Crisis Associate - Community Outreach

Join Our Team as a Mental Health Professional for Community Outreach
Are you passionate about mental health and addiction recovery? Do you believe in the power of community-based support and collaboration? If so, we invite you to join our team as a Mental Health Professional for Community Outreach. This unique role involves working alongside an addiction recovery mentor and a law enforcement partner to make a meaningful impact on individuals in need.

About the Role
As a Mental Health Professional in our community outreach program, you will provide essential mental health services to individuals experiencing addiction and other mental health issues. You will work directly in the community, partnering with an addiction recovery mentor and law enforcement to offer comprehensive, compassionate support and make referrals to treatment for individuals.

Typical Work Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., with rotating shift schedules and work stations. This includes working day and swing shifts, weekends, holidays and overtime as required.

Key Responsibilities

• Outreach and Engagement: Actively engage with individuals in the community who are struggling with addiction and mental health challenges.
• Assessment and Support: Conduct mental health assessments and provide immediate support and crisis intervention as needed.
• Collaborative Care: Work closely with an addiction recovery mentor and law enforcement partner to develop and implement coordinated care plans.
• Resource Connection: Link individuals to appropriate mental health, addiction recovery, and social services within the community.
• Education and Advocacy: Provide education on mental health and addiction issues to the community and advocate for individuals’ needs and rights.
• Follow-Up Care: Ensure continuous support and follow-up to monitor progress and adjust care plans as necessary.

Who We’re Looking For
We are seeking dedicated professionals who are:

• Compassionate: Deep commitment to helping individuals overcome addiction and mental health challenges.
• Experienced: Strong background in mental health counseling, social work, psychology, or a related field.
• Collaborative: Ability to work effectively with a multidisciplinary team, including addiction recovery mentors and law enforcement.
• Flexible: Willingness to work in various community settings and adapt to changing situations.
• Communicative: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage with clients, families, and community partners.
• Resilient: Capability to handle high-stress situations with calm and professionalism.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES 
Provides individual and group recreational, social and skills training services under a professionally developed service plan; keeps records of persons served status; performs service plan directed case management functions under close supervision; performs related duties as required.  Primary responsibility of this class is to assist and support other mental health professionals, without primary responsibility for a caseload.
 
SUPERVISION RECEIVED 
Works under close supervision of a supervisor who assigns work, establishes goals, and reviews the results obtained for overall effectiveness.
 
SUPERVISION EXERCISED 
Supervision of others is not a responsibility of positions in this classification.

• Provide Mental Health support and referrals to individuals in the community. Work alongside a Law Enforcement partner and Addiction Recovery Mentor (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion – LEAD). Through outreach, this position will work directly in the community to actively engage with individuals with addiction and mental health challenges. Outreach will entail meeting people where they are in the community and providing awareness about professional services that can help.

• Use crisis intervention and de-escalation skills when connecting with individuals who are escalated or in a crisis. Monitor individuals progress and continuously support. Provide case management to individuals that were engaged in the community, as needed.

• Act as liaison with justice involved clients and law enforcement individuals. Including but not limited to participating in court proceedings, meeting with and communicating with Community Corrections deputies, etc.

• Establish professional working relationships with law enforcement, community partners, community resources, and other identified services and supports. Share county mission and values with participants, collaborating organizations, and the community. Strive to be a supportive, reliable, positive, and professional team member during the development of client treatment planning, clinical team meetings, client crisis interventions, and in other staff meetings. Work effectively with substance treatment providers, crisis workers, law enforcement, families, DHS/Child Welfare, Corrections, and others involved to provide a healthy and supportive recovery-based environment.

• Ensure compliance with agency and funder documentation. Meet performance standards and deadlines set forth by the county program and partnering agencies. Abide by set timeliness, and quality of work. Complete clinical record documentation in timely fashion. Meet performance expectations for time and billing standards.

• When available provide backup/fill in to the Crisis Center staff/office, including answering phones, and staff coverage.

• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Response Level 2: In the event of an emergency, employee makes a reasonable effort to report to work. Employee may be required to perform duties outside of their regularly assigned duties. Employee may be requested to work an extended or flexible schedule. Staff at this response level must complete Incident Command System 100 and 700 on-line or in-person training.EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

1. Three years relevant work experience in a behavioral health services field; OR 
2. Bachelor's degree in a behavioral science field; OR 
3. Any satisfactory combination of work, education, training or experience relevant to the position, as determined by Marion County. 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS (individual recruitment will specify details)

• Must possess a current Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) Qualified Mental Health Associate certification (QMHA) or register within ninety (90) days of hire, and complete in accordance with MHACBO guidelines. See MHACBO website for requirements.
• This position may be subject to the following: Must not be excluded from participation in the federal health care programs (Medicaid, Medicare and other federally funded programs that provide health benefits); AND must not be excluded from participating in federal procurement (Federal Acquisition Regulation) and non-procurement activities (Executive Order No. 12549).
• Must possess a current driver's license in the applicant's state of residence and an acceptable driving history.  Marion County will obtain a copy of the driving record for all qualified applicants from Driver and Motor Vehicle Services and review the driving record according to the Marion County policy and procedure for Driving on County Business.  The policy can be found at:  http://apps.co.marion.or.us/APAP/.
• The finalist for this position will be required to pass a criminal history background check; however, conviction of a crime may not necessarily disqualify an individual for this position.
• This is a safety sensitive/special needs position. Final candidates selected for this position will be required to pass a pre-employment drug screen, including testing for marijuana. The Marion County Drug and Alcohol Use and Testing Policy can be found at: http://apps.co.marion.or.us/APAP/policy.aspx?p=policy&pid=518.
• This assignment is represented by a union.
• This is a full-time position, which is eligible for overtime.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES 
Working knowledge of the general concepts of mental health (including common symptoms for major behavioral health conditions) and chemical dependency as well as community resources; de-escalation, crisis intervention, and engagement strategies; strengths-based resiliency and recovery models; definitions of basic- and community-living skills; measurable goals/outcomes of mental health recovery, substance use disorders recovery, and co-occurring disorders recovery; evidence-based strategies for skills training and improving overall health; daily living activities that promote health and wellness.

Ability to demonstrate active listening skills and interviewing techniques; establish effective working relationships with diverse individuals and foster shared decision-making with behavioral health consumers, family members, and providers; clearly convey information about behavioral and general health; exercise cultural and trauma-informed competency when linking to resources; follow directions and accept feedback in a professional manner; prepare reports and document services provided to persons served in a timely and professional manner with clarity, conciseness, and completeness; work within an interdisciplinary team; practice appropriate boundaries with consumers; recognize unsafe situations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Operates a motor vehicle; sees using depth perception; stands; sits; moves about the work area; climbs 1 floor of stairs; reaches overhead; lifts, pushes, pulls and carries up to 10 lbs.; operates a keyboard; speaks clearly and audibly; reads a 12-pt. font; hears a normal level of speech; works in areas that may be exposed to heat, cold, dust, smoke, vibration, and noise; works in areas that may be wet or uneven. Use of household cleaning chemicals (bleach, cleansers).  Exposure to secondhand smoke (outreach).We offer tuition assistance for employees interested in professional development towards a profession in behavioral health.

• Up to $20,000 to reimburse for tuition, licensure and/or other educational expenditures. According to the Marion County policy administrative policies regarding tuition payments.

Salary : $26 - $35