Mental Health Clinician

Position Title: Crisis Services Clinician

Reports to: Director of Clinical Services

Type: Part-Time positions available

Location: Seattle, WA, In-person role

Payrate: $35.45/hr, and $4/hr shift differential for graveyard shift

Union Representation: Represented by OPEIU

Schedule: Saturday & Sunday: 8am-4pm or On-call on Day shift: 8am-4pm

Weekend availability required

Crisis Connections provides a variety of telephone-based support services that are free and easily accessible to anyone in our community experiencing crisis. Our service area includes King County and WA State. Our passion is to foster resilience and wellbeing for all by connecting people to accessible and compassionate support.

Position Summary: As a Crisis Services Clinician, you will be a qualified Mental Health Professional with comprehensive training in five essential crisis services clinical functions: Crisis Services Coordinator, Hospital Authorizer, One-Call Triage Clinician, and Mental Health Triage Clinician. Your primary responsibility will entail overseeing all activities within the phone room, working collaboratively with fellow clinical staff and paraprofessionals during each shift.

This role is fully supported by a Clinical Management team and offers supervision hours towards licensure including direct and indirect service hours.

Job Duties:

Crisis Service Coordination

• Supervise Phone Workers directly and provide general oversight and direction to other staff in the phone room during scheduled shifts.

• Monitor and coach Phone Workers closely, assign and review tasks of Crisis Intervention Specialists (CIS), and offer consultation and direction to other clinical staff engaged in crisis room work.

• Provide leadership on the floor and determine when consultation from supervisors and upper managers is necessary during shifts.

• Monitor call queues to assign phone interventions promptly to support appropriate clinical service and meet contractual metrics.

• Supports the CIS with ongoing and immediate feedback as well as gives input to CIS supervisor for formal evaluation.

• Conducts formal evaluations of Phone Workers in a timely manner and provides ongoing feedback to Volunteer Services Manager regarding Phone Worker performances including discipline and commendation.

• Ensure adherence to all policies and procedures by phone room staff.

• Ensure delivery of services consistent with compassionate, respectful, professional, and recovery-oriented principles.

• Assess crisis calls, evaluate risk of harm and mental illness, and ensure implementation of best clinical intervention practices.

• Assist phone workers in identifying clients of agencies for which after-hours telephone support is provided or who are frequent callers of the crisis line.

• Ensure accurate and complete documentation of all calls in the Quality Assurance (QA) process.

Mental Health Triage

• Conduct assessments on calls to the King County Crisis and Commitment public line, evaluating the risk of harm and implementing optimal clinical intervention practices.

• Provide compassionate emotional support to callers while remaining vigilant regarding crisis and suicide intervention strategies.

• Utilize the King County Client Lookup System (CLS) to identify callers who may be affiliated with a community mental health center.

• Ensure meticulous and thorough documentation of all calls in the phone message log, Triage log, and our Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. Assist the Crisis Services Coordinator during peak periods and upon request, including providing guidance to phone workers with regards to sound clinical judgment during calls.

• Complete Sheena's law referrals from Law enforcement by conducting telephonic outreach to the person of concern or facilitating crisis services such as the mobile crisis team or Children Crisis Outreach Response System Referral. Notify the Public Mental Health Agency the person of concern is enrolled with, documenting the interaction in the Sheena's law Log forms.

Hospital Diversion and Authorization Responsibilities

• Answers the Hospital Authorization Line, screening referrals for medical necessity eligibility using Adult and Child Level of Care Utilization Screening Systems (LOCUS and CALOCUS).

• Ensures accurate and thorough completion and maintenance of all necessary paper documentation and electronic data entry, adhering strictly to established policies and procedures for information gathering, consulting with psychiatrists, and documenting client acceptance or denial of inpatient level of care.

• Completes all authorizations within two hours of receiving complete referral information and meets all timeline requirements, completing data entry and paper document dissemination for all authorizations within daily shift.

• Appropriately refers requests for retrospective reviews, length of stay extensions to HA/DV Lead when appropriate.

• Offers assistance to the Crisis Services Coordinator during peak periods and/or upon request, which may involve providing guidance to phone workers with sound clinical judgment while they are on a call.

One-Call Triage

• Answer calls from first responders 24/7, ensuring timely responses to urgent situations.

• Gather essential information from first responders regarding the individual in crisis.

• Utilize ECLS/EDIE and other electronic systems to identify available supports or resources for the client.

• Offer diversion or less restrictive options to first responders in real-time, prioritizing client safety and well-being.

• Establish a warm connection to the identified resource, facilitating seamless transitions for the individual in crisis.

• Maintain accurate documentation in BHO log and EHR systems, ensuring thorough record-keeping and compliance with protocols.

• Complete notifications (via fax, secure email, or other means) to the receiving agency, facilitating smooth coordination of care.

• Track disposition and ongoing progress of referrals, ensuring a closed-loop referral process for accountability and follow-up.

Community Consultation and Linkages

• Provides professional consultation to callers on the business line regarding access to the mental health system, crisis intervention, suicide intervention, and other mental health topics as needed.

• Completes Electronic Client Lookup System (ECLS) search inquiries, disclosing information only to callers with the right to access ECLS information according to policy guidelines, and documents each ECLS search.

• Utilizes Electronic Health Record System, Carelogic, and County communication systems such as OpenBeds and ECLS Phone Message Log effectively for coordination with DCRs and Mobile Teams.

