatric, emergency department, or similar clinical setting.

• Experience using verbal de-escalation, physical restraints, and evidence-based crisis intervention techniques to support individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.
• Experience working with individuals experiencing substance intoxication, withdrawal, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, or dual-diagnosis conditions.
• Experience documenting client observations, safety interventions, and behavioral incidents in an electronic health record (EHR) or electronic medical record (EMR) system.
• Experience performing continuous safety observations, suicide precautions, or monitoring individuals at risk of harming themselves or others.
• Experience worked as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team that included psychiatrists, nurses, therapists, peer support specialists, or social workers.
• Multilingual proficiency in Amharic, French or Spanish

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Leave Benefits

Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.

Retirement Benefits

All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.

Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness

Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.

Free Mass Transit Benefit

County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.

Reduced Child and Health Care Costs

Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.

Employee Wellbeing

We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.

Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits
01

What is your highest level of completed education?

• N/A
• High School/GED
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Juris Doctor
• Doctorate

02

Do you have a a bachelor's degree Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or a related field?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you currently possess an active Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you currently possess an active CPI/NCI with Advanced Physical Skills, Crisis Prevention Intervention certification?

• Yes
• No

05

How many years of experience do you have providing basic crisis intervention or casework services to clients having emotional, behavioral, mental health or substance abuse problems, or who are victims of abuse or sexual assault?

• No Experience
• 1 Year Experience
• 2 Year's Experience
• 3 Year's Experience
• 4 Year's Experience
• 5+ Year's Experience

06

Do you experience working in a behavioral health, crisis stabilization, inpatient psychiatric, emergency department, or similar clinical setting?

• Yes
• No

07

Please provide details of your experience working in a behavioral health, crisis stabilization, inpatient psychiatric, emergency department, or similar clinical setting. Also include the positions listed on your resume where you performed these duties.
08

Do you have experience using verbal de-escalation, physical restraints, and evidence-based crisis intervention techniques to support individuals experiencing behavioral h