Mental Health Professional II-Pediatric

Job Summary 

The Mental Health Professional II is a licensed professional who holds either a RCSW, LCSW, LMHC or psychologist who always adheres to the highest standards of evidence-based practice, ethics, and professionalism. Provides evidence-informed crisis intervention, suicide prevention, behavioral health psychosocial assessments, screening for admission, information & referral, treatment plans, and brief supportive counseling to patients who are in emotional distress, and/or have substance abuse problems for children, adolescents, and adults. Well-established to work with a team to provide patients with education, support, and counseling in understanding the emotional, psychological, and behavioral impact of mental health, substance use, and addiction on the patient and family. The work involves screening patients in collaboration with other medical staff through integration. This position works in acute settings that address crisis mental health and substance use care between crisis settings as well as in an outreach setting with a multidisciplinary team.

JOB FUNCTIONS 

Key Responsibilities 

• Crisis Assessment, Intervention & Treatment 

• Conduct comprehensive, evidence-based triage, psychosocial assessments, and DSM-5-informed diagnostic evaluations for children and adults experiencing behavioral health, psychiatric, substance use, or crisis-related concerns. 

• Provide medically necessary crisis intervention, brief counseling and therapeutic interventions, treatment planning, and follow-up care to support stabilization, recovery, and appropriate levels of care.

• Develop individualized intervention and recovery plans with patients, families, and groups, promoting shared decision-making, healthy coping skills, wellness, and appropriate boundaries. 

• Assess the need for and facilitate appropriate voluntary or involuntary psychiatric and substance use treatment referrals in accordance with clinical needs and applicable regulations, policies, and procedures. 

• Care Coordination, Follow-Up & Community Collaboration 

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, psychiatrists, medical providers, families, referral sources, and community partners to ensure coordinated, patient-centered care. 

• Maintain current knowledge of community behavioral health, substance use, and recovery resources and establish collaborative relationships with providers to support referrals, case management, and continuity of care. 

• Monitor patient progress and conduct follow-up and outreach after discharge to support adherence to treatment recommendations and address barriers to care. 

• Provide crisis intervention, counseling, information, and referrals to patients through in-person, telephone, clinic, and mobile crisis services, as assigned. 

• Clinical Consultation, Program Support & Quality Improvement 

• Provide clinical consultation and support to clinical and non-clinical team members, referral resources, mentors, families, and others involved in supporting patient recovery. 

• Participate in substance use practice measures, peer review audits, clinical supervision, provider meetings, program development, evaluation, and data collection and reporting as required. 

• Consult with supervisors, psychiatrists, and other members of the care team to support appropriate clinical decision-making and high-quality patient care. 

• Participate in assigned meetings, staff development, training, and other activities that support professional growth and program operations. 

• Documentation, Compliance & Operational Responsibilities 

• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential patient documentation using the electronic health record and other applicable information technology systems in compliance with HIPAA and organizational requirements. 

• Ensure assessments, diagnoses, treatment, and referrals comply with applicable federal, state, county, licensing, managed care, and Health Care District policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements. 

• Support a 24/7 crisis care model, including availability for assigned night, weekend, clinic, telephone, and mobile crisis shifts, including collaboration with law enforcement when applicable. 

• Act in a manner that supports the Health Care District’s mission and participate in emergency response and management activities, including disaster or shelter operations, as required.

Additional Responsibilities 

The duties and responsibilities described above are intended to provide a general overview of the position and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or activities. Employees may be required to perform other job-related duties as assigned to support departmental operations, organizational objectives, regulatory requirements, or patient care needs. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

Education:
Master's Degree Required in Psychology, Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, or related field.

Experience:
3-5 years of professional experience in treating behavioral health, alcohol, and substance abuse in a healthcare setting is required. 

Pediatric experience or additional training preferred. 

Certification:
Basic Life Support AHA

Licensure:
Current and valid State of Florida Mental Health Counselor, Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, or Clinical Psychologist.

The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is an independent special taxing district that has served as a healthcare safety net for more than 36 years to fill in gaps in access to healthcare services. This unique healthcare system covers the entire county and provides a wide range of services such as nine community health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers) which serve everyone regardless of ability to pay; school health teams in 172 public schools; a lifesaving Trauma Hawk aeromedical helicopter program; a rural, public teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center; an award-winning skilled nursing center; a ground ambulance program for Health Care District patients needing a higher level of care and the county’s Trauma Agency, which ensures quality outcomes within the county’s trauma system and leads initiatives to prevent traumatic injury. 

We are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, military or veteran status, age, sex, pregnancy status, genetic information, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation or identification status, or any other legally recognized category protected by jurisdictional, state or federal law. The information collected by this application is solely to determine suitability for employment, verify identity and maintain employment statistics on applicants.

We are also committed to maintaining a safe, healthy, and productive work environment for all employees. As such, we are a Drug-Free Workplace. 

The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is an E-Verify participating employer and will use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

This role may require Agency of Health Care Administration (AHCA) background screening and clearance. As required under House Bill 531, applicants may review AHCA’s education and awareness information at the following link: https://info.flclearinghouse.com/