BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONSULTANT

Behavioral Health Consultant - 60006438

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state of Florida's social services agency. The agency oversees services for child safety, fostering, adoption, domestic violence, adult protective services, refugees, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, childcare providers, human trafficking and public assistance. The agency's mission is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency. Within DCF, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Program office is recognized as the single state authority for substance abuse and mental health services. The Office of SAMH is statutorily responsible for the planning, evaluation, and implementation of a comprehensive statewide system of care for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of children and adults with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders. Within SAMH, the SunCoast Regional Office staff ensure that individuals and families have timely access to prevention, treatment, and recovery support services across the region. They collaborate with local providers, community partners, and key stakeholders to identify service gaps, enhance resource availability, and promote continuity of care. The SunCoast Regional Office monitors program performance, addresses barriers to service delivery, and fosters cross-system collaboration to strengthen the regional behavioral health network and improve overall outcomes for the communities served.

This is a highly responsible and professional position serving as a Behavioral Health Consultant within the SunCoast Region. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative team player who works seamlessly across all sections within the program office. This role requires the use of independent judgment, a proactive approach to responsibilities, and exceptional attention to detail. If you are driven, organized, and thrive in a fast-paced environment, we encourage you to apply.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Providing clinical expertise and assisting with the identification of parents with behavioral health conditions in the child welfare system, with a concentrated focus on opioid use and other substance misuse disorders.
• Consulting and collaborating with Child Protective Investigators (CPIs) and dependency case managers to build expertise with front line staff in the identification of behavioral health disorder(s), with specific focus on those with possible substance misuse disorders, improve engagement with families, and improve access to treatment, recovery supports, and resources.
• Educating CPIs and dependency case managers on the identification of behavioral health disorders with an emphasis on opioid use.
• Supporting investigative staff and dependency case managers in understanding the effects of the behavioral health issue on parent/caregiver behavior.
• Assisting investigative staff and dependency case managers in understanding the signs and symptoms of opioid disorders and the best practices to engage and treat.
• Educating CPIs and dependency case managers on the use of MAT.
• Maintaining a working knowledge of community mental health and substance use providers.
• Working collaboratively with community service providers and the ME to develop contacts, facilitate referrals, and assist investigative staff with engaging clients in recommended services and improving timely access to treatment.
• Tracking the referrals and entry into treatment for parents with behavioral health disorders, especially with a substance misuse disorder.
• Supporting investigators in mitigating behavioral issues and crises.
• Participating in legal, multi-disciplinary, and any other meetings that will assist the investigative staff and families.
• Performing other duties as required to meet program and departmental goals and objectives.

Emergency Response: In response to emergency events, the incumbent may be required to work irregular hours, to work more than 8 hours per day, to work extended periods (including weekends and holidays), to work at locations other than their official headquarters, and to perform duties in addition to those outlined in the position description. Deploy to communities affected by natural disasters within 24-48 hours of impact to represent the organization to promote and implement post-disaster services. Assess the impact, needs and assist with the development of a response strategy and goals for the impacted community and implement disaster response plans. Coordinate psychological and mental health resources and services for individuals, first responders, and communities impacted by disasters. Provide critical information to the Regional Manager and Director of Regional Operations and Initiatives.

The ideal candidate will possess the ability to:

• Engage cooperatively and professionally with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously with agility and precision.
• Demonstrate flexibility and the ability to succeed both independently and with minimal direction.
• Understand and align with the vision of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Program, executing projects, assignments, and policy updates accurately and on time in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborate effectively within a team while also excelling when working independently.
• Analyze challenges and propose thoughtful, practical solutions to complex problems.
• Conduct thorough research to identify and recommend the most strategic and effective course of action—the best "yes."

Knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position:

• Knowledge of the methods of data collection and analysis.
• Knowledge of basic management principles and practices.
• Ability to collect, evaluate and analyze data to develop alternative recommendations, solve problems, document workflow and other activities relating to the improvement of operational and management practices.
• Ability to organize data into logical format for presentation in reports, documents and other written materials.
• Ability to conduct fact-finding research.
• Ability to utilize problem-solving techniques.
• Ability to understand and apply applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures relating to operational and management analysis activities.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Knowledge of the impact of substance use disorders and mental health conditions on parenting ability and child safety.
• Knowledge of the child welfare system, with demonstrated expertise in motivational interviewing and trauma-informed care approaches.
• Knowledge and experience in the identification and care of substance-exposed newborns.
• Ability to respond effectively to emergency events, demonstrating sound clinical judgment under pressure.
• Ability to evaluate and identify barriers to treatment access and navigate complex behavioral health systems to support families effectively.
• Ability to plan, prioritize, and manage multiple assignments in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to effectively communicate verbally, demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, and establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with internal and external partners.

Minimum qualifications:

• A master's degree in a health or human services-related field.
• Three years of experience treating substance use disorders.
• Valid Class E Driver License.

Preference will be given to applicants who have:

• Florida license in psychology, social work, mental health counseling, marriage, and family therapy, or a registered intern.
• Experience of the child welfare and behavioral health systems and knowledge related to the impact of behavioral health conditions on parenting capacity.
• Experience in substance abuse prevention, treatment, or recovery support service.
• Experience coordinating community-based services for individuals or families.
• Certification as a Master's-Level Addiction Professional.
• Experience with motivational interviewing.

Candidate profile (application) requirements:

• Candidate profile (application) must be complete in its entirety. Work history - entered with the most recent/current listed first: Any and all State of Florida jobs Any and all Florida University jobs All periods of employment Periods of unemployment Gaps 3 months or more* Education Volunteer experience Include supervisor names and phone numbers including current place of employment. * Gaps 3 months or more must be addressed – you will need to account for and explain any gaps in employment including unemployment. You can either list these in your application under Period of Employment or attach a word document listing your gaps. Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications. If claiming Right to First Interview, candidate MUST attach a copy of your official layoff letter when applying. This only applies to employees laid off from Career Service positions. If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at View phone number on click.appcast.io.

Benefits of working for the State of Florida: Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State's total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits. For a more complete list of benefits, visit

DCF employment disclosures:

• US CITIZEN REQUIREMENT: Only US citizens and lawfully authorized alien