Crisis Services Clinician - Dispatch (Swing Shift)

Crisis Connections•Seattle, WA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Crisis Services Clinician is a qualified Mental Health Professional working across Crisis Services, Dispatch Services, and Professional Services. The clinician provides risk-assessment oversight, clinical decision-making, and live-call consultation and coaching to Crisis Support Specialists (CSS) and Crisis Intervention Specialists (CIS) on Regional Crisis Lines. The role leads the development of crisis intervention plans and coordinates emotional support, safety assessments, referrals to higher levels of care, and connections to community resources. The position aims to stabilize people experiencing crises while reducing future crises and, when possible, minimizing law-enforcement and emergency-room involvement. The clinician oversees phone-room activities, monitors service delivery, supports quality assurance, makes clinical decisions, and debriefs challenging calls in collaboration with clinical staff and paraprofessionals. Crisis Line duties include coaching and supporting staff, guiding risk assessments and de-escalation, coordinating access to crisis and outreach services, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring agency policies and trauma-informed, recovery-oriented practices are followed. Dispatch duties include assessing calls to the King County Crisis and Commitment public line, supporting callers and first responders, using client lookup and other electronic systems to identify resources, completing Sheena’s Law referrals, and facilitating connections to less restrictive crisis services when appropriate. Professional Services duties include screening hospital referrals for medical necessity using LOCUS and CALOCUS, completing authorizations and related documentation within required timelines, providing consultation on mental-health system access and crisis intervention, conducting authorized ECLS searches, and coordinating with DCRs and Mobile Teams. This is a full-time, in-person position in Seattle, Washington, reporting to the Clinical Supervisor. The scheduled shift is Sunday through Thursday, 4:00 p.m. to midnight. New hires complete onsite training, online modules, and shadowing before beginning their scheduled shifts. Employees must maintain their required license or credential and continuing education, attend relevant meetings, and complete at least 12 hours of approved training per FTE. The position requires sitting or standing for extended periods, wearing a headset or earphones, using multiple IT/software platforms at once, and working amid moderate noise and distraction.

Requirements

Meet Washington State Mental Health Professional status requirements under WAC 246-341-0515 and RCW 71.05 and 71.34.
Hold an active Washington State credential or license in one of the listed categories: LICSW or LSWAIC; LMHC or LMHCA; LMFT or LMFTA; psychiatric ARNP; psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed psychological associate; physician assistant working under a psychiatrist as defined in RCW 18.71A.010; or licensed agency-affiliated counselor under RCW 18.19.210.
Have experience working with individuals in crisis.
Have excellent verbal, written, and typing skills.
Be able to work effectively with multidisciplinary clinical staff in a fast-paced environment.
Maintain current licensure and complete continuing education required by the credentialing body.
Attend at least three onsite training shifts per week during new-hire training, including a four-hour listening shift, 19 hours of online modules, and 10 eight-hour onsite shadowing shifts; attend live training annually.
Complete at least 12 hours of approved training per full-time equivalent and regularly attend relevant staff meetings.
Complete the approximately 15-minute timed basic computer-skills assessment during the hiring process.
Consistently arrive on time, adhere to assigned work hours and organizational policies, communicate clearly, engage appropriately with supervision, collaborate respectfully, and demonstrate proactive problem-solving.
Be able to sit or stand for lengthy periods, wear a headset or earphones, manage multiple IT/software platforms, and function in moderate noise and distraction.
Complete a background check, including a Criminal History Report and reference check, as a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

Independent clinical licensure (LMHC, LMFT, LICSW, or ARNP), particularly for supervisory or managerial roles.
Additional certifications in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, or trauma-informed care.
Experience working within a call center.
Telephone assessment or helpline experience.
Experience with public mental-health systems in King, Clark, Chelan, Douglas, Pierce, Okanogan, Klickitat, Grant, or Skamania County.

Responsibilities

Provide direct oversight, monitoring, consultation, and coaching to Crisis Support Specialists and Crisis Intervention Specialists during scheduled shifts.
Support staff in assessing behavioral-health and suicide risk, de-escalating crisis situations, and developing safety plans using appropriate clinical practices and community resources.
Ensure appropriate screening and linkage to crisis appointments, mobile response and stabilization services, mobile crisis teams, geriatric assessment teams, designated crisis responders, and other outreach services.
Provide ongoing and immediate feedback to Crisis Support Specialists and Crisis Intervention Specialists.
Ensure agency policies and procedures are followed and assist staff in identifying callers with existing agency case plans.
Ensure calls and other activities are documented accurately and completely in the assigned electronic health record and other required systems.
Use trauma-informed, nonjudgmental communication and recovery-oriented practices to support callers and de-escalate high-stress contacts.
Assess calls to the King County Crisis and Commitment public line, evaluate risk of harm, and implement appropriate clinical interventions.
Use the King County Client Lookup System to identify callers who may be affiliated with a community mental-health center.
Complete Sheena’s Law referrals through outreach or facilitation of crisis services, notify the relevant public mental-health agency, and document interactions in required logs.
Answer calls from first responders, gather information about people in crisis, and provide timely clinical support and less restrictive options when appropriate.
Use ECLS/EDIE and other electronic systems to identify client supports and resources, and establish warm connections to appropriate services.
Screen hospital referrals for medical-necessity eligibility using LOCUS and CALOCUS and complete authorizations and required documentation within applicable timelines.
Refer retrospective reviews and length-of-stay extension requests to the appropriate lead when necessary.
Provide assistance and clinical guidance to the Crisis Services Coordinator and phone workers during peak periods or upon request.
Provide consultation to business-line callers about mental-health system access, crisis intervention, suicide intervention, and related topics.
Conduct ECLS searches only when permitted by policy, document each search, and use Carelogic and county communication systems to coordinate with DCRs and Mobile Teams.
Maintain licensure and continuing-education requirements, complete required ongoing training, and attend Crisis Services and Hospital Authorization staff meetings.
Contribute to a professional, respectful, collaborative team environment and follow the Crisis Connections mission.
Demonstrate reliability, effective communication, constructive engagement with supervision, collaboration, and proactive problem-solving.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including an employer-paid option for certain plans and coverage tiers.
Annual wage increases.
Paid time off and 12 paid holidays.
Discount on ORCA transit pass.
Free parking.
Growth opportunities.
Self-care tools and weekly supervisor check-ins.
Voluntary benefits.
Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
403B retirement plan.