5E07
MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY SERVICES COORDINATOR 2

This is advanced level mental health work consulting, advising, and providing mental and behavioral health crisis and suicide intervention through crisis phone lines. Employees in this class provide a facilitative service to medical and mental health professionals, other city workers, and the general public on matters pertaining to mental health evaluations, commitments, treatments, referral services, and other related areas to ensure operational compliance to legal mandates and statutes. An employee in this class may act as lead worker for lower level employees being responsible for managing the more complex decision making for client behavioral health dispositions in atypical cases.

Significant aspects of the work include reviewing and evaluating mental and behavioral health crisis calls and authorizing legal warrants for involuntary psychiatric evaluation and commitment requests. Work also involves developing resolutions for behavioral health emergencies, deploying resources, and handling a variety of situations which may be deemed as a threat to life or public safety. Work is performed under the supervision of a technical superior.

• This position serves as a lead worker for lower level employees involved in the decision making of a client's behavioral health disposition in atypical cases.
• This position is responsible for consulting, advising, and providing mental and behavioral health crisis and suicide intervention through crisis phone lines.
• This position is located in the Health Department.

• Acts as a delegate for the county administrator ensuring that actions of the public and professionals in the field are in accordance with established legal mandates, state law and the Office's policies and procedures; receives calls for emergency involuntary commitments and gives instructions for the proper procedure to be followed to effectuate the commitment process; reviews and evaluates petitions received from crisis response centers throughout the City; makes a clinical assessment of the patient's condition via telephone; approves or disapproves the request based on the assessment made and the stipulations set forth in the Mental Health Procedures Act; documents reasons for decisions, as required; maintains records of all calls, petitions, and outcomes; reviews and signs documents from the treating authority when received.
• Assesses client clinical history from computer file of users of psychiatric emergency services for involuntary commitment cases or other prevailing situations; uses the computer to enter involuntary commitments (302's), accesses client data base; makes preliminary recommendation for treatment; arranges sites for emergency psychiatric evaluations.
• Prioritizes and assesses behavioral health emergencies for appropriate action; prioritizes cases when multiple requests are received based on information gathered for each individual case; recommends appropriate service options and checks for availability; may dispatch a crisis specialist or a mobile emergency team if it is determined that immediate care is needed or further assessment is necessary; may recommend subsequent action following clinical diagnosis by emergency room psychiatrist base on clients' prior history, present state, and available resources.
• Periodically visits crisis response centers to ensure that behavioral health emergency services are being provided as required; reports findings to superior; follows up with providers as required; may respond to other City Wide Crisis and Emergencies that require behavioral health and crises intervention; handles politically sensitive cases that may involve other City departments.
• May recommend subsequent action following clinical diagnosis by emergency room psychiatrist based on client's prior history, present state, and available resources; decides appropriate clinical disposition in atypical cases.
• Receives calls regarding missing persons and mentally disturbed homeless persons; assesses and approves admission into a Crisis Residence; receives calls on the suicide and crisis intervention phone lines; attempts to determine the source of the problem; provides support to caller, informing him/her of available resources; tries to determine if suicide attempt has been initiated or if caller is in immediate danger of harm; tries to calm caller and to talk him/her out of attempt; attempts to ascertain the location of the caller; may have call traced; occasionally contacts the Police Department to dispatch a squad car to the location if felt necessary.
• Provides a referral and informational service when calls are received; interprets and explains Office policies and procedures, court proceedings and the laws governing the commitment process to medical and mental health professionals, agency staff, police and the general public to ensure implementation of the law; makes referrals to other City or local agencies when appropriate; may participate on social service agency advisory committees.
• Handles complaints received in the Office regarding service received; researches the circumstances surrounding the complaint in an attempt to reach a satisfactory workable solution; informs complainant of recommended solution.
• Gives presentations to groups upon request speaking on specific mental health topics or disseminating general information about the services provided by the Office along with its governing policies and procedures.
• Performs related work as required.

KNOWLEDGE OF:
• the fundamental types of mental health illness and associated symptoms
• the functions and resources of public and private social, medical, and mental health agencies with emphasis on psychiatric emergency systems and other acute care mental health services
• the theories, principles, and techniques of working with people with emotional, mental and social problems
• the laws governing treatment and commitment of the mentally ill
• the basic policies and procedures governing psychiatric social services in clinics and hospitals
ABILITY TO:
• recognize symptoms of mental illness
• assess and interpret an individual's emotional and social problems and to make a sound evaluation and recommendation for a solution
• assemble, evaluate and interpret pertinent data and make viable recommendations based upon such information
• determine the need for commitment of individuals
• provide technical guidance and direction to a small group of workers as needed
• function under pressure and in stressful situations
• present ideas effectively both orally and in writing
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with individuals with emotional, mental and social problems and their families, as well as mental health and other involved workers

EDUCATION
• Completion of a master's degree program at an accredited college or university with major course work in psychology, nursing, sociology or social work.
AND
EXPERIENCE
• Three years of counseling or administrative experience handling psychiatric emergencies, which has involved the processing of voluntary and involuntary psychiatric commitments.

OR

Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Personnel Department, which has included the completion of a bachelor's degree as an educational minimum.

• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.