Mental Health Specialist II - Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Note: This job will be posted through 11:59 PM of the day prior to the end date listed.

Current Washington County Employees: Please apply through the employee portal to be considered for this opportunity.

Job Type:

Regular

Pay Range:

$84,160.20 - $102,269.64 Salary

Department:

Sheriff's Office

FLSA Exemption Status:

Exempt

About the Opportunity:

The Mental Health Specialist II – Bilingual (English/Spanish) position provides clinical services to Spanish speaking adults in custody in the Washington County Jail. You will support them by providing individual and group counseling. In addition to clinical work, a large part of the position will be providing case management for adults in custody transitioning into the community or to treatment.

Ideal Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Perform in-depth assessments of individuals with mental health needs and develop treatment plans

• Provide a variety of counseling methods, including group counseling

• Caseload management

• Use personal computers and a variety of communication tools

• Maintain accurate and complete records

• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with individuals and groups who come from diverse backgrounds and represent members of the public, coworkers, and/or vendors

• Ability to work safely and effectively, according to jail policies, within a secure correctional facility

To review the complete classification, including the full list of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with this position, use this link: Mental Health Specialist II

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• Possession of a Masters Degree in clinical social work, psychology, counseling or other closely related field; AND

• Two (2) years of professional work experience in counseling OR
  Successful completion of master level internship with WSCO Jail Programs;

• This position requires bilingual knowledge skills and abilities to include knowledge of the language, spelling, grammar, and punctuation; skill in writing accurately; and the ability to speak fluently and communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

Additional Requirements:

• Selected Finalist must be able to pass an oral and written Spanish language test.

• Selected finalist must be able to pass a post-offer drug screen and psychological evaluation.

• Background Investigation: The selected finalist(s) for this position must be able to pass a thorough background investigation conducted by the Sheriff's Office. The background Investigation for this position typically takes 6-8 weeks to complete, so you will want to plan accordingly. The information that will be required when you complete the Personal History Statement includes, but is not limited to:

• Employment Information (past 10 years or back to age 17; 3 coworkers will be requested from each past employer) 
• Residential Information (past 10 years or back to age 17) 
• Financial Information 
• References (6 without using the same people as coworkers or supervisor references) 
• Family Member Information 
• Driving History 
• Past/Present Drug Use and/or Controlled Substances  
• Criminal History

About the Department/Division:

The Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) is a full-service law enforcement agency located in Hillsboro, Oregon, serving the county's urban and rural residents. WCSO enhances public safety by fostering professionalism, compassion, and trust within its team and the communities it serves. WCSO is the primary first responder for unincorporated residents, offering services from routine patrol and crime investigation to specialized teams. The WCSO also operates the county’s only jail and provides contract services to cities within the county.

Jail Programs is a department located inside the Washington County Jail – dedicated to providing services to support adults in custody in preparing for a productive future. We offer cognitive restructuring classes, individual counseling, a GED and High School credit recovery program, employment support, assistance with housing when possible, and help with transitioning to treatment when appropriate.

Jail Program Mission statement: Believing that our clients are each unique and deserving, our mission is to prepare them by providing guidance, education and workforce development in a safe and accepting environment where they can begin taking meaningful first steps into a more productive life.

Bilingual Positions

Designated bilingual positions require the incumbents to possess Spanish bilingual skills, including precise writing skills (including spelling, grammar, and punctuation), fluent speaking skills, and the ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. Upon successfully passing the applicable proficiency assessment test(s) in a selected language, positions that are eligible for the bilingual differential pay will offer in an amount of 5% of the base pay rate, or a flat rate of seventy-five ($75) per pay period, whichever is greater. Pay periods are every two weeks.

Selection Process:

You can review our standard selection process here.

Our commitment to you:
Washington County is an equal opportunity employer committed to using a merit-based system in which recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees is based on knowledge, skills, and abilities. Our organization embraces innovation, collaboration, and work-life harmony. We promote employee development and offer an award-winning benefits and wellness program as well as an opportunity to serve and support our vibrant community.

Veterans' Preference:
If you are a Veteran and would like to be considered for Veterans' preference for this recruitment, please review the instructions using this link: Veterans' Preference Points.
 
Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act:
Reasonable accommodation is available to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing this application or participating in the selection process for this recruitment. To obtain confidential assistance please contact Human Resources 503-846-8606, or email: Careers@WashingtonCountyOR.gov at least 48 hours before any step in the recruitment and selection process for which you feel you need accommodation.
 
Status of Your Application:
You will be advised by email of your status at each step in the application process, from initial application to final employment disposition. Please note that Washington County communicates with all candidates via email.

Notice: Washington County is currently undergoing a comprehensive classification and compensation study. The purpose of this project is to create new job descriptions and create new classification and compensation systems. Outcomes of the project will include changes to classification titles, which could impact compensation structures. No one will have their pay rate lowered because of this project. For represented positions, appropriate bargaining processes will be utilized prior to implementation.

Questions?

Recruiter:

Laura Aranda

Email Address:

Laura_Aranda@washingtoncountyor.gov