Behavioral Health Urgent Care Clinician

Job Description

Job Description

Heritage Behavioral Health Center

Behavioral Health Urgent Care Clinician – Crisis Observation

Location:  Heritage Behavioral Health Center – Behavioral Health Urgent Care & Crisis Observation

Employment Type:  Full-Time

Schedule:  The Hub operates 24/7. This position includes rotating weekends, and includes overnight, weekend, and holiday coverage.

Shifts

• 1st Shift: 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM
• 2nd Shift: 3:00 PM to 12:00 AM
• 3rd Shift: 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM

Salary

• High School + 5 years' behavioral health experience: $23.00/hour
• Bachelor's Degree or LPN: $25.00/hour
• Shift Differential Eligible for 2nd and 3rd shift: $2.00/hour

Heritage Behavioral Health Center is seeking a skilled and compassionate Urgent Care Clinician to join our Behavioral Health Urgent Care and Crisis Observation team. This position serves as the first clinical point of contact for individuals presenting in a behavioral health crisis, providing triage assessment, crisis intervention, brief treatment, and safety planning in a fast-paced, 24/7 urgent care setting.

The Urgent Care Clinician collaborates closely with Recovery Support Specialists, treatment programs and the Open Access/Assessment Clinician team to ensure individuals receive timely, person-centered, and trauma-informed care.

• Serve as the first point of contact for individuals presenting to Behavioral Health Urgent Care; conduct triage assessments to determine acuity, safety risk, and service track.
• Administer the IM-CAT (Illinois Medicaid Crisis Assessment Tool) and a validated substance use screening tool for every individual seen.
• Provide crisis intervention, de-escalation, brief treatment, and treatment planning for individuals in acute distress.
• Conduct risk assessment, including suicide risk assessment (e.g., C-SSRS), and develop a diagnostic impression and disposition.
• Determine whether an individual needs crisis intervention/disposition or a full behavioral health assessment, and route same-day to the Open Access/Assessment Clinician team for IM+CANS and, where indicated, ASAM assessment.
• Provide IMCANS and ASAM assessments during non-traditional hours when Open Access is not available.
• Complete a Crisis Safety and Prevention Plan with every individual prior to discharge.
• Conduct and document a clinical reassessment of each individual in Crisis Observation at least every 4 hours to determine continued appropriateness for observation-level care.
• Track the 23-hour observation clock and coordinate the eventual disposition decision (discharge, step-down to outpatient/TCM follow-up, or transfer to Heritage's Crisis Stabilization Unit or inpatient hospitalization).
• Provide targeted case management and linkage/advocacy for individuals at high risk of suicide or overdose, or in an acute crisis episode.
• Schedule follow-up appointments and coordinate warm hand-offs with the Crisis Call Center, Mobile Crisis Response, the Crisis Stabilization Unit, inpatient facilities, emergency departments, and community resources.
• Complete timely, accurate clinical documentation of all services provided in the electronic health record, meeting CCBHC encounter documentation standards.
• Participate in team meetings, clinical supervision, and ongoing required training.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required — meets at least one of the following pathways (per 89 Ill. Admin. Code 140.453 and 59 Ill. Admin. Code 132.25):

• A bachelor's degree in counseling and guidance, rehabilitation counseling, social work, education, vocational counseling, psychology, pastoral counseling, family therapy, or a related human service field; or
• A bachelor's degree in any other field, with two years of documented supervised clinical experience in a mental health setting; or
• Five years of documented experience providing supervised mental health or substance use services; or
• A practical nurse (LPN) license under the Illinois Nurse Practice Act; or
• A certificate of psychiatric rehabilitation from a DHS-approved program, plus a high school diploma or GED, plus two years of documented experience providing mental health services.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to remain calm, organized, and clinically effective during behavioral health crises.
• Willingness to complete required onboarding and Hub-specific training prior to independent coverage, including IM-CAT certification, familiarity with IM+CANS/ASAM referral criteria, the agency's selected substance use screening tool, suicide risk assessment (e.g., C-SSRS), de-escalation/CPI or equivalent, naloxone administration, and trauma-informed care.
• Ability to complete timely, accurate clinical documentation of all services provided in the electronic health record, meeting CCBHC encounter documentation standards.

Preferred

• Experience working in crisis services, behavioral health, emergency services, or community mental health.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, and recovery-oriented systems of care.
• Experience working with individuals experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
• Experience working collaboratively with peer support staff in a team-based crisis model.

• Commitment to recovery-oriented, person-centered, and trauma-informed care.
• Strong clinical judgment in risk assessment, safety planning, and disposition decision-making.
• Excellent observation, communication, and de-escalation skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills.
• Basic computer proficiency and ability to utilize electronic health records.