Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

SUMMARY

The Mental Health Specialist provides clinical services including assessment, screening, brief therapy, crisis intervention, and community referrals for patients in a correctional setting. This position plays a key role in identifying and addressing mental health needs while collaborating with medical, mental health, and custody staff to promote patient well-being and safety.

Functional Responsibilities

·  Conducts emergency clinical assessments for individuals referred due to emotional or behavioral distress.

·  Reviews and co-signs all mental health screening intakes completed by nursing staff for new arrivals.

·  Develops individualized treatment plans addressing housing, medication referral, counseling, and community treatment needs.

·  Conducts initial clinical assessments within three (3) days for individuals identified as high risk.

·  Provides brief individual or group counseling when clinically appropriate.

·  Performs assessments on individuals placed on suicide precautions and, in consultation with mental health staff, determines the need to continue, modify, or discontinue such precautions.

·  Assists individuals with mental illness in accessing community services upon release.

·  Cooperates with requests for information from the judicial system while maintaining compliance with HIPAA regulations.

·  Maintains daily and monthly statistics on patient contacts and demographic data.

·  Attends bi-monthly staff meetings and other required CFG or facility meetings.

·  Participates in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) initiatives and assists in conducting CQI studies.

·  Provides or assists in training custody staff on mental health topics, as requested or required by the facility.

·  Completes all required documentation and clinical notes accurately and promptly.

·  Performs all other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Position Requirements

·  Master’s degree preferred.

·  Professional certification required; clinical license preferred.

·  Knowledge of the judicial, correctional, and mental health systems.

·  Understanding of clinical theory and practice with emphasis on crisis intervention.

·  Familiarity with community resources and referral processes.

·  Competence in assessment, interviewing, and counseling techniques.

·  Working knowledge in recognizing and treating serious and persistent mental illness, and interventions for behaviorally disordered individuals.

·  Awareness of suicide prevention and management strategies.

·  Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and cooperate with medical and custody staff.

·  Availability for on-call support to the facility during off-hours.

·  Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Physical Demands/ Working Conditions

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made upon written request.

• Frequently required to sit, stand, walk, bend, reach, and lift light materials.
• Must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to use hands and fingers to handle or operate standard office equipment.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing.