Crisis Services Technician - Crisis Services Unit
About The Position
As a Behavioral Health Services (BHS) Technician or Crisis Services Technician, you are the heartbeat of our therapeutic environment. Working under the guidance of licensed nursing staff, you will provide vital, hands-on care to individuals navigating acute mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities. This unique role allows you to make a profound difference by blending essential medical support with empathetic, trauma-informed advocacy in our secure Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit and brand-new Crisis Stabilization Unit. The Crisis Center operates in a fast-paced environment as it is an outpatient unit located in our state-of-the-art Emergency Department. Responsibilities include supporting intake processes, safety procedures (such as contraband and body checks), and assisting with patient flow. Care is more immediate and triage-based, with patients receiving initial treatment and stabilization while awaiting a full crisis evaluation. Nursing staff collaborate closely with Emergency Department (ED) providers to obtain medication orders and manage patient needs in real time.
Requirements
- High School Diploma or GED required
- 1–2 years of healthcare, patient care, or mental health experience is preferred
- OPWDD experience or training highly desired
- Basic Life Support (BLS), Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), and NAPPI certifications are required and fully provided by the hospital during your comprehensive onboarding process.
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong conflict de-escalation abilities
- A dedicated comfort level working with diverse populations in high-acuity medical environments.
Nice To Haves
- Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Psychology, Sociology, or a related behavioral field is strongly preferred
Responsibilities
- Build trusting relationships with patients that emphasize personal recovery, resilience, and emotional regulation.
- Deliver trauma-informed care that minimizes restrictive measures and empowers patients to participate in their treatment plans.
- Assist and teach patients with daily living activities, personal hygiene, and nutritional tracking.
- Facilitate therapeutic group activities, holiday celebrations, and movie nights in partnership with programming directors.
- Perform core medical tasks, including taking vital signs, blood glucose checks, lab specimen collection, 12-lead EKGs, and phlebotomy (blood draws).
- Manage patient intake workflows, including charting, inventorying personal belongings, and orienting new patients to the unit.
- Observe and document patient behaviors, providing clear, timely written and verbal updates promptly to the Registered Nurse regarding any status changes.
- Support the unit by completing basic clerical tasks and escorting patients to off-unit activities.
- Maintain unit safety and security by conducting safety rounds, room checks, video monitoring, and contraband searches.
- Provide direct visual observation for high-risk patients to ensure the safety of both patients and staff.
- De-escalate tense situations, patient aggression, or behavioral crises using hospital-approved verbal and physical techniques.
- Apply, monitor, and remove patient restraints only when necessary, strictly adhering to physician protocols and safety guidelines.
Benefits
- Paid Specialized Training: Receive fully compensated, gold-standard crisis prevention and clinical orientation certifications (including CIT and BLS) upon hire.
- The Ideal Stepping Stone: Gain highly coveted, hands-on patient care hours perfect for individuals pursuing advanced degrees in Social Work, Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, or Nursing.
- Comprehensive Clinical Exposure: Gain diverse skills by cross-training in both acute inpatient care and emergency psychiatric crisis settings, working with all age groups from pediatric to adult populations.
- Diverse Population Experience: Gain invaluable skills working with both voluntarily admitted and acute patients across all age groups, including pediatric populations.
- A Supportive Environment: Benefit from structured on-the-job training, mentorship from licensed professionals, and a clear pathway for internal career growth.
- Valuable and competitive benefits offerings
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
