Mental Health Specialist

About Children’s Minnesota

Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children’s Minnesota is one system serving kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, nine primary care clinics, multiple specialty clinics and seven rehabilitation sites. As The Kids Experts™ in our region, Children’s Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children’s hospital. Find us on Facebook @childrensminnesota or on Twitter and Instagram @childrensmn. Please visit childrensMN.org.

Children’s Minnesota is proud to be recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of 2023’s Top Diversity Leaders. The national honor recognizes the top diverse healthcare executives and organizations influencing public policy, care delivery, and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations and the industry.

Department Overview

The pediatric emergency department at Children’s Minnesota Minneapolis campus is the only freestanding pediatric Level I trauma center in the area. Our interdisciplinary team of dedicated professionals cares for a wide-range of pediatric trauma and injuries, such as chest, bone, spinal cord, head and neck and abdominal injuries. We care for over 48,000 patients annually and treat almost 40 percent of all pediatric trauma in the Twin Cities. Our 28-bed Level I trauma center serves our neighbors in Minneapolis, as well as outlying facilities that depend on our critical care expertise. We offer a variety of services to our community partners, including critical care transport and telehealth. Although our specialty is pediatric emergency medicine, we are a community-based hospital that serves as a safety-net for families without a primary care provider. Our family-centered focus strives to consider social, economic and cultural diversity — living our core value of putting “Kids First.” We provide care from birth through adulthood, considering age and developmental level when interacting with our patients. We incorporate the Comfort Promise into our care — ensuring that procedural pain is minimized whenever possible. We value teamwork, open communication, safety, and respect. We embrace an environment that encourages learning, and professional growth. Our team of emergency department professionals is committed to providing excellent care to our patients and families.


Position Summary

The Mental Health Specialist is responsible for providing direct patient care to children and adolescents with behavioral challenges or a mental health diagnosis based on the individual treatment plan. Under the direction of a Registered Nurse, they assist with collecting data regarding a patient's physical, psychological, or safety status on an ongoing basis. The Mental Health Specialist may assist patients in establishing daily therapeutic goals or participate in facilitation of therapeutic patient groups. They are responsible for continually monitoring the department milieu and patient spaces to assess for any potential hazards or personal patient safety concerns. Utilizing a therapeutic approach, the Mental Health Specialist may assist with de-escalation or implementing behavioral modification and management when appropriate. This role may float to provide care and support for all mental health patients throughout the mental health care continuum including outside the inpatient mental health unit within the Children's MN system