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FLSA: Exempt

DEFINITION
Under limited supervision, supervises Behavioral Health Clinicians. Behavioral Health Emergency & Forensic Clinicians, or other assigned staff to assure that effective and appropriate psychotherapeutic services are provided for behavioral health clients. Non-traditional working hours/shifts (weekends, nights and holidays) may be required depending on specific assignment; performs related duties as assigned.
 
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
Receives limited supervision from a Program Manager of Behavioral Health – Clinical Services, Senior Program Manager of Behavioral Health – Clinical Services, Program Manager of Behavioral Health – Emergency and Forensic Services, or Senior Program Manager of Behavioral Health – Emergency and Forensic Clinical Services or designee. Supervises Behavioral Health Clinicians, Behavioral Health Emergency & Forensic Clinicians or other assigned staff.
 
CLASS CHARACTERISTICS
Incumbents are required to work within the scope of either a Marriage and Family Therapist or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker license; incumbents manage staff and exercise independent judgement for managing the treatment of assigned clients.EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Typical functions may include any of the following tasks, knowledge, abilities, and other characteristics. The list that follows is not intended as a comprehensive list; it is intended to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed, and may be required to perform additional, position-specific tasks.

• Perform Behavioral Health Emergency & Forensic Clinician Supervisor duties in a locked facility with constant and direct patient interaction. 
• Performs complex forensic, mental health, or substance use related evaluations, and evaluates subordinate’s assessments. 
• Attends court proceedings and is expected to interact with Judges, District Attorneys, Probation, Public Defenders, County Counsel, and other agency officials. 
• Advises Court personnel of department regulations and guidelines for the performance of emergency and forensic evaluations. 
• Attends emergency and forensic stakeholder meetings as required.
• Daily and ongoing exposure to volatile, acting out, verbally aggressive and physically violent clients, including clients who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol or with a history of criminal violence.
• Required to physically intervene and/or restrain clients.
• Provide regular/ongoing redirection of inappropriate behaviors.
• Respond as needed to cover shifts to meet mandatory staffing requirements (weekends, holidays, and afterhours included).
• Facilitate and participate in Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) related certification hearings, LPS conservatorship hearings, Mental Health Diversion proceedings, and other court procedures as required. 
• Transport and monitor involuntary clients within community. 
• Offers/provides rehabilitative and recreational opportunities and physical activity to patients.
• May evaluate patients in a variety of in- and out-patient settings, such as Juvenile Hall, County Jail, County Behavioral Health offices, hospital emergency, Crisis Response, and other settings; obtains a patient history and conducts behavioral status exam.
• May respond to community-based environments (upon referral and acute need), with less access to other in-person behavioral health resources, including but not limited to: homeless encampments, homeless shelters, personal homes, and sober living environments. 
• Receives and responds to crisis hotline and emergency calls, walk-ins, and field contacts; provides evaluation and diagnosis of patients and makes appropriate referrals for support services; works with hospital medical staff and County behavioral health management to evaluate the client’s risk or danger to self and others; assists in establishing an aftercare plan, or psychiatric hospitalization, depending on the client’s best interests.
• Guides, supervises and assists staff; prioritizes and assigns cases and tasks; develops staff skills; completed performance evaluations; identifies training needs and provides training for staff.
• Provides input into selection decisions, disciplinary matters, and other personnel decisions. 
• Supervises Behavioral Health Clinician Interns (Behavioral Health Clinician I or Behavioral Health Emergency & Forensic Clinician I) for State licensure hours; provides coaching, counseling and guidance on professional responsibilities and technical skills.
• Reviews cases, and assigns to Clinicians; facilitates and guides development of behavioral health assessment and treatment plans; reviews and critiques progress notes and performance outcome measures; performs ongoing risk management assessment of cases and Clinicians.
• Leads and manages multi-disciplinary team meetings to review client caseload, treatment, concerns, and recommendations; prepares and presents progress reports.
• Performs intensive casework services with children and adult clients and their relatives through individual and group therapy; participates in the intake process, the evaluation of problems presented and the development of treatment plans.
• Gather’s data of client’s history through personal interviews with client, relatives, friends, teachers and employers; prepares case histories with particular emphasis on psycho-social factors affecting client; cooperates with other staff members and community agencies in carrying out treatment plans; acts as liaison with parents of clients and group homes where clients are located.
• Analyzes trends and evaluates program requirements and resource utilization; coordinates program planning and evaluation; coordinates protocols to affect integrated services with other programs, departments and agencies; responds to requests for information.
• Monitors budget and expenditures for services; assures that appropriate services are provided; coordinates information and assures effective communications between programs.
• Coordinates, develops and monitors specialized trainings according to industry trends and continuing education requirements; oversees tracking of trainings completed by staff and reports to management on training requirements and mitigates identified deficiencies.
• Acts as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to inform departmental procedures and policy.
• Performs a wide range of general administrative duties; creates, reviews and approves documents.
• Provides ongoing psychosocial assessment, treatment planning and psychotherapeutic treatment of clients; utilizes specialized techniques for treatment and prevention of violence.
• Documents clinical files and billing records for all client contacts.
• Provides individual and group therapeutic services; facilitates group therapy sessions; assists client to learn skills required to successfully engender psychological stability and personal independence.
• Supports and enhances the clients’ emotional stability; explains nature of illness, plan of care, procedures and treatments to clients, family and significant others; provides advocacy as needed.
• Develops and enhances cooperative professional relationships with stakeholders and local community agencies.
• Provides consultation and training to other organizations in the community on mental health issues; conducts presentations and training to county staff and general public to introduce and communicate the roles and functions of the behavioral health programs.
• Maintains expertise in field of service through participation in applicable educational opportunities.
• Adheres to the standards of the Privacy Act of 1974, {U.S.C. § 552A} as amended; maintains and enforces all aspects of confidentiality of client information.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge of:

