Clinician- Criminal Justice Specialist

Mohawk Opportunities Inc.•Albany, NY

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Clinician – Criminal Justice Specialist is a clinical member of the evidence-based Forensic Assertive Community Treatment Team (FACT) serving Albany and Schenectady Counites and is responsible for providing integrated, community-based treatment and support services to adults with serious mental illness, co-occurring substance use disorders, chronic health conditions, social needs, and involvement with the criminal justice system. The Criminal Justice Specialist serves as the team’s primary resource for criminal justice-related assessment, intervention, and coordination.

Requirements

New York State licensure as a LMSW, LCSW, LMHC, or other applicable credentials appropriate to the position.
Minimum of three years of experience providing services to individuals with serious mental illness, co-occurring disorders, or other complex behavioral health needs required.
Minimum of one year of experience working with individuals involved in the criminal justice system, including experience with probation, parole, treatment courts, courts, correctional settings, re-entry, or other justice-system processes required.
Valid and insurable New York State driver’s license and ability to meet agency requirements for approved drivers.
Access to a reliable personal vehicle and willingness to use the vehicle for authorized business purposes.

Nice To Haves

Experience working within an ACT, FACT, intensive community-based behavioral health, forensic mental health, criminal justice, or similarly integrated service model preferred.
Strong commitment to the rights, dignity, autonomy, and self-determination of individuals with mental illness, including their ability to make informed choices, live successfully in the community, pursue employment and meaningful activities, and access ongoing support and services that promote wellness and recovery.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team while also exercising independent clinical judgment and managing responsibilities in a flexible, field-based environment.
Bilingual or multilingual abilities are a plus.

Responsibilities

Conduct comprehensive assessments using person-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and recovery-oriented approaches. Identify individual strengths, needs, barriers, risks, and goals and incorporate findings into individualized treatment and service planning.
Provide comprehensive, meaningful, and purposeful clinical and support services in the office and community, including individuals’ homes, apartments, shelters, hospitals, correctional facilities, courts, and other community settings as appropriate.
Provide and/or coordinate clinical services, crisis intervention, medication support and supervision, case management, advocacy, skill development, referrals, and linkage to community resources in accordance with the individual’s treatment plan.
Assess individual clinical, behavioral health, social, housing, employment, substance use, and other identified needs and collaborate with individuals to develop strategies that promote community stability and reduce the likelihood of justice-system involvement.
Respond to crisis situations and urgent needs to promote the safety and well-being of individuals served, staff, and the community. Participate in the FACT Team’s rotating on-call responsibilities and provide crisis intervention, assessment, support, and linkage to appropriate emergency or community-based services when necessary.
Participate in community meetings, case conferences, court-related meetings, treatment court meetings, and other meetings as assigned to support continuity of care and positive treatment outcomes.
Serve as the primary clinical resource regarding criminal justice involvement and coordinate services across the continuum of justice-system contact, including pre-arrest and pretrial involvement through probation, parole, treatment court, incarceration/re-entry, and other applicable justice-system requirements.
Conduct standardized criminogenic risk and needs assessments to identify criminogenic risks and needs and guide individualized interventions designed to reduce risk, promote behavioral change, and decrease recidivism.
Take a lead role in integrating criminogenic assessment findings into individualized treatment and service plans, ensuring interventions address identified risks and needs while remaining responsive to the individual’s strengths, abilities, culture, preferences, and stage of recovery.
Collaborate with individuals to identify practical strategies for reducing behaviors and circumstances that may contribute to arrest, incarceration, community disruption, or re-offending.
Assist individuals in understanding and navigating applicable criminal justice processes and requirements and support successful engagement with probation, parole, treatment courts, courts, attorneys, correctional facilities, and other justice-system partners.
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community stakeholders, including criminal justice agencies, probation and parole, courts, treatment courts, housing providers, behavioral health, and substance use treatment providers, hospitals, hospitals-based providers, local governmental units, and other community partners.
Provide transportation to individuals when clinically or programmatically necessary, utilizing agency vehicles. Maintain access to a reliable personal vehicle and be willing to use the vehicle for community meetings when not transporting an individual.