Mobile Crisis Responder, Husky Assist

Job Description

The University of Washington’s Husky Assist unit has an outstanding opportunity for a Crisis Responder to join their team.

About this Opportunity

Reporting to the Director of Husky Assist, the Crisis Responder is responsible for responding to urgent behavioral health needs across the UW Seattle campus for any students, faculty, staff and visitors, including response to youth & children under the age of 18 who are on campus for a UW-sanctioned purpose. While encounters could be with unhoused people, UW employs other resources for crisis calls involving unhoused individuals on the Seattle campus. 

Husky Assist may be mobilized alone or as a co-response with UW Police, depending on the nature of the request. There are many crisis-related situations that may not require the presence of armed law enforcement, but because of the ambiguous nature of crisis situations it is essential that this position coordinate closely with UW Police. Individuals hired for this role must be comfortable working with police on response activities.

 

Husky Assist launched within the last year, and the program is still being refined. Ideal candidates will need a flexible, collaborative mindset, a capacity for innovation, and a willingness to embrace change and process improvement as the program grows to fit the needs of an expansive and diverse campus.

 

Crisis Responders work within the footprint of the UW Seattle campus and are expected to work on-site. On rare occasions, at the discretion of the Director, staff can work on an assigned special project as a telework assignment. Husky Assist responders work 11am-830pm on non-holiday weekdays with one weekday off every other week.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Direct Response and Intervention (60%)

Provide direct crisis intervention, stabilization and resource referral to campus members of all ages who present with a behavioral health concern or are in an active state of crisis while adhering to the parameters of UW policies and procedures. Staff hired for this role will have ongoing supervisory support, including in the moment, as well as routine supervision. Husky Assist team members will independently intake, assess, coordinate care and plan for client disposition, apply sound judgement on when to seek supervisory support for ambiguous situations, higher risk clients, or high-profile events.

• Coordinate directly with law enforcement, fire/EMS and dispatch to determine who will take the lead on an incident response and adjust role and/or interventions throughout as needed
• Maintain strong working knowledge of culturally- and age- appropriate community resources, processes, interventions and requirements, including, but not limited to:
• Mental health crisis intervention
• Suicide risk assessment
• Interpersonal violence
• Abuse/neglect of children and vulnerable adults
• Crisis intervention
• Substance use
• Grief counseling
• Harm reduction
• Trauma-informed care
• De-escalation
• Assist in the arrangement of transportation to emergency and crisis facilities, when needed, based upon the safety needs of the individual. This could include transporting the person in a university-owned vehicle.

 

Partnership and Outreach (20%)

One goal of Husky Assist is to be a trusted care partner throughout the UW Seattle campus. As some groups may have more distrust of UW systems and programs, Husky Assist team members will continuously work to proactively engage and support those groups.

• Serve as an ambassador for Husky Assist including taking initiative in engaging campus members to market and promote the service, staffing tabling events, and developing and launching presentations for departments about Husky Assist.
• Promote effective working relationships across campus partners including staying informed about cross-campus issues and offering Husky Assist support if indicated, and establishing regular communication with higher volume referral sources and potential referral sources who may be more reluctant to engage
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with agencies providing care or assistance to clients served by Husky Assist. This includes initiating care coordination and engagement across various care partners both on- and off-campus, understanding (and identifying new programs) on- and off-campus roles/referral processes/wait times, and making appropriate referrals.

 

Program Administration (10%)

• Identify and participate in quality improvement efforts. As a newer program, we have a very strong focus on data gathering and creating quality measures to ensure maximum program impact. Team members are expected to maintain high attention to detail with data collection, and create/identify areas of improvement and work collaboratively on methods that progress towards program goals
• Complete clinical documentation in accordance with Husky Assist/UW policies
• Comply with all aspects of RCW 70.02 and FERPA in handling sensitive medical information, and comply with all university policies
• Mentor new staff, as assigned
• Actively participate in the development of yearly performance goals and implementation plan
• Attend and participate in supervision and departmental meetings, including committees as assigned
• Participate in data collection and quality improvement activities as assigned

 

Special Projects and Process Improvement (10%)

• Husky Assist call volumes fluctuate, and team members will be assigned special projects that will contribute to either internal program development or general campus operations. Team members may be expected to take the lead on special projects as assigned by the Director.

 

Required Qualifications

To be considered for this opportunity your application must demonstrate you meet both the minimum qualifications and additional qualifications listed below. Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license, certification, and/or registration.

 

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants who do not meet these qualifications WILL NOT be forwarded to the Hiring Department.

• Master’s Degree in behavioral sciences (counseling, social work, or related field).

• Agency Affiliated Counselor registration, licensed, (or higher-level credential, e.g. LMCA, LMFT, LICSW, etc.)

• Two years of experience in the direct delivery of professional mental health care.

• Physically able to navigate campus interior and exterior spaces. The Seattle campus is large and while the team will have use of a UW vehicle, team members may walk significant distances and navigate stairs, slopes in all weather. 

• Possession of a valid motor vehicle driver's license; able to meet criteria to drive State-owned vehicles.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Commitment to multiculturally informed care models and experience working with a diverse community
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across departments
• Experience working with underrepresented communities and individuals
• Clinical experience working with youth/young adults

 

About the Team

The Division of Campus Community Safety (DCCS) unifies front-line public safety units across the University for a holistic approach to campus community safety, innovation in approaches, and clarity in leadership responsibility and accountability. Key units include UW Emergency Management, SafeCampus, the Seattle Campus UW Police Department (UWPD), and a newer behavioral health mobile response team: Husky Assist. Division staff work daily in partnership with units across and outside the UW system to create safer campus environments, prepare for potential natural or human-made disasters, and respond appropriately to incidents.

 

The University of Washington's Seattle Campus is hiring for the Husky Assist Mobile Response Team. This specialized team is comprised of mental health professionals serve as first responders or co-responders to UW students, faculty and staff experiencing an acute behavioral health crisis. Husky Assist provides timely response and in-person intervention, crisis management, de-escalation and referral using culturally informed practices at all levels. Key campus partners include the UW Housing & Food Services, SafeCampus, the UW Counseling Center, Husky Health, UWPD, and UW Medicine.

Compensation, Benefits and Position Details

Pay Range Minimum:

$80,004.00 annual

Pay Range Maximum:

$100,008.00 annual

Other Compensation:

-

Benefits:

For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-uw-staff/

Shift:

Alternate Work Shift (United States of America)

Temporary or Regular?

This is a regular position

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent):

100.00%

Union/Bargaining Unit:

Not Applicable