Legacy Unit: Mental Health Programs Supervisor

City of Aurora • Lancaster, SC

18d • $33 - $52

About The Position

Mental Health Program Supervisor within the Aurora Municipal Public