What are the responsibilities and job description for the PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORKER II position at County of Los Angeles?
Position/Program Information
APPLICATION FILING PERIOD
The application filing period will begin on June 9, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. (PT) – Continuous.
EXAM NUMBER
Y9035S
TYPE OF RECRUITMENT
Welcome applications from everyone!
We will keep accepting applications until the position is filled.
Correctional Health Services – 20% Recruitment and Retention Bonus
The County of Los Angeles is currently offering up to 20% bonus for full-time Psychiatric Social Worker II positions hired by Correctional Health Services and working on-site in a designated facility to meet critical healthcare needs for the uniquely underserved jail population.
NO OUT-OF-CLASS EXPERIENCE OR WITHHOLDS ARE ALLOWED FOR THIS EXAMINATION.
Why Work for the Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services?
Our department is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. Through its coordinated system of 25 health centers and four acute hospitals and expanded network of community partner clinics – DHS annually provides direct care for 600,000 outstanding patients, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual budget of over $6.9 billion.
Through academic affiliations with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California(USC), and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences (CDU), DHS hospitals are training sites for physicians completing their Graduate Medical Education in nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty. In addition to its direct clinical services, DHS also runs the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency and the County's 911 emergency response system, as well as Housing for Health and the Office of Diversion and Re-entry, each with a meaningful role in connecting vulnerable populations, including those released from correctional and institutional settings, to supportive housing.
For additional information regarding DHS please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov.
Check Out Our Outstanding Benefits!
Los Angeles County offers one of the strongest public sector benefits packages in the nation.
Mission
To advance the health of our patients and our communities by providing extraordinary care.
Definition
Performs a wide variety of professional social work services for persons suffering from severe mental and emotional disturbances; and assists patients and their families in understanding and finding solutions to complex problems that lead to and result from mental illness and severe emotional disturbances.
Essential Job Functions
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
A valid and active license as a License Clinical Social Worker issued by the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Board of Behavioral Sciences.
Desirable Qualifications:
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to use an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job related essential functions.
PHYSICAL CLASS 2 – Light. This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.
Special Requirement Information
When emailing documents, please include your name, exam number and exam title. Applications received without the required proof of licensure will be denied as not meeting the stated requirements. The original documents will need to be presented during the selection process and prior to final appointment.
We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.
Additional Information
EXAMINATION CONTENT:
This examination will consist of an evaluation of education, experience, desirable qualifications, and a supplemental questionnaire based upon your application information, weighted 100%.
Applicants must receive a passing score of 70% or higher on the assessment to be placed on the eligible register.
ELIGIBILITY And VACANCY INFORMATION
Applicants who passed the assessment are placed on a list in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months. Applications will be processed as they are received and added to the list accordingly. We will use this list to fill vacancies in the Department of Health Services as they occur.
Available Shifts
Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.
NO PERSON MAY COMPETE IN THIS EXAMINATION MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWELVE (12) MONTHS.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION
The application window may close unexpectedly once we have enough qualified candidates.
We only accept applications filed online. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person are not accepted. Apply online by clicking on the green "Apply" button at the top right of this posting. This website can also be used to get application status updates.
Please fill out the application completely. Provide relevant job experience including employer's name and address, job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed.
We may verify information included in the application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of information could result in refusal of application or rescission of appointment. Copying verbiage from the Requirements or class specification as your work experience will not be sufficient to demonstrate meeting the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and may lead to disqualification. Comments such as “See Resume” or referencing other unsolicited materials/documents will not be considered a response.
We will send notifications to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. If you choose to unsubscribe or opt out from receiving our emails, it is possible to view notices by logging into governmentjobs.com and checking the profile inbox. It is every applicant's responsibility to take steps to view correspondence, and we will not consider claims of missing notices to be a valid reason for re-scheduling an exam part. Register the below domains as approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk mail.
Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number, so include yours when applying.
COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. Please refer to their website for updated information https://lacountylibrary.org/library-locator.
No Sharing Of User Id, E-mail, And Password
All applicants must file their application using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.
Anti-racism, Diversity, And Inclusion (ardi)
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. Our department is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.
Department Contact Name: Teresa Ruocco, Exam Analyst
Department Contact Phone: (213) 288-7000
Department Contact Email: truocco@dhs.lacounty.gov
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Employment Information
Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.
This document is intended to provide general information about the recruitment process of the County of Los Angeles. Applicants with questions about a specific job posting should contact the exam analyst listed on the posting.
Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Statement
The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/ .
Testing Accommodations For Applicants
The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit: https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/ .
Fair Chance
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).
Employment Eligibility
Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.
Career PathFinder
Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov .
Veteran’s Credit
Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions.
For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf
Revised September 2025
APPLICATION FILING PERIOD
The application filing period will begin on June 9, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. (PT) – Continuous.
EXAM NUMBER
Y9035S
TYPE OF RECRUITMENT
Welcome applications from everyone!
We will keep accepting applications until the position is filled.
Correctional Health Services – 20% Recruitment and Retention Bonus
The County of Los Angeles is currently offering up to 20% bonus for full-time Psychiatric Social Worker II positions hired by Correctional Health Services and working on-site in a designated facility to meet critical healthcare needs for the uniquely underserved jail population.
NO OUT-OF-CLASS EXPERIENCE OR WITHHOLDS ARE ALLOWED FOR THIS EXAMINATION.
Why Work for the Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services?
Our department is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. Through its coordinated system of 25 health centers and four acute hospitals and expanded network of community partner clinics – DHS annually provides direct care for 600,000 outstanding patients, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual budget of over $6.9 billion.
