Crisis Support Specialist

Position Summary

Provide clinical assessment to youth in the community experiencing a psychiatric emergency and complete admission process as appropriate for youth into the Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) program. Provide lethal means reduction counseling, safety planning, system navigation and psychoeducation, individual and family therapy sessions, and case management follow-up for youth enrolled in the MRSS program to support stabilization of the crisis and linkage with appropriate aftercare services. Work as part of a combined MRSS/Intercept team to adequately respond to youth in crisis and to meet the needs of the community for youth experiencing psychiatric crisis

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Complete assessments for youth referred to the program to the including involvement of all key players to get a systemic perspective of the needs for every client. Collect information about client using therapeutic interviewing techniques, case history, visual and auditory observation techniques, and assessment methods. Complete assessment requires ability to observe client in a community setting to include client homes and identify safety and health hazards
• Conduct emergency admissions for youth into the MRSS program as appropriate, regardless of insurance, and provide crisis intervention, lethal means counseling, safety planning, and recommendations for future mental health care
• Complete a therapy session in the home with each family that admits into the MRSS program within 48 hours and provide weekly ongoing individual and family therapy sessions, case management, crisis support, psychoeducation
• Follow through on providing crisis support services for the family as determined by the treatment plan throughout the youth's duration in the program. Provide home visits with youth/families enrolled in the program at least 1x weekly, prioritizing greater than 1x weekly as determined by Supervisor and based on clinical needs
• Coordinate recommendations with referral sources in the community to assure client receives the appropriate levels of care and complete a warm hand-off of youth to an aftercare provider that can provide long term support for the youth and family prior to discharge
• Discharge youth from the program when MRSS program goals have been achieved: Youth and family have been connected to longer term services to meet their needs, risk factors leading to admission into the program have been addressed or resolved, the family has a safety plan in place, lethal means counseling has been completed, and the family has the skills and confidence needed to manage their current crisis situation
• Cover as the on-call specialist on a rotating basis. This will include providing phone and in person crisis response when needed. Specialists on the team rotate covering on-call responsibilities on a weekly basis, and each specialist will generally cover one week on call every 4-6 weeks; however, the frequency could change depending on program needs
• Be reachable (e.g. keeping your cell phone with you at all times and remain in covered areas) during normal business hours and when on call
• Attend Licensed Clinical Consultation and Group Supervision weekly. Consult with Program Supervisor on cases as required in the Call Parameters/Notifications Guidelines Process
• Attend staffing meetings scheduled in your region to discuss clinical assessment of cases, community needs and trends, and remain actively involved in problem solving to create and action plan for future cases
• Attend monthly developmental meetings with Clinical Supervisor to continue ongoing professional development and goals
• Provide excellent customer service to all community members involved in the crisis assessment and MRSS admissions, representing Youth Villages in a positive way. Provide details of any complaints or concerns of any community members immediately to your Program Supervisor for further follow-up or intervention.
• Complete crisis assessments, safety plans, and all required program documentation within timeframes that meet documentation standards