Mental Health Professional

Maricopa County • Phoenix, AZ

2d • $75,750 - $108,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Mental Health Professional works with a multidisciplinary Correctional Health team—including psychiatrists, psychologists, and medical staff—to respond to urgent mental health needs, provide continuity of care, and deliver appropriate mental health services to patients in the county jail system. The role assesses patients with varying degrees of mental illness, psychosis or agitation, substance abuse, and potential risk of harm to themselves or others.

The position provides crisis intervention and de-escalation, suicide risk assessments, follow-up care, comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, short-term therapy, and therapeutic or psychoeducational groups. It also requires clinical documentation, coordination with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, collaboration with multidisciplinary staff, and adherence to professional, regulatory, confidentiality, and licensure standards.

The role requires travel or floating among clinical locations within a five-mile radius, the ability to respond to emergencies, and work inside a jail. The position may involve day or night shifts, weekends, and holidays. Candidates must maintain CPR certification and meet the position's physical, security-clearance, and patient-care requirements.

Requirements

• Two years of behavioral health experience after obtaining a master's degree.
• Master's degree in social work, counseling, psychology, or a related field from an accredited program.
• Completion of the clinical training hours necessary to achieve independent licensure.
• Valid, unrestricted Arizona State Board of Behavioral Health Examiners license as an LCSW, LMFT, LISAC/LIAC, or LPC.
• Ability to travel or float among clinical locations within a five-mile radius and respond to emergencies.
• Ability to maintain CPR certification and perform CPR/chest compressions, push medical equipment, climb stairs, and lift patients on a gurney.
• Ability to work inside a jail and stand, walk, and bend for extended periods throughout the shift.
• Ability to pass a fingerprint/security clearance process and maintain MCSO jail access.
• Ability to accurately handle a high volume of work, communicate with a culturally diverse patient population, and adapt to frequent changes, interruptions, and unscheduled tasks.

Nice To Haves

• Broad-based work experience with the seriously mentally ill (SMI), substance abuse, direct mental health services, and crisis work.

Responsibilities

• Independently provide crisis intervention and de-escalation and complete suicide risk assessments.
• Conduct routine follow-up appointments for patients with serious mental illness, patients discharged from suicide watch or safe cells, and patients discharged or stepped down from the acute unit.
• Complete comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments, including brief screening tools for substance use disorders and special-needs treatment plans.
• Address behavioral needs resulting from refusal to follow instructions or threats to self or others by using de-escalation and crisis intervention skills with patients experiencing acute mental health symptoms.
• Evaluate patients' mental health status before placement in segregated housing areas.
• Develop treatment plans for patients with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders.
• Provide short-term, solution-focused therapy using treatment plans, goals, and objectives.
• Independently facilitate therapeutic and psychoeducational group treatment.
• Complete routine clinical documentation, including treatment consent forms, treatment refusal forms, and notes for non-face-to-face interactions.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members regarding patient care.
• Coordinate and document mental health care with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
• Maintain familiarity with mental health diagnoses corresponding to ICD-9DM and DSM-IV TR (DSM 5) manuals.
• Maintain HIPAA patient confidentiality in the management of information.
• Follow applicable professional standards and requirements, model the code of ethics associated with licensure and certification, and meet regulatory, licensure, accreditation, health assessment, and CPR requirements.

Benefits

• Tuition reimbursement
• Exceptional work-life balance
• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County
• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for the employee and qualifying dependents
• Child care benefits, including access to the Maricopa County Kids Club
• Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave
• Extensive wellness program, including an incentive
• Enrollment in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement benefit with an 11.98% per-paycheck contribution rate and a 100% employer match on Day 1

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time