Through academic affiliations with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California(USC), and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences (CDU), DHS hospitals are training sites for physicians completing their Graduate Medical Education in nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty. In addition to its direct clinical services, DHS also runs the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency and the County's 911 emergency response system, as well as Housing for Health and the Office of Diversion and Re-entry, each with a meaningful role in connecting vulnerable populations, including those released from correctional and institutional settings, to supportive housing.
For additional information regarding DHS please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov.
Check Out Our Outstanding Benefits!
Los Angeles County offers one of the strongest public sector benefits packages in the nation.
- Flexible Benefit Plans - Benefits may be purchased using tax-free County contribution of an additional 14.5%-17% of the employee's monthly salary.
- Robust Retirement Packages - Contributory-defined benefit plan; optional tax-deferred income plans that may include a County matching contribution up to 4% of employee's salary.
- Generous Parental and Family Leave Benefits
- Ridesharing, Parking, and Transit Benefits
- 13 paid holidays per year
Mission
To advance the health of our patients and our communities by providing extraordinary care.
Definition
Performs a wide variety of professional social work services for persons suffering from severe mental and emotional disturbances; and assists patients and their families in understanding and finding solutions to complex problems that lead to and result from mental illness and severe emotional disturbances.
Essential Job Functions
- Interviews individuals and/or their families to obtain a family, social work, medical, and mental health treatment history.
- Makes an assessment of the patient's functioning in their environmental setting.
- Establishes a treatment plan designed to resolve or cope with the mental or emotional problem. The treatment plan may include individual, group, family or conjoint therapy, and/or referral to another treatment source such as a psychologist, vocational or rehabilitation counselor, psychiatrist for medication or another agency.
- Provides psychotherapy to individuals, groups, families, and significant others.
- Determines the duration of the therapy, the priorities of the problems to be dealt with, the therapy methods, and the need for changes in the treatment goals at successive intervals during treatment process.
- Interviews persons seeking psychiatric assistance on an emergency basis and utilizes crisis intervention techniques to prevent hospitalization and to aid the person in dealing with the emotional crisis.
- Assists clients, families, and significant others in understanding the mental health problem and their reactions to the problems, accepting the need for treatment, working toward the solution of the problem and stresses interfering with treatment or social functioning, modifying unrealistic attitudes and strengthening patients and families and significant others toward gaining their acceptance of and participation in treatment recommendations.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
A valid and active license as a License Clinical Social Worker issued by the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Board of Behavioral Sciences.
Desirable Qualifications:
- Additional points will be awarded to candidates who have post licensure experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to use an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job related essential functions.
PHYSICAL CLASS 2 – Light. This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.
Special Requirement Information
- All required licenses must be active and unrestricted or your application will not be accepted.
When emailing documents, please include your name, exam number and exam title. Applications received without the required proof of licensure will be denied as not meeting the stated requirements. The original documents will need to be presented during the selection process and prior to final appointment.
We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.
Additional Information
EXAMINATION CONTENT:
This examination will consist of an evaluation of education, experience, desirable qualifications, and a supplemental questionnaire based upon your application information, weighted 100%.
Applicants must receive a passing score of 70% or higher on the assessment to be placed on the eligible register.
ELIGIBILITY And VACANCY INFORMATION
Applicants who passed the assessment are placed on a list in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months. Applications will be processed as they are received and added to the list accordingly. We will use this list to fill vacancies in the Department of Health Services as they occur.
Available Shifts
Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.
NO PERSON MAY COMPETE IN THIS EXAMINATION MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWELVE (12) MONTHS.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION
The application window may close unexpectedly once we have enough qualified candidates.
We only accept applications filed online. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person are not accepted. Apply online by clicking on the green "Apply" button at the top right of this posting. This website can also be used to get application status updates.
Please fill out the application completely. Provide relevant job experience including employer's name and address, job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed.
We may verify information included in the application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of information could result in refusal of application or rescission of appointment. Copying verbiage from the Requirements or class specification as your work experience will not be sufficient to demonstrate meeting the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and may lead to disqualification. Comments such as “See Resume” or referencing other unsolicited materials/documents will not be considered a response.
We will send notifications to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. If you choose to unsubscribe or opt out from receiving our emails, it is possible to view notices by logging into governmentjobs.com and checking the profile inbox. It is every applicant's responsibility to take steps to view correspondence, and we will not consider claims of missing notices to be a valid reason for re-scheduling an exam part. Register the below domains as approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk mail.
- info@governmentjobs.com
- truocco@dhs.lacounty.gov
Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number, so include yours when applying.
COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. Please refer to their website for updated information https://lacountylibrary.org/library-locator.
No Sharing Of User Id, E-mail, And Password
All applicants must file their application using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.
Anti-racism, Diversity, And Inclusion (ardi)
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. Our department is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.
Department Contact Name: Teresa Ruocco, Exam Analyst
Department Contact Phone: (213) 288-7000
Department Contact Email: truocco@dhs.lacounty.gov
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Employment Information
Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.
This document is intended to provide general information about the recruitment process of the County of Los Angeles. Applicants with questions about a specific job posting should contact the exam analyst listed on the posting.
Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Statement
The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/ .
Testing Accommodations For Applicants
The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit: https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/ .
Fair Chance
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).
Employment Eligibility
Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.
Career PathFinder
Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov .
Veteran’s Credit
Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions.
For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf
Revised September 2025
Salary : $7