Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician

• Providing assessments and interventions in multiple settings including home, schools, juvenile justice settings, community organizations, as well as hospital inpatient units and emergency departments;
• Developing and maintaining working relationships with BHD staff and with other agencies including police, courts, schools, magistrates, fire and rescue, VHC Health, and other agencies involved in emergency interventions;
• Conducting diagnostic assessments and risk analyses, utilizing a strengths-based approach;
• Developing and implementing strategies for clients and for families to alleviate crisis including time-limited crisis interventions, short term counseling, and/or intensive care coordination;
• Conducting pre-admission screening for hospitalization or other diversionary services (partial hospitalization, residential, respite, intensive community services), ensuring that services are provided in the least restrictive environments; and
• Ensuring high quality and timely documentation within an electronic record management system by staff.

The ideal candidate is patient, calm, understanding, inquisitive, convincing, while often under pressure to complete tasks under the allowed time limit. They will have proven experience completing documentation in a timely manner to ensure that subsequent staff have the information necessary to follow up on cases. The desire and ability to work under uncertain conditions and unknown hours is also essential for this role.

• Master’s degree in a clinical discipline such as Counseling, Psychiatric Social Work, Psychology, Art Therapy, Psychiatric Nursing or other directly related clinical discipline, all of which required a clinical practicum prior to graduation involving diagnostic and treatment services; and
• Two years of post-Master’s degree full-time experience providing mental health services and which include one-year minimum of working with seriously mentally ill individuals in crisis.

Clinicians may be hired at the following levels: For Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Licensed):

• Licensure by the appropriate board of the Virginia Department of Health Professions, appropriate to the employee’s discipline (e.g. LPC, LCP, LMFT, or LCSW) at time of employment.

For Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Resident/Supervisee):

• Within 90 days of hire, obtaining a temporary license as a Resident in Counseling (for LPC or LMFT), Resident in Clinical Psychology (for LCP) or registering as a Supervisee in Social Work (for LCSW) with the Virginia Department of Health Professions (VDHP). Licensure by the appropriate board of Virginia Department of Health Professions must be obtained within 3 years of hire.

For Behavioral Health Emergency Services Clinician (Non-VA Licensed):

• Licensure in another jurisdiction at time of employment and licensure by the appropriate board of the Virginia Department of Health Professions, appropriate to the employee’s discipline (e.g., LPC, LCP, LMFT, or LCSW) must be obtained within 90 days of employment.

All Levels: Possession or obtainment of:

• Preadmission Prescreening Clinician Certification from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Development Sciences (DBHDS) within 60 days of employment (90 days for on-call, temporary employees);
• TOVA training from Arlington County within one year of employment; and
• Medication Administration Certification from a CSB-approved vendor within 90 days of employment.

Substitution: Directly related higher-level clinical degrees may substitute for the Master’s degree education requirement and one year of experience. Desirable: Preference may be given to candidates with one or more of the following:

• Experience providing services to individuals experiencing a behavioral health emergency;
• Experience working with clients with co-occurring substance use disorders;
• Experience collaborating with criminal justice partners (particularly law enforcement, correctional officers, and court staff); and
• Prescreen certified.

• You cannot concurrently receive behavioral health services from Arlington County Community Service Board (CSB) programs while employed in an Arlington County CSB program (exception Crisis Intervention services).
• At least 24 months must have passed between receipt of CSB services from Arlington County and employment in an Arlington County CSB program.