Mental Health Clinician

At New Narrative, we believe mental health care is community care. As a nonprofit organization, we partner with individuals to promote healing, housing stability, and long-term wellness through compassionate, equitable support.

If you're passionate about community impact, we invite you to join our team.

Shift: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 5:00pm

Starting Salary: $70,000 but can go up DOE

Position Summary


The Mental Health Clinician approaches this role with an emphasis on partnership, recognizing participants as active collaborators in their care. Rather than functioning solely as an authority, the clinician works in collaboration with participants and interdisciplinary team members to support recovery, wellbeing, and sustained engagement in services. This approach promotes strong teamwork and prioritizes participant-centered care, supporting individuals in achieving meaningful progress in their treatment.


The Mental Health Clinician provides assessment, treatment planning, and therapeutic services to individuals receiving community mental health services. Clinicians are responsible for developing person-centered service plans, coordinating care with key system partners, and supporting participants through transitions across levels of care. Clinicians utilize Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) practices to monitor participant progress, incorporate participant feedback, and adjust clinical interventions to support engagement and meaningful recovery outcomes.


Clinicians work within a multidisciplinary team and collaborate closely with residential / housing providers, medical providers, and community partners to deliver person-centered, trauma-informed care. This role operates within a matrix model, in which operational oversight and clinical supervision may be provided by different roles. Clinicians are expected to maintain clear lines of clinical accountability and decision-making through designated clinical leadership, including for assessment, risk evaluation, and treatment direction, while partnering effectively with program leadership to support coordinated service delivery.


Core Responsibilities


Clinical Assessment & Diagnosis

• Conduct comprehensive clinical assessments of participants' mental health symptoms, functional abilities, strengths, and support needs

• Review and incorporate clinical records, prior evaluations, collateral information, and historical diagnoses into assessment and diagnostic formulation.

• Develop and document provisional, differential, and ongoing diagnoses using clinical judgment and current diagnostic criteria, with consideration of co-occurring mental health, substance use, trauma-related, developmental, and medical conditions.

• Evaluate and clarify diagnoses received from external providers, healthcare systems, schools, or legal entities to support accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

• Complete risk and safety assessments related to suicidality, self-harm, violence, and other safety concerns.

• Determine medical necessity and appropriate levels of care for treatment and services.

Service Planning & Treatment

• Collaborate with participants to develop, implement, and regularly update person-centered, goal-driven service and support plans that promote recovery, wellness, and future independence.

• Ensure the golden thread between assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and documentation.

• Understand the basics of and be able to incorporate the following evidence-based practices into care, such as:

• Motivational Interviewing

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for psychosis

• Trauma-Informed CBT

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Facilitate therapeutic groups and individual sessions.

• Implement feedback-informed treatment approaches to support participant engagement and treatment effectiveness.

• Provide skills training to support daily living, community navigation, healthcare access, and compliance with legal or program requirements.

• Maintain basic knowledge of pharmacology, signs of substance use, and medication impacts on mental health symptoms.

• Travel into the community, as clinically indicated, to meet participant need.

Care Coordination & Transitions

• Coordinate care with key system partners to support continuity of treatment and whole-person care. This includes collaboration with county partners, medical providers, substance use treatment providers, housing providers, legal teams and other treatment providers and community partners.

• Identify and facilitate connection to benefits and entitlements, insurance, and system resources.

• Identify, coordinate, and support participant engagement with court dates, hearings, and other legal requirements, including facilitating attendance and follow-through as appropriate.

• Identify and facilitate appropriate referrals based on participant needs, including referrals for specialty care, medical care, substance use treatment, housing supports, and other community-based services.

• Provide direct support and transportation to appointments and activities in the community, ensuring linkage to resources.

• Coordinate with insurance providers and care management entities when needed to support authorization processes, continuity of care, and access to medically necessary services.

• Support participants through transitions between levels of care, including hospital discharge, entry into residential / respite programs, step-down to outpatient services, and community reintegration.

• Participate in a team-based care model, collaborating with peers, case managers, residential staff, medical team members, and matrix program leadership to ensure coordinated treatment planning and service delivery.

Crisis Response & Safety Planning

• Utilize trauma-informed, person-centered approaches to reduce reliance on emergency or crisis services when possible.

• Serve as Director's Designee to initiate hospital holds when clinically necessary (Multnomah County only)

• Coordinate with first responders, crisis teams, and law enforcement, during response to emergent clinical situations.

