ADULT FORENSIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH is recruiting for Mental Health Specialist IIs.
Alameda County BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Our mission is to maximize the recovery, resilience and wellness of all eligible Alameda County residents who are developing or experiencing serious mental health, alcohol or drug concerns.
For additional information, please contact: Angelica Gums (Angelica.Gums3@acgov.org)
$62,857.28 – $71,737.58* Annually
Plus, an excellent benefits package!
*Positions located at the Santa Rita Jail qualify for an additional 15% premium pay. Salary shown above reflects base plus premium pay.
- $54,658.50-$62,380.50 Annual Base Salary
*Bilingual candidates are especially encouraged to apply; bilingual pay available.
*Provisional Appointments: For provisional appointments, a civil service exam is not required. However, to obtain a regular position, the appointee will need to compete successfully in a County Exam when open.
ADULT FORENSIC
Adult Forensic Behavioral Health (AFBH) is a division of Alameda County Behavioral Health. AFBH is located in the Santa Rita County Jail, in Dublin.
AFBH is responsible for the provision of mental health services to individuals in the custody of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. The goal of AFBH, in collaboration with jail partners, is to identify and assess individuals in need of behavioral health services, provide continuity of care, alleviate psychiatric symptoms and prevent relapse, and provide discharge planning and connection to supportive community services. AFBH staff collaborates and cooperates with the staffs of the Sheriff’s Office and Wellpath (medical provider) in order to ensure communication and understanding regarding individuals’ mental health needs.
The AFBH team consist of the AFBH Director, Behavioral Health Clinical (BHC) Managers, BHC Supervisors, licensed and unlicensed clinicians, psychiatrists, mental health specialists, administrative support staff, and program specialists.
MISSION
The mission of AFBH is to provide all necessary mental health services to individuals in the custody of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Services are voluntary and are delivered in a respectful and expedient manner. Services include, but are not limited to, assessment, crisis intervention, ongoing treatment, monitoring of individuals with serious mental illnesses with the goals of de-escalating and/or stabilizing mental conditions and preventing adverse outcomes such as the worsening of mental conditions and/or suicide, and discharge planning. AFBH staff work in collaboration with the jail medical provider, Wellpath, and the sheriff’s staff to deliver services that meet all regulatory and accreditation standards for mental health care.
AFBH operates 7 days a week, from 7:00AM to 11:30PM.
Staff are expected to be available for assignments during these hours.
SANTA RITA JAIL
SRJ, 5325 Broder Blvd. Dublin, CA 94568
The POSITION
Under general supervision from Adult Forensic Behavioral Health (AFBH) supervisors, the Mental Health Specialist II (MHS) provides mental health services to assigned clients, including drug/alcohol and dually diagnosed inmates. The mental health services provided by the MHS may include case management, supportive services and check-ins around clients’ current functioning, and information gathering for appropriate assessment of and service provision to clients. The MHS outreaches to clients to determine if they are interested in AFBH services as participation in all services is voluntary. For clients who have already been assessed, the MHS coordinates and assists in discharge planning and makes referrals to other more appropriate services in the jail and community. Additionally, the MHS works in the clinic’s Office of the Day office which includes screening calls or in-person contacts, helps with scheduling appointments by determining whether clients are still in custody for upcoming appointments, gathers information from callers about individuals who are in custody, and provides information to callers and staff as needed to insure adequate and timely care to clients.
EXAMPLE OF DUTIES
Note: The following statements reflect the general duties considered necessary in order to describe the principal functions of the job as identified and shall not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be inherent in the job.
- Serves at Santa Rita locations and/or at other locations as assigned.
- Assists in orientation and training of Mental Health Specialist Is.
- Monitors the behavior of assigned clients, may assist in the development of appropriate care plans, provides assistance in the treatment of clients as ordered by the physicians or in conjunction with the assigned/or clinician who completed the initial assessment.
- Collateral contacts which may include but are not limited to Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) staff, nursing staff, community providers or family members.
- Assists clients with education about functioning in their current environment (jail), such as education related to personal hygiene practices, socialization, and understanding jail culture and rules.
