There is a place for you at Highland Rivers Behavioral Health!

Highland Rivers provides treatment and recovery services to individuals impacted by mental illness; substance use disorders and intellectual developmental disabilities.

JOB SUMMARY: The goal of the project is to provide rapid care for individuals with mental health issues who are in crisis or trying to access care. In partnership with Cobb County Department of Public Safety, a counselor will be placed in 911 centers to respond to calls that need mental health intervention as designated by EMS policy. Counselors placed in 911 centers are better able to field mental health calls and potentially disengage a caller prior to arrival Summary of Project Scope: on the scene. The mental health counselor hired for the Cobb County 911 center will allow dispatch to send over a call concerning mental health to that staff member. The counselor will then work with the individual to get more history, see if there are any prior MH/ SUD engagements with Highland Rivers Behavioral Health and work with the co- responder team/ or patrol officer to be better able to handle the complexity of the call.

Are you ready to make a Difference?

Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Provide short-term crisis counseling to clients in behavioral health and/or homelessness crises utilizing harm reduction and trauma-informed care principles in a variety of community settings.
• Support clients in urgent crisis situations requiring immediate attention over the phone by evaluating needs, assessing risks, and dispatching appropriate resources.
• Obtain information and effectively triage a call to the appropriate level of care.
• Perform lethality, environmental risk, and safety assessments and effectively relay this information to responding resources as appropriate.
• Maintain confidentiality and respect the boundaries of clients experiencing emotional distress.
• Engage with individuals that are intoxicated or under the influence of controlled substances.
• Engage with individuals that are experiencing acute mental distress.
• Refer and link patients, clients, or family members to community resources as appropriate.
• Develop appropriate follow up.
• Follow training and protocols to safely de-escalate behavioral health crisis situations over the phone.
• Obtain appropriate paperwork and maintain strict adhesion to confidentiality, documentation, and record-keeping requirements.
• Perform other duties as assigned that may be inherent to the position.