• Understanding of Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) requirements and ability to manage conservatorship referrals and treatment recommendations.
• Understanding of criminogenic thinking and behavior and ability to therapeutically intervene with these populations and characteristics.
• Techniques for working with individuals with significant behavioral health challenges.
• County, state and federal laws, statutes, rules, ordinances, codes and regulations.
• County and department policies and procedures.
• Protocols and practices in behavioral healthcare, and principles of psychotherapeutic techniques and procedures, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV).
• Principles and practices of legal, ethical and professional rules of conduct.
• Social program and justice system administrative processes and protocols.
• Principles, practices, and trends in public administration, supervision and training.
• Local community resources and various community services programs.

 
Ability To:

• Lead, schedule and supervise staff, skills training, and delegate tasks and authority.
• Analyze problems, identify solutions, recommend and implement methods, procedures and techniques for resolution of issues.
• Understand, interpret and apply relevant statutes, ordinances, codes and regulations.
• Assess and evaluate behavioral health problems, and make recommendations based on observations and interviews.
• Assess and prioritize multiple tasks, projects and demands.
• Delegate work assignments and appropriate level of responsibility to employees in order to ensure the completion of work assignments and projects.
• Independently organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines, and follow-up on assignments.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers, other county employees and representatives from other city, county, state and federal agencies.
• Operate a personal computer utilizing a variety of business software.

 

Education and Experience:
 
Master’s degree from an accredited two- year graduate school or program in Social Work or a related field; and
 
Two (2) years of experience as either a Marriage and Family Therapist or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and one (1) year of supervisory experience including the planning, scheduling, assigning, evaluating, training and directing the work of subordinate staff; or
 
Three (3) years of professional counseling/therapy in a Behavioral Health setting, including one (1) year of lead or supervisor experience.
 
Certifications and Licenses:

• Must possess a license as either a Marriage or Family Therapist or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of California as granted by the Board of Behavioral Science Examiners. (Candidates from out of state who hold a comparable license may be considered with the stipulation that they are eligible for an appropriate California license and that they receive the license by the end of probationary period.)
• Must meet state requirements for Clinician Supervisor.
• Must possess a valid US driver’s license upon date of application. Must obtain California driver’s license following hire date per California DMV regulations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Physical demands are in a variety of settings; involves the potential for high stress levels and exposure to hostile situations; some non-standard work hours are required.
• Mobility to work in a standard office, inpatient and out-patient facilities, clinic, jail or juvenile facility; use standard office equipment, including a computer; to operate a motor vehicle to visit various County and meeting sites; standing in and walking between work areas is frequently required; frequently bend, stoop, kneel, and reach to perform assigned duties, as well as push and pull drawers open and closed to retrieve and file information; ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects up to 25 pounds with the use of proper equipment.
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen. 
• Hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone.
• Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard or calculator and to operate standard office equipment.

 
WORKING CONDITIONS

• Employees work in an office, inpatient and out-patient facilities, home and health clinic settings, jail or juvenile facility environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no direct exposure to hazardous physical substances.
• Employees may work outdoors and are occasionally exposed to loud noise levels and cold and/or hot temperatures.
• Employees provide services in controlled environment, including a jail-based setting with long wait times, non-traditional service locations and lack of access to internet or computer materials.
• Employees interact with clients with behavioral disorders/erratic and assaultive behavior, including those which require emergency crisis intervention.
• Incumbents may be exposed to blood and body fluids in performing their assigned duties.
• Employees may be exposed to communicable diseases and blood borne pathogens.
• Employees may interact with upset staff, clients and/or public and private representatives in interpreting and enforcing departmental policies and procedures.
• Must be willing to work afterhours, weekends and holidays as needed and for on-call coverage and support.
• Employees may be at risk for secondary trauma and long hours and schedules.
• Must work with a highly manipulative, questionably motivated and clinically challenging client population; must be able to maintain professional composure and clinical effectiveness.

EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS UTILIZED

• Equipment utilized includes personal computer, fax machine, and standard office equipment.

Disaster Service Worker
All Butte County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.