Counselor - Crisis Response Team

Top reasons to work for SMA Healthcare:

• Career growth and advancement potential
• Great benefits such as: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, & Disability Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Personal Leave (up to 25 days after 3 years of service)
• 403b Retirement Plan (matches one to one of employee contribution for the first 3%, then a 50% match on the next 6% of employee contribution)

Essential Job Functions:

• Answers phone calls from individuals inquiring about services, those in need of immediate assistance, admitting to services, need information regarding services and community resources and linkage to SMA behavioral services.
• Provides information on Baker Act and Marchman Act.
• Provides crisis intervention to individuals and/ or family members calling and triages calls to determine if there is a need for routine, urgent or emergent intervention
• Meet with individuals and families face to face in the community, with a goal of 60 minutes from time of dispatch
• Participate in mandatory on-call rotation
• Provides solution focused supportive counseling and warm hand off  to individuals that need immediate services
• Participates in required SMA in-service trainings to maintain employment.
• As assigned, assists in the maintenance of SMA's compliance with treatment and documentation requirements of funding sources, performance improvement, and accreditation activities.
• Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

Qualification Requirements: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily and to work the assigned shift. The program functions 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.  An individual must be able to work the hours/ days for which they are hired to work.  Additionally, the program functions 365 days per year and some holidays will be required.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Minimum Education and/or Experience:  Graduation from an accredited school with a Bachelor degree in Human Services or a related field. Master's Degree preferred. Within the last five years must have had two years of experience in behavioral health treatment services and one year of experience in a setting where it was necessary to communicate orally and in writing to inform, advise, or train others about client issues, treatment service delivery, documentation in client records or UM principles. Experience with American Society of Addictions Medicine Patient Placement Criteria is preferred. Experience with CARF, Medicaid, and Managed Care requirements is preferred.  Additional education, licensure, and/or experience may be required depending on specific program guidelines.

Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities: 

• Must be knowledgeable and demonstrate competency in current best practices of behavioral health treatment and related services, especially as it relates to documenting the course of treatment and patient placement criteria in the client record.
• Depending on assignment must have knowledge of typical diagnoses, treatment services, and developmental issues for adolescents in general, delinquent adolescents, adults and pregnant/post-partum women who are admitted to a mental health and/or substance abuse treatment setting.
• Must be knowledgeable and demonstrate competency in using crisis intervention strategies
• Knowledge of growth and development.
• Ability to assess age specific data.
• Ability to interpret age specific response to treatment.
• Knowledge of the treatment needs of adolescent mental health, substance abuse, co-occurring, ADD, ADHD, conduct, and oppositional defiant disorders.
• Knowledge of the treatment needs of adult mental health, substance abuse, and co-occurring diagnoses of affective disorders, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and antisocial personality disorder.
• Knowledge of the treatment needs of adult pregnant/post -partum women with mental health, substance abuse, and co-occurring diagnoses of affective disorders, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and antisocial personality disorder.
• Proficiency in working with telephone system and telephone etiquette.
• Proficiency in working with computer hardware and software.

Necessary Special Requirements: Possession of a valid Florida driver's license, acceptable driving record, and proof of personal automobile insurance if required to drive an SMA vehicle and/or use a personal vehicle for SMA business. Complete State of Florida mandatory background screening prior to start of employment.  Complete SMA required training during the first six (6) months of employment and updated if required.

Physical: Mobility and ability to bend and reach during an 8-12 hour day. Able to lift minimum 10 pounds. Visual and auditory acuity sufficient to evaluate, intervene, treat, and record client health care needs. Fine motor skills for legible and accurate charting, daily correspondence and presentation, either manually or orally. Work endurance - ability to work 8-12 hour shifts with a meal break, as possible. Hours and days off may vary. Extra hours, including weekends and holidays, may be required.  May require travel to other SMA locations.May require extended hours or overnight shifts during a natural disaster such as a hurricane.  May require travel to other SMA locations.

Application: This position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications which may be required of the employee assigned to the position. It should not be used to limit the nature and extent of assignments such individuals may be given.