Felony Mental Health Court - Court Clinician (Adult Probation)

Harris County (TX)•Houston, TX

40d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) is one of the largest probation departments in the United States, supervising more than 70,000 individuals and employing over 600 staff members across 6 locations. We provide a wide range of services including community supervision, outpatient counseling, cognitive-behavioral programming, and residential treatment, designed to strengthen our clients' abilities and support their long-term success. With a focus on utilizing evidence-based practices, we aim to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism for all clients under supervision. The Felony Mental Health Court (FMHC) Clinician is part of a dynamic interdisciplinary team changing lives for justice involved individuals with severe mental health and potential substance abuse concerns. The FMHC Clinician plays a crucial role in assisting the Judge in determining alternatives to incarceration for individuals with severe mental illness. The FMHC Clinician is responsible for conducting comprehensive clinical and risk assessments to provide clinical and supervision recommendations to the Court, managing mental health crises, providing individual and group treatment and related documentation for dual diagnosed Clients, maintains contact with external treatment providers and stake holders, and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team to support clients participating in the FMHC.

Requirements

Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling Psychology, Clinical Psychology or a related field.
Two (2) years' experience as a licensed clinician.
Meets the minimum requirements for access to Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS).
Competency in clinical disorders, differential diagnosis, current treatment methods, and in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5-TR is required.
The successful candidate will demonstrate conscientiousness, openness to learning, flexibility/adaptability to change, and the ability to thrive within a dynamic workplace.
Must possess active Texas licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate (LPC-A), or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
Must become Texas Risk Assessment System (TRAS) certified within the first two (2) attempts and maintain certification..
Failure to pass the certification may result in termination of employment.
Must have a valid Texas Class C Automobile Operator's License or Texas Identification Card.

Nice To Haves

Work experience and/or clinical training in correctional/forensic settings is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provides services to clients with diverse criminal backgrounds.
Conducts initial and subsequent comprehensive assessments by completing a clinical evaluation and administering the Texas Risk Assessment System (TRAS) to determine Client eligibility to participate in the FMHC Court, the clients' risk for recidivism, clinical diagnostic assessments, treatment and supervision recommendations, strengths and barriers, and biopsychosocial needs.
Obtains and reviews available collateral records from various criminal justice databases and other sources.
Gathers additional information and history from available collateral contacts.
Conducts formal and informal Client interviews and assessments, applying professional and clinical judgement to ask pertinent follow-up and clarifying questions. These interviews may be conducted in person or virtually.
Evaluate findings from the Client interview and collateral records to effectively score the Texas Risk Assessment (TRAS) tool, determine the presence of mental health and/or substance abuse disorders, synthesizes assessment results and produce a clinical formulation.
Composes detailed and professionally written reports that include pertinent information gathered throughout the assessment process, which include details from client interviews, collateral sources, TRAS results, and diagnostic findings. Strong writing abilities are essential for success in this function.
Utilizes assessment results to formulate individual recommendations concerning FMHC eligibility, a client's level of intervention, and case management strategies. Assessment reports and recommendations are shared with the FMHC Judge and Court personnel to make informed decisions.
Presents overview of client's presentation, relevant diagnoses, risk/needs areas, psychosocial history and identified clinical needs to FMHC Team during interdisciplinary staffing.
Engages in on-going assessment of emerging Client needs to provide subsequent recommendations regarding the individual's re-entry plan.
Obtains weekly clinical updates from external treatment providers, enters them into the electronic case management system, and shares relevant updates with the interdisciplinary team during weekly staffing and as appropriate.
Reviews treatment progress in Harris County Jail medical records.
Facilitate psychotherapeutic and psychoeducational groups, including preparing and delivering weekly curriculum sessions, leading psychoeducational and skill-building activities, guiding participant reflection, documenting attendance/progress, and collaborating with multidisciplinary partners to support program goals.
Provides individual and group-based treatment using the Changing Lives Changing Outcomes (CLCO) curriculum to identified FMHC dual diagnosis Clients, completing associated documentation by required deadlines, and entering said documentation in the electronic case management system. Requires visually and audibly observing clients in the group and individual setting.
Delivers direct clinical interventions to FMHC Clients and support systems.
Triages and manages psychiatric crises.
Works collaboratively with the FMHC Judge and interdisciplinary team to support Clients' successful completion of community supervision.
Participate in clinical and interdisciplinary staffing.
Ensures accurate and timely entries in the electronic case management systems.
Review work and reports are required.
Travel to Court, other HCCSCD locations or off-site locations for meetings and/or training as required.
Monitors and adheres to deadlines to ensure completeness, accuracy and compliance with policy, grant standards, funding and licensure requirements, and special conditions of community supervision.
Maintains professional and effective communication, including email correspondence, with judges, attorneys, prosecutors, court personnel, law enforcement officials, CSCD personnel, victims, and community members.
Participate in team, unit and departmental meetings.
Regularly interfaces with external stakeholders.
Supervises undergraduate social work interns when applicable.
All other duties identified by the FMHC Program Manager, Treatment Services Manager, CAST Director, or other HCCSCD Administrative/Executive Team.
Works collaboratively with other personnel.
Fosters a positive work environment by communicating and behaving cooperatively, respectfully and amicably with supervisors, co-workers, and the public.
Perform other related duties as assigned.
Work overtime as required.

Benefits

Medical Coverage
Dental Coverage
Vision Coverage
Wellness Plan
Life Insurance
Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
Ten (10) days of vacation leave per year (accrual rate increases after 5 years of service)
Eleven (11) County-observed holidays
One (1) floating holiday per year
Paid Parental Leave
Sick Leave
457 Deferred Compensation Plan
Professional learning & development opportunities
Retirement pension (TCDRS defined benefit plan)
Flexible work schedule
METRO RideSponsor Program