Emergency/Mobile Crisis Unit Supervisor

Job Announcement

The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) is seeking a dynamic, clinically experienced individual to supervise a large multidisciplinary team in Emergency Services. This team serves individuals with mental health and/or co-occurring disorders in psychiatric crisis. Must be passionate about working with people, knowledgeable in evidence-based, trauma-informed interventions, and exhibit creativity and flexibility when working with individuals in the community to refer to appropriate levels of care. This is an exciting opportunity to work with a program that provides specialized services such as assessment for temporary detention, evaluation for hospitalization, and critical stress incident management response. Must be clinically competent to work with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and diagnoses, as well as be able to provide support and direction regarding county and regional services. A recovery-based orientation is essential, along with strong leadership skills and the confidence to work with agencies both within and outside of the Fairfax County Community Services Board. Experienced conducting risk assessments, making rapid differential diagnosis, providing crisis intervention along with providing supervision.

Position responsibilities:

• Supervises the day-to-day operations of the Merrifield Crisis Response Center (MCRC) and ensures adequate clinical and medical coverage; to include supervising crisis services in the community.
• Supervises program staff, including crisis intervention specialists, behavioral health specialists, peer recovery specialists, and emergency services psychiatrists;
• Reviews cases to assure appropriateness of referral, quality of treatment, and suitability of the disposition; assesses, diagnoses, provides crisis intervention and, when necessary, hospitalizes extremely high-risk clients;
• Provides clinical supervision to staff as needed;
• Manages administrative tasks; develops performance goals for supervisees and evaluates performance as per Fairfax County requirements;
• Consults with representatives from other programs and provides training to other CSB divisions and outside agencies as needed; and/or screens, selects, and recommends candidates to the Emergency Services Manager for appointment to emergency service positions and is actively involved in onboarding new team members.

Here are some of additional benefits CSB employees enjoy:

• The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 38.7% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and CSB recognizes that staff competence speaking a variety of languages is necessary to meet client needs. We encourage candidate's bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply. A foreign language skills stipend of up to $1,300/year (full-time) may be given for qualified bi-lingual employees.
• The CSB provides clinical supervision for employees who are registered as licensed eligible mental health in one of the following areas: Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist.
• In addition, to recognize and reinforce the importance of professional development and enhance future recruitment of licensed professionals, if approved, the licensure supervisors will receive a stipend of $1,500 paid out biweekly over a 12-month period whether for one or more Department of Health licensure candidates.

Note: Multiple positions may be filled from this recruitment.

To learn more about careers that make a difference, watch our video "CSB Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Providing Care." Illustrative Duties

• Responds to requests from Fairfax County Courts, Police, Magistrates, Fire and Rescue and the Department of Family Services (Adult and Child Protective Services) and the community to evaluate and intervene with individuals who are high risk and unable or unwilling to go to a mental health facility for evaluation or treatment, and are in need of psychiatric hospitalization;
• Builds psychological profiles of hostage takers, coaches negotiators, treats victims, and facilitates involuntary hospitalizations when necessary in hostage/barricade situations;
• Responds to public safety personnel who have been exposed to psychologically traumatic events in the course of duty, providing critical incident stress management techniques.
• Supervises day-to-day program operations;
• Interviews and recommends applicants for appointment to the program;
• Plans, assigns, and reviews work of team members;
• Develops and writes procedures and service protocols;
• Ensures that program is in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local policies, regulations, and statutes;
• Provides emergency and/or crisis intervention services to extremely high-risk clients;
• Evaluates clients whose lives may be in substantial and imminent danger or who may pose an imminent, substantial risk to the lives and safety of others;
• Recommends and coordinates Emergency Custody Orders and Temporary Detention Orders;
• Evaluates clients' need for psychotropic medications and completes an initial evaluation for psychiatric disorders of medical origin;
• Receives referrals from and collaborates closely with Federal agencies (Secret Service, FBI, CIA, DIA) when individuals in the CSB's catchment area pose a threat to the President, other federal officials, diplomats, or federal installations within the County;
• Plans, develops, and provides specialized training programs for public safety agencies and nonemergency trained clinicians;
• Provides liaison to criminal justice, public safety, human services and other community agencies to facilitate communication and service provision for extremely high risk, seriously mentally ill clients;
• Represents Emergency Services on multi-disciplinary clinical staffing involving high-risk clients

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Extensive knowledge of the principles, theories, and methods of crisis intervention;
• Extensive knowledge and experience in hostage/barricade negotiations;
• Extensive knowledge and experience in critical incident stress management.
• Thorough knowledge of interviewing techniques;
• Thorough knowledge of psychiatric, psychological, and/or sociological terminology and concepts;
• Thorough knowledge of federal, state, and county laws regarding Emergency Custody Orders,
• Temporary Detention Orders, and Involuntary Commitments;
• Knowledge of clinical supervisory methods and techniques;
• Skill in conducting prescreening evaluations for voluntary and involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations;
• Ability to independently conduct risk assessments and mental status evaluations;
• Ability to formulate complex diagnoses;
• Ability to prepare, produce, and conduct program presentations;
• Ability to supervise and train service professionals;
• Ability to conduct performance evaluations and implement personnel procedures;
• Ability to function independently in high-stress situations;
• Ability to successfully perform as a team leader;
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with subordinates, co-workers, public and private sector organizations, community groups, and the general public;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a master's degree in clinical or counseling psychology, clinical social work; plus three years of related professional experience; or graduation from an accredited college or university with a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology, clinical social work; plus one year of related professional experience.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

• Valid motor vehicle driver's license with fewer than six demerit points (or equivalent in another state) maintained throughout employment with CSB;
• Possession of a current license to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia in one of the following:
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker,
  • Licensed Professional Counselor,
  • Clinical Psychologist,
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist,
  • Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner.

Certification in Preadmission Screenings and Involuntary Detentions within 6 months of appointment.

Some positions within this classification will require additional certifications and licenses, as defined by the position description and posted in job announcements.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, a Child Protective Services Registry check, a driving record check, and sanction screening to the satisfaction of the employer. A TB screening upon hire and annually thereafter.
• Additional Work Schedule Requirements: Position requires shift work that includes some overnights, weekends and holiday coverage.
• This position is emergency/essential services personnel. (Required to report for duty during inclement weather and/or other emergencies.)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Certified Virginia state pre-screener
• Post-licensure experience providing direct clinical services to individuals with mental illness.
• Emergency Services experience working in a mental health setting with consumers who have serious mental illness.
• Experience as a mental health supervisor.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Ability to communicate clearly with others; make clinical observations; run/climb several flights of stairs; lift an object of 20 lbs.; review clinical records, write clinical notes; complete pre-detention and pre-admission evaluation forms; and use keyboard driven equipment. Ability to drive a county vehicle. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel Interview and may include a practical exercise.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov. EEO/AA/TTY.

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