• Coordinate admissions to respite or hospital settings and remain actively involved during hospitalization to support safety, engagement, and continuity of care upon return.

• Carry the on-call clinical phone as scheduled for after-hours care coordination.

• Demonstrate adaptability and crisis management skills when responding to emergent clinical situations - may require to stay on site until crisis is resolved.

• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries while supporting individuals experiencing significant distress.

Documentation & Compliance

• Complete ethical, accurate, and timely clinical documentation consistent with regulatory and organizational standards.

• Ensure compliance with informed consent procedures and participant rights.

• Adhere to HIPAA best practices and organization policy and workflows.

• Participate in New Narrative internal agency wide trainings.

• Act as a mandatory reporter and coordinate with APS / CPS as necessary.

• Complete continuing education that meets the requirements of your credential / license, and keep it up to date.

Core Competencies


Successful clinicians in this role demonstrate:

• Strong clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning

• Effective service planning and treatment development

• Commitment to team-based care and collaboration, and engage fully in an interdisciplinary team

• Trauma-informed and person-centered care practices

• Strong communication skills, including the ability to provide clear and direct clinical feedback

• Ability to support complex care coordination and transition planning

• Utilization of a harm reduction model and best practices in addressing co-occurring conditions.

• Utilization of assertive engagement strategies in addressing lack of engagement, including proactive outreach to participants in the community and other settings to support continuity of care and connection to services

• Distress tolerance and ability to remain grounded in high-stress situations

• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and ethical decision-making

• Ability to prioritize and structure your day

Program Assignment
Clinicians may be assigned to different programs depending on organizational need, including outpatient services, Intensive Case Management (ICM), residential treatment, PSRB services, or youth services. While the core scope of clinical practice remains consistent, program assignments may involve specialized populations, regulatory frameworks, documentation requirements, or service delivery models.


Outpatient:

• Act as Clinician of the Day, providing coverage, consultation, and urgent clinical response as needed

• Attend daily huddles and briefings, as indicated

Residential:

• Participate in clinical screenings and admissions for potential participants

• Complete cohesive service plans that include residential supports and risk mitigation

• Coordinate with .370 teams as needed to support stabilization and step-down planning

• Provide ongoing risk monitoring within a 24/7 residential environment

Motel Shelter Program:

• Act as Clinician of the Day, providing coverage, consultation, and urgent clinical response as needed

PSRB:

• Conduct forensic evaluations as requested by the board prior to enrollment in services

• Serve as "case monitors," per the requirements of the Psychiatric Security Review Board.

• Coordinate with the PSRB, and testify as needed

• Conduct home visits, urinary analysis and contraband checks in accordance with their Condition Release Plan.

• Approve passes, level changes, and certain expenditures in coordination with payee systems

• Complete monthly summary documentation related to conditional release

Youth Services:

• Participate in screenings for potential participants

• Coordinate with DHS, education systems, and state partners

• Engage family systems and school personnel in treatment planning

• Provide developmentally appropriate, family-centered clinical interventions

Intensive Case Management:

• Participate in screenings for potential participants

• Deliver services in the community with fidelity (typically 2-3 contacts per week or as clinically indicated)

• Provide assertive outreach and engagement to support continuity of care

Scope Assignment:


Lead

• Assist with onboarding new staff; ensure consistent orientation to workflows, expectations, and team practices (responsible for support, not sole accountability).

• Provide guidance and collaborative problem-solving to support staff decision-making and service delivery.

• Lead or co-facilitate team meetings and huddles, ensuring structure, clarity, and follow-through.

• Model and reinforce organizational values, supporting a cohesive and accountable team culture.

• Implement and communicate organizational changes, supporting staff through transitions and alignment efforts.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related behavioral health field, with the ability to obtain a QMHP credential through MHACBO within 2 weeks of hire

Desired Qualifications

• Experience working with individuals with serious mental health concerns and complexity.

• Experience in community mental health, residential, or crisis services

• Licensed or provisionally licensed in the State of Oregon (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, or equivalent)

Other General Expectations:

• Maintain a valid driver's license, CPR, and First Aid certification.

• Use a company vehicle and / or a personal vehicle to support participant access to appointments and activities.

• Complete required agency trainings and stay current with training.

• Follow all New Narrative policies, procedures, and safety protocols.

• Maintain security of all New Narrative interests

All of our job openings are located in Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding metro areas.