Mental Health Clinician - EASS/JBCT Programs

Job Description

Job Description

Mental Health Clinician – EASS/JBCT Programs

Position Title: Mental Health Clinician – EASS/JBCT
Department: Mental Health / Forensic Behavioral Health
Reports To: Mental Health Director / Program Manager
Work Setting: Adult Correctional Facility – In-Custody Services
Classification: Clinical Position
Program: Early Access and Stabilization Services (EASS) / Jail-Based Competency Treatment (JBCT)

POSITION SUMMARY

The Mental Health Clinician assigned to the Early Access and Stabilization Services (EASS) and Jail-Based Competency Treatment (JBCT) programs provides behavioral health assessment, treatment, stabilization, competency-restoration support, crisis intervention, and case management services to incarcerated individuals who have been identified as requiring competency-related services.

The clinician works as an integral member of a multidisciplinary forensic treatment team and collaborates with psychiatry, psychology, nursing, custody, program leadership, the courts, and other involved agencies to promote psychiatric stabilization, engagement in treatment, competency restoration, and continuity of care.

This position requires the ability to provide clinically appropriate services within a secure correctional environment while maintaining professional boundaries, patient confidentiality, institutional safety, and compliance with applicable program policies and procedures.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical Assessment and Treatment

The Mental Health Clinician will:

• Complete mental health assessments, clinical interviews, suicide risk assessments, mental status examinations, treatment plans, and other required clinical documentation.
• Identify psychiatric symptoms, behavioral concerns, functional impairments, substance-use concerns, trauma-related symptoms, and other factors affecting the patient's ability to participate in treatment.
• Develop individualized treatment interventions based upon identified clinical and competency-restoration needs.
• Provide individual counseling and therapeutic interventions.
• Facilitate structured therapeutic, psychoeducational, and competency-related groups.
• Utilize evidence-informed interventions including CBT, motivational interviewing, psychoeducation, behavioral interventions, and other appropriate treatment approaches.
• Monitor changes in mental status, functioning, behavior, treatment participation, and clinical risk.
• Provide crisis assessment and intervention when patients demonstrate suicidal ideation, self-harm risk, acute psychiatric deterioration, aggression, or other significant behavioral health concerns.
• Coordinate promptly with psychiatry, medical staff, psychology, custody, and program leadership when a patient's presentation requires additional evaluation or intervention.

EASS RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinicians assigned to EASS will provide intensive clinical and stabilization services to individuals awaiting or being considered for competency-restoration treatment.

Responsibilities may include:

• Engaging patients who demonstrate psychiatric instability or difficulty participating in treatment.
• Supporting psychiatric stabilization and medication adherence through education, motivational interventions, and collaboration with psychiatry.
• Assessing barriers to treatment participation.
• Providing frequent clinical contact based upon patient need.
• Providing psychoeducation regarding mental illness, treatment, medications, court processes, and competency-related services when clinically appropriate.
• Monitoring behavioral and psychiatric changes and communicating significant concerns to the interdisciplinary team.
• Assisting the treatment team in determining whether the patient is demonstrating sufficient stabilization and functioning to participate effectively in competency-restoration services.
• Supporting timely transition to JBCT or other appropriate levels of care when indicated.
• Participating in required EASS treatment reviews, case conferences, and program documentation.
• Ensuring required EASS services are completed within established program timelines.

JBCT RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinicians assigned to JBCT will participate in the delivery of structured competency-restoration services.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing individual and group interventions supporting competency restoration.
• Reinforcing competency education provided through the structured JBCT curriculum.
• Helping patients understand basic courtroom procedures, courtroom personnel, charges, legal terminology, and the role of defense counsel.
• Assisting patients in developing the behavioral and cognitive skills necessary to communicate appropriately with counsel and participate in legal proceedings.
• Addressing psychiatric or behavioral symptoms that interfere with competency-restoration participation.
• Reinforcing coping skills, emotional regulation, problem solving, communication, and appropriate institutional behavior.
• Encouraging consistent participation in scheduled competency-restoration activities.
• Identifying and documenting barriers to competency restoration.
• Communicating clinically significant changes to psychology, psychiatry, program leadership, and other members of the treatment team.
• Participating in interdisciplinary discussions regarding patient progress toward competency restoration.
• Supporting transitions following restoration, court disposition, transfer, or discharge from the program.

The clinician provides treatment and competency-restoration support but does not independently make legal determinations regarding competency unless specifically credentialed, authorized, and assigned to perform that function.

CASE MANAGEMENT AND CARE COORDINATION

The clinician will:

• Participate in multidisciplinary treatment-team meetings and case conferences.
• Coordinate services with psychiatry, psychology, nursing, medical providers, custody staff, and program leadership.
• Communicate relevant clinical information necessary for safe and effective patient care.
• Assist with continuity of care when patients transfer between EASS, JBCT, general population, higher levels of care, state hospital services, or community placement.
• Participate in discharge and transition planning.
• Identify patients requiring additional mental health, psychiatric, medical, substance-use, or social-service interventions.
• Assist in obtaining and reviewing relevant clinical records when necessary for treatment.
• Maintain awareness of court dates, treatment deadlines, program status, and other factors affecting the patient's treatment course.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS

Clinicians are responsible for accurate, timely, objective, and clinically appropriate documentation.

Documentation may include:

• Initial and updated mental health assessments
• Mental Status Examinations
• Individualized treatment plans
• Individual progress notes
• Group treatment notes
• Competency-restoration progress documentation
• Suicide and self-harm risk assessments
• Crisis evaluations
• Safety planning
• Case-management documentation
• Interdisciplinary treatment-team notes
• Discharge and transition summaries
• Referrals
• Treatment participation and refusal documentation
• Disruption-of-services documentation when required

Documentation must clearly identify the intervention provided, patient's response, clinical assessment, progress toward treatment objectives, and plan for continued care.

All documentation shall be completed within required organizational, contractual, regulatory, and program timelines.

MEDICATION AND PSYCHIATRY SUPPORT

The clinician does not prescribe medication but plays an important role in supporting psychiatric treatment.

Responsibilities include:

• Monitoring patients for reported medication concerns or changes in functioning.
• Encouraging patients to discuss medication concerns with psychiatric providers.
• Providing appropriate psychoeducation regarding treatment adherence.
• Communicating medication refusal patterns or significant clinical deterioration to psychiatry and the interdisciplinary team.
• Supporting patients who are reluctant to participate in psychiatric treatment through motivational and therapeutic interventions.
• Documenting clinically relevant patient statements and observed behaviors objectively.

PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The clinician will:

• Practice within the scope of their professional license, registration, education, and training.
• Maintain confidentiality consistent with applicable federal and California requirements and correctional-healthcare standards.
• Maintain appropriate therapeutic and professional boundaries.
• Provide culturally responsive and trauma-informed services.
• Treat patients with dignity and respect regardless of legal status, charges, diagnosis, behavior, culture, religion, socioeconomic status, or other background.
• Participate in required supervision, consultation, training, quality improvement, and peer-review activities.
• Maintain required professional licensure or registration in good standing.
• Immediately report significant clinical, ethical, safety, or program concerns through the appropriate chain of command.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Counseling, Psychology, or another behavioral-health discipline qualifying the individual to provide clinical mental health services in California. Preference will be given to those licensed within the following

Licensure

• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
• Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)