Mental Health Clinician

Mental Health Clinician

Job Type: Regular, Full-Time

Location: Berkeley, CA 94709

Schedule: Sundays - Thursdays or Tuesdays - Saturdays 9:00 am - 5:30 pm or 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Position Summary

Under the general direction of the Assistant Program Director, the Mental Health Clinician is responsible for providing individual case management and rehabilitative individual and group therapies as part of an interdisciplinary team. The team provides intensive outpatient mental health and case management services to individuals with co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use disorders who live in Alameda County. The residential Service Team maintains a milieu environment that supports culturally responsive trauma informed care with a harm reduction model.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide intensive residential case management, rehabilitative therapy and support to adults with mental health and/or substance use symptoms.
• Help organize and lead social recreational and group activities to help clients structure their time, increase social experience, and provide opportunities to practice social skills.
• Must complete individual and group therapy, biopsychosocial assessments, care plans and sound clinical documentation that supports client treatment plans.
• Actively participate as a team member, and present updates at each weekly team meeting.
• Develop a keen understanding of EHR and Cal AIM billing codes in order to document and bill MediCal appropriately and effectively assist in training new staff and students.
• Assist staff with completing standard documentation requirements as needed and directed.
• Engages with members, coordinates daily activities, and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment.
• Participates in clinical supervision with the associate program director in order to ensure appropriate treatment and sign off on assessments as well as gain hours towards licensure if needed.
• Assisting at-risk Medi-Cal recipients or potential eligibles to understand the need for MH services.
• Actively encouraging and engaging reluctant and difficult Medi-Cal recipients/potential eligibles to accept needed MH and healthcare services.
• Operate a motor vehicle to include safe transport of clients to various appointments across Alameda County.
• Assessing for risk and safety planning.
• Document client progress to maintain a permanent record of client activity according to established methods and procedures, meeting both organization and County documentation standards.
• Assist clients (and family members) identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and develop strategies to reduce self-stigma.
• Collaborate with the team to ensure the protection of clients' rights in order to help clients to improve their knowledge of client rights and grievance or complaint procedures; support clients with filing, mediating, and resolving complaints.
• Provide ongoing assessment, problem-solving, side-by-side services, skill teaching, support (prompts, assignments, encouragement), and environmental adaptations to assist clients with challenges in the areas of employment, housing, and activities of daily living.
• Provide procedural and clinical support to student interns and other volunteers.
• Complete timely clinical documentation based on Medical and organization standards, including evaluation and outcome measurements
• Develop and maintain a milieu environment that supports culturally responsive trauma informed care and a harm reduction model
• Participate in staff meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Master's degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, or a related field & active registration with BBS required.
• Must be able to meet and receive a criminal records clearance, as required by California Code, Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 5405, federal contractor requirements and/or agency practices.
• Must pass post-offer, pre-employment physical and TB clearance as required by state community care licensing standards.
• A valid driver's license, reliable personal vehicle, personal auto insurance as required by law, and an MVR sufficient to obtain and reasonably maintain insurability under agency auto liability policies are essential job requirements.
• Local travel as required to fulfill primary job responsibilities and duties.
• Passion for the BHI mission.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Must demonstrate an ability to work both independently and as a member of the team.
• Knowledge of mental health and substance use symptomology, treatment modalities, harm reduction and recovery models and community and concrete resources.
• Ability to meet clients where they are at, establish positive rapport and provide therapeutic assessment, problem solving, care planning and goal setting with individual clients.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively and sensitively provide care to people from different cultural groups.
• Passion and understanding of how to provide low-barrier outreach services.
• Understanding and ability to implement and support social development. This includes but is not limited to, an understanding of human behavior.
• Must also have an understanding and ability to coach others in Harm Reduction, Stages of Change, Trauma-Informed Care, and Motivational Interviewing.
• Understanding and practice of culturally sensitive components of direct service delivery.
• Ability to effectively intervene in crisis situations using de-escalation techniques.
• Excellent verbal and written skills and the ability to present information effectively.
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.
• Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Ability to build supportive and respectful working relationships with staff, participants, and stakeholders in the community.