Behavioral Health Specialist

Position Title: Behavioral Health Specialist

Department: Technical Unit

Location: Mayfield, Kentucky

Primary Reports to: MHPSS, Technical Unit

Secondary Reports to: Recovery Program Manager, US Programs

Assignment Type: Full-time, 1-year contract with possible extension

Compensation:

Our compensation philosophy is grounded in being competitive, equitable, and transparent.

Competitive: The salary range for this position is $86,240 to $109,760.

Equitable: We avoid negotiation within the ranges to create equity across our team, because we know that salary negotiations lead to poorer outcomes for individuals from non-dominant groups and underrepresented communities.

Transparent: We construct our salaries in such a way that staff can move through the range as they grow within their level. As such, most candidates will start at the midpoint of the range, $98,000, with a few above or below the midpoint based on specific skill sets and experiences.

Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: a generous paid time off package of vacation, personal time, and sick time, approximately 15 holidays per year (in addition to a winter break holiday), medical insurance starting at $55 per month, dental insurance starting at $0 per month, vision insurance starting at $9 per month, a 401k retirement savings plans with 6% matching, disability & life insurance, paid parental leave, and access to an employee assistance program.

About Americares:

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches 85 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies, and emergency aid. Americares is one of the world’s leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.

About the position:

In response to recovery efforts of the December 2021 tornadoes, Americares is addressing health needs, including behavioral health needs, of individuals and families in Kentucky by supporting the Spanish-speaking population in Graves County.

The Behavioral Health Specialist will represent Americares and continue to identify and address gaps in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), provide training and psychological support to its community members through psychological debriefs, individual and collective support groups, psychoeducation training, and by strengthening existing MHPSS community members to ensure sustainability of streamlining Americares’ interventions along with pre-existing MHPSS interventions in Graves County.

Duties and Responsibilities:

MHPSS Direct Service Provision

• Provide psychological debriefing and crisis stabilization for local Spanish-speaking community in Mayfield and other areas in Graves County affected by the 2021 tornadoes;
• Provide individual and group support for families affected by the tornadoes through various interventions:
  • Emotional accompaniment and emotional deactivation
  • Grief and loss support
  • Trauma and difficult situations management
  • Coping with stress and anxiety
  • Team building
  • Wellness activities
• Provide capacity building for local entities such as the Mayfield Independent School District, local churches, and other essential community members including but not limited to
  • Psychological first aid
  • Psychosocial support
  • Staff care
  • Grief and loss
  • Trauma-informed care
  • Crisis-intervention

MHPSS Outreach

• Strengthen existing MHPSS community services
• Provide outpatient services in homes, schools, churches, offices, and other community locations best suited for those needing support
• Provide resource referral and linkage to external methods of support
• Provide case management when needed

Key Requirements and Competencies:

• US work authorization required
• Fully licensed or path to full licensure required (LCSW, LPC, PsyD)
• Fluency in Spanish and English required
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in mental health and psychosocial programming with significant experience in disaster/crisis context
• Advanced degree in psychology or related discipline, with in-depth knowledge and experience in trauma and crisis preferred
• Proven track record in conducting training and providing psychological and psychosocial assistance in MHPSS
• Experience in coordination from an MHPSS background
• Willingness to travel and work in remote areas
• Proven ability to work collaboratively across multiple stakeholders, including across field and headquarters
• High level of integrity and ability to adapt in fluid environments
• Able to operate independently and as part of a team

As a global health organization, we are committed to ensuring a safe environment for our staff, partners, and visitors. All Americares staff and visitors who are on-site at any of our locations or will be traveling for work are required to be fully vaccinated (which includes a booster, when eligible) against COVID-19 unless an exemption required by law is applicable.

Americares is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

To request a disability accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact us at talentcenter@americares.org.