• Ensures completion of appropriate screening and linkage to Next Day Appointments, Children's Crisis Outreach and Response System, Mobile Outreach Team, Geriatric Regional Assessment Team, Designated Mental Health Professionals, and other outreach services for callers requesting those services.

• Ensures accurate and complete documentation of all activities throughout the Quality Assurance (QA) process.

New Hire Training Requirements:

New hires are expected to attend 3 training shifts per week onsite and will require the following online modules and shadowing shifts before starting their scheduled shifts.

Your Training Coordinator will provide follow-up and additional information during your New Hire Orientation.

Crisis Services Clinician Training Requirements

• Attend a 4-hour listening shift onsite at Seattle office during first week.

• Complete 19 hours of online training modules.

• Complete 10 Shadowing shifts, 8 hours each onsite at Seattle office.

• Attend Live Training once a year.

Further Training and Professional Development:

• Stay registered as required and remain abreast of current professional literature and developments in the mental health field.

• Dedicate a minimum of 12 hours of training per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) on approved topics pertinent to job responsibilities.

• Regularly attend staff meetings for Crisis Services and Hospital Authorization to stay informed and contribute to team discussions.

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and sustain productive working relationships.

• Proficiency in clinical practice, showcasing sound clinical judgment and expertise.

• Previous experience in a supervisory capacity, exhibiting effective leadership skills.

• Aptitude for thriving in high-pressure environments, adept at maintaining composure and delivering results.

• Collaborative mindset, capable of effectively collaborating with a diverse team of clinical professionals and volunteers.

• Self-reliant and capable of executing tasks autonomously when necessary.

• Eligibility or pursuit of Licensed Agency Affiliated Counselor Licensure or higher.

• Requires a Master's degree in social sciences coupled with a minimum of two years of supervised experience working with individuals afflicted by severe and persistent mental illnesses.

• Preference for candidates with prior experience within the King, Clark, Chelan, Douglas, Pierce, Okanogan, Klickitat, Grant, or Skamania County Public Mental Health System.

Quantity and Quality of Work/Work Habits

• Consistently arrives on time for scheduled shifts and demonstrates reliability by adhering to assigned work hours.

• Adheres to organizational personnel policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with established guidelines and protocols.

• Communicates clearly and effectively, both in written and verbal forms, ensuring messages are concise, accurate, and comprehensive.

• Cultivates genuine relationships by fostering cooperation, addressing conflicts openly and honestly, and embracing constructive feedback. Demonstrates respect for colleagues, volunteers, and clients/customers.

• Appropriately engages with supervision, seeking guidance and support when needed to enhance job performance and effectiveness.

• Actively contributes to fostering a positive work environment through collaborative decision-making, fostering team cohesion, and providing encouragement to colleagues and volunteers to achieve excellence.

• Demonstrates proactive problem-solving skills by identifying issues and offering constructive solutions to address challenges within the work environment.

Working Conditions: Individuals in this position should be able to sit or stand for lengthy periods of time. Individuals will need to be able to wear a headset or earphones as they take calls. Individuals will need to manage several IT/software platforms at once and be able to function in an environment with moderate noise and distraction.

Knowledge & Abilities:

• Proven track record of cultivating and nurturing productive professional relationships across diverse stakeholders, fostering collaboration, and achieving organizational objectives.

• Demonstrated capability in collaborating seamlessly within interdisciplinary teams comprising clinical personnel and volunteers, leveraging collective expertise to deliver high-quality outcomes.

• Established proficiency in thriving within demanding work environments, exhibiting resilience and adaptability to effectively manage and mitigate stressors while maintaining focus on delivering exceptional results.

Requirements

Thriving employees means a thriving mission:

We work hard to embrace diversity and inclusion. We welcome everyone's lived experiences, cultures, and expertise, at Crisis Connections because it strengthens our team and the care we provide to the community. BIPOC, persons with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are strongly encouraged to apply.

We are dedicated to supporting our employees by offering excellent benefits and career progression opportunities.

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage including an 100% employer paid option for certain plans and coverage tiers.

• Annual wage increases

• Generous Paid Time Off & 12 Paid Holidays

• Discount on ORCA transit pass

• Free Parking & Flexible Schedules

• Growth opportunities

• Self-care tools & weekly check ins with your supervisor

Voluntary Benefits

• Short-term and long-term disability

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

• 403B Retirement Plan

• Gym classes

Offers of Employment: All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check including a Criminal History Report and Reference Check.

Computer Skills Assessment: Crisis Connections requires a basic Computer Skills assessment to measure computer literacy and skills. The assessment is approximately 15 minutes in length, and timed. HR will provide a link to complete the test after screening qualified candidates.

This assessment will be completed on the candidate's personal computer. Upon request, candidates may take the assessment at one of our 2 office locations as an accommodation. Additional accommodations for the assessment are provided upon request.

Technology Requirement:

Smart phone with ability to download Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) application.

DISCLAIMER:

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. As an adaptive organization, responsibilities can and will change in alignment with greater efficiencies and mission metrics.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION:

Crisis Connections (CC) is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. CC does not discriminate with regards to hiring, assignment, promotion, or other conditions of staff employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other status protected under local, state, or federal law.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, upon request, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of our positions.

Crisis Connections is an equal opportunity employer. We value having employees whose skills, experience and background reflect the diverse populations we serve.

Salary Description

$35.45/hour