- Interviews clients and collateral contacts to get case history information and provide supportive counseling. Co-facilitates groups within the jail setting when assigned. Documents all client and collateral contacts.
- Notifies supervisor/assigned MD or clinician or Officer of the Day of any concerns about a client including any notable behavior changes, reported side effects to medications, or suicidal ideation.
- Attends staff meetings and conferences/trainings as assigned. Meets regularly with supervisor.
- Works in Officer of the Day office when assigned. This assignment includes: answering phone calls from family, community members, providers, ACSO staff, Wellpath and others who are generally calling for information about services, concerns about clients, or to share information about clients. In this role they will gather information, answer questions if appropriate, determine if the individual about whom the caller is calling is a current AFBH client when needed, and when their next appointment is scheduled. The MHS II will respond to calls when able or pass on to the assigned Supervisor of the Day if it requires a response outside of the MHS II scope of practice.
- Outreaches to clients who are not currently open for services but have been referred or who have refused multiple appointments, to determine if the client is interested in AFBH services. If individual is not interested, obtains in writing a refusal of services. This outreach may include the MHS II describing AFBH services, as well as providing information about other resources that are available both in the jail and the community.
- Determines if clients are still in custody through use of the ACSO database to help ensure clients can be seen in a timely manner by closing appointments for clients who are no longer in custody.
- Takes a lead role in discharge planning and participates as a member of the discharge planning team at AFBH. Coordinates referrals, checks the Discharge Coordination email when assigned, stays knowledgeable about and updates community resource information, completes referral forms to community providers, assists in obtaining client information and signatures necessary to complete community referrals.
- Performs, under supervision, mental health treatment services that include treatment planning, crisis intervention, individual and group rehabilitation, co-facilitation of groups, and case management.
- Provides translation services and cultural consultation to other professionals.
- Collaborates effectively with other agency departments and community partners to establish continuity of care for clients.
- Completes referrals for inmates; establishes and utilizes information on community resources for inmates with behavioral health disabilities and assists with discharge planning.
- Completes all required program documentation, including progress notes, group notes, and assists with Treatment Plan development. Maintains confidentiality of records relating to inmates’ treatment.
- Assists inmates to meet program and client goals.
- May participate in cool down period for de-escalation with clinicians.
- Attends staff meetings, trainings, peer review meetings and supervision sessions. Confers with other professional team members as required.
- Performs comparable related duties as required by management.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
EXPERIENCE: The equivalent of one year of experience performing duties comparable to those of Mental Health Specialist I, under supervision; OR,
LICENSE: Possession of a valid license to practice as a Vocational Nurse in the State of California; AND,
EXPERIENCE: The equivalent of six months of experience performing duties comparable to those of Mental Health Specialist I, under supervision.
*CLICK HERE for a comprehensive Mental Health Specialist III job description and other requirements.
https://www.jobapscloud.com/Alameda/specs/classspecdisplay.asp?ClassNumber=6491&R1=&R3=
APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS
Applications will be screened according to the minimum professional qualifications, Supplemental Questionnaire and ideal candidate statements outlined in the County job description. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee advancement to the interview process; only the most suitably and best qualified candidates will be invited to participate.
An Alameda County Application is required to be considered for this recruitment.
Please note the County website is only for permanent positions. In order to apply to the provisional Mental Health Specialist III position advertised in this brochure, you will need to submit your application via email; not through the website.
Please email a County of Alameda Job Application, resume and cover letter to TINA RODRIGUEZ (tina.rodriguez@acgov.org).
The application template is available online on Alameda County’s On‐Line Employment Center www.jobaps.com/alameda
NEW USERS can click on “New User Registration” to fill out an application template. Once the application is completed, candidates can click on the “Review” tab to “Print My Application”. SAVE/PRINT a PDF version of the application or digital scan of the completed application must be submitted to the email address above.
If you are interested in being considered for an AFBH position in the Santa Rita Jail, please select “rotating shifts” as a shift preference and “Dublin” as a location preference.
Alameda County is an equal opportunity employer who values diversity.