Position Title: Crisis Services Clinician

Reports to: Clinical Supervisor

Type: Full-Time

Location: Seattle, WA, In-person role

Schedule: Sun - Thurs Swing Shift - 4 PM to 12 AM  

Payrate: $37.24/hr.,

Union Representation: Represented by OPEIU

Program Summary:

Crisis Connections provides a variety of telephone-based support services that are free and easily accessible to anyone in our community experiencing crisis. Our service area includes King County and WA State. Our passion is to foster resilience and wellbeing for all by connecting people to accessible and compassionate support.

Position Summary:

As a Crisis Services Clinician, you will be a qualified Mental Health Professional who works within three service areas, including Crisis Services, Dispatch Services and Professional Services. The Crisis Services Clinician is trained to provide risk assessment oversight, clinical decision making and support Crisis Support Specialists (CSS) and Crisis Intervention Specialists (CIS) through consultation and coaching during live calls on the Regional Crisis Lines. Clinicians take lead in developing crisis intervention plans and coordinate with CSS and CIS to provide callers with emotional support, assess for safety, make referrals to higher levels of care if needed and provide information & referrals to essential community resources. The goal is to stabilize the individual thereby reducing the likelihood of future crises and minimize law enforcement and Emergency Room involvement when possible.

Clinical expertise is executed in the areas of crisis intervention, de-escalation, assessment of behavioral health and suicide risk, and determining appropriate levels of care. Responsibilities include overseeing all activities within the phone room, monitoring the delivery of services via phone, quality assurance, clinical decision making, and debriefing challenging calls and working collaboratively with fellow clinical staff and paraprofessionals during each shift. The Crisis Services Clinician will ensure that callers receive appropriate emotional support, safety assessment, and referrals to the appropriate level of care.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Crisis Line Services

Responsible for the direct oversight, monitoring and coaching of CSS and CIS working during scheduled shifts.

Responsible for supporting CSS and CIS in assessing behavioral health and suicide risk, de-escalate crisis situations, and offer safety planning to callers in distress; ensuring that best available clinical intervention practices and community resources are implemented.

Ensures completion of appropriate screening and linkage to Next Day Appointments, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Mobile Crisis Teams, Geriatric Regional Assessment Team, Designated Crisis Responders, and/or other outreach services available for the caller’s area or region.

Supports CSS and CIS with ongoing and immediate feedback.

Ensure that all agency policies and procedures are followed.

Assists CSS and CIS in identification of callers who are known to the agency and may have case plans on file.

Ensure that all calls are documented accurately and completely using the assigned electronic health record.

Utilizes trauma-informed, non-judgmental communication techniques to de-escalate high-stress contacts and implement recovery-oriented services.

Contributes to a team atmosphere that is professional, congenial, and respectful.

Follow the Crisis Connections mission: To foster resilience and well-being for all by connecting people to accessible and compassionate support.

Dispatch Services

Conduct assessments on calls to the King County Crisis and Commitment public line, evaluating the risk of harm and implementing optimal clinical intervention practices.

Provide compassionate emotional support to callers while remaining vigilant regarding crisis and suicide intervention strategies.

Utilize the King County Client Lookup System (CLS) to identify callers who may be affiliated with a community mental health center.

Ensure meticulous and thorough documentation of all calls

Complete Sheena's law referrals from Law enforcement by conducting telephonic outreach to the person of concern or facilitating crisis services such as the mobile crisis team or Children Crisis Outreach Response System Referral. Notify the Public Mental Health Agency the person of concern is enrolled with, documenting the interaction in the Sheena's law Log forms.

Answer calls from first responders 24/7, ensuring timely responses to urgent situations.

Gather essential information from first responders regarding the individual in crisis.

Utilize ECLS/EDIE and other electronic systems to identify available supports or resources for the client.

Offer less restrictive options to first responders in real-time, prioritizing client safety and well-being.

Establish a warm connection to the identified resource, facilitating seamless transitions for the individual in crisis.

Professional Services

Hospital Diversion and Authorization Responsibilities

Answers the Hospital Authorization Line, screening referrals for medical necessity eligibility using Adult and Child Level of Care Utilization Screening Systems (LOCUS and CALOCUS).

Ensures accurate and thorough completion and maintenance of all necessary paper documentation and electronic data entry, adhering strictly to established policies and procedures for information gathering, consulting with psychiatrists, and documenting client acceptance or denial of inpatient level of care.

Completes all authorizations within two hours of receiving complete referral information and meets all timeline requirements, completing data entry and paper document dissemination for all authorizations within daily shift.

Appropriately refers requests for retrospective reviews, length of stay extensions, etc., to HA/DV Lead when appropriate.

Offers assistance to the Crisis Services Coordinator during peak periods and/or upon request, which may involve providing guidance to phone workers with sound clinical judgment while they are on a call.

Community Consultation and Linkages

Provides professional consultation to callers on the business line regarding access to the mental health system, crisis intervention, suicide intervention, and other mental health topics as needed.

Completes Electronic Client Lookup System (ECLS) search inquiries, disclosing information only to callers with the right to access ECLS information according to policy guidelines, and documents each ECLS search.

Utilizes Electronic Health Record System, Carelogic, and County communication systems such as Crisis Safety Platform and ECLS Phone Message Log effectively for coordination with DCRs and Mobile Teams.

Ensures completion of appropriate screening and linkage to Next Day Appointments, Mobile Outreach Team, Geriatric Regional Assessment Team, Designated Mental Health Professionals, and other outreach services for callers requesting those services.

Ensures accurate and complete documentation of all activities throughout the Quality Assurance (QA) process.

New Hire Training Requirements:

New hires are expected to attend a minimum of 3 training shifts per week onsite and will require the following online modules and shadowing shifts before starting their scheduled shifts.

Your Clinical Supervisor will provide follow-up and additional information during your New Hire Orientation.

Crisis Services Clinician Training Requirements

Attend a 4-hour listening shift onsite at Seattle office during first week.

Complete 19 hours of online training modules.

Complete 10 Shadowing shifts, 8 hours each onsite at Seattle office.

Attend Live Training once a year.

Further Training and Professional Development:

Stay registered as required and remain abreast of current professional literature and developments in the mental health field.

Dedicate a minimum of 12 hours of training per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) on approved topics pertinent to job responsibilities.

Regularly attend staff meetings for Crisis Services and Hospital Authorization to stay informed and contribute to team discussions.

Maintenance of Licensure and Certification

Employees must maintain current licensure and fulfill all continuing education requirements (CEUs) as required by their credentialing body.

Verification of active licensure status will be conducted upon hire and annually thereafter.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

Minimum Credentialing Requirements:

• Mental Health Professional (MHP) status as defined by Washington Administrative Code (WAC 246-341-0515) and Revised Code of Washington (RCW 71.05 and 71.34).
• Individuals must hold one of the following active credentials or licenses in the State of Washington:
• Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) or Associate (LSWAIC)
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) or Associate (LMHCA)
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) or Associate (LMFTA)
• Psychiatric Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP)
• Psychiatrist, Psychologist, or Licensed Psychological Associate
• Physician Assistant working under a psychiatrist as defined in RCW 18.71A.010
• Licensed Agency Affiliated Counselor (per RCW 18.19.210)
• Experience working with individuals in crisis required.
• Excellent verbal, written, and typing skills required.
• The ability to work effectively with multi-disciplinary clinical staff in a fast-paced environment is required.

Computer Skills Assessment: Crisis Connections requires a basic Computer Skills assessment to measure computer literacy and skills. The assessment is approximately 15 minutes in length, and timed. HR will provide a link to complete the test after screening qualified candidates. This assessment will be completed on the candidate's personal computer. Upon request, candidates may take the assessment at one of our 2 office locations as an accommodation. Additional accommodations for the assessment are provided upon request.

Preferred Credentials

Independent clinical licensure (LMHC, LMFT, LICSW, or ARNP) is preferred for supervisory or managerial roles.

Additional certifications in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, or trauma-informed care are strongly encouraged.

Experience of working within a call center preferred.

Telephone assessment or help line experience preferred.

Prefer experience in King, Clark, Chelan, Douglas, Pierce, Okanogan, Klickitat, Grant or Skamania County Public Mental Health systems.

Quantity and Quality of Work/Work Habits

Consistently arrives on time for scheduled shifts and demonstrates reliability by adhering to assigned work hours.

Adheres to organizational personnel policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with established guidelines and protocols.

Communicates clearly and effectively, both in written and verbal forms, ensuring messages are concise, accurate, and comprehensive.

Cultivates genuine relationships by fostering cooperation, addressing conflicts openly and honestly, and embracing constructive feedback. Demonstrates respect for colleagues, volunteers, and clients/customers.

Appropriately engages with supervision, seeking guidance and support when needed to enhance job performance and effectiveness.

Actively contributes to fostering a positive work environment through collaborative decision-making, fostering team cohesion, and providing encouragement to colleagues and volunteers to achieve excellence.

Demonstrates proactive problem-solving skills by identifying issues and offering constructive solutions to address challenges within the work environment.

WORKING CONDITIONS: Individuals in this position should be able to sit or stand for lengthy periods of time. Individuals will need to be able to wear a headset or earphones as they take calls. Individuals will need to manage several IT/software platforms at once and be able to function in an environment with moderate noise and distraction.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

Proven track record of cultivating and nurturing productive professional relationships across diverse stakeholders, fostering collaboration, and achieving organizational objectives.

Demonstrated capability in collaborating seamlessly within interdisciplinary teams comprising clinical personnel and volunteers, leveraging collective expertise to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Established proficiency in thriving within demanding work environments, exhibiting resilience and adaptability to effectively manage and mitigate stressors while maintaining focus on delivering exceptional results

Thriving employees means a thriving mission: We work hard to embrace diversity and inclusion. We welcome everyone's lived experiences, cultures, and expertise, at Crisis Connections because it strengthens our team and the care we provide to the community. BIPOC, persons with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are strongly encouraged to apply.

We are dedicated to supporting our employees by offering excellent benefits and career progression opportunities.

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage including an 100% employer paid option for
• certain plans and coverage tiers.
• Annual wage increases
• Generous Paid Time Off & 12 Paid Holidays
• Discount on ORCA transit pass
• Free Parking
• Growth opportunities
• Self-care tools & weekly check ins with your supervisor
• Voluntary Benefits
• Short-term and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 403B Retirement Plan

Offers of Employment: All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check including a Criminal History Report and Reference Check.

DISCLAIMER:

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. As an adaptive organization, responsibilities can and will change in alignment with greater efficiencies and mission metrics.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION:

Crisis Connections (CC) is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. CC does not discriminate with regards to hiring, assignment, promotion, or other conditions of staff employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other status protected under local, state, or federal law.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, upon request, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of our positions.

Crisis Connections is an equal opportunity employer. We value having employees whose skills, experience and background reflect the diverse populations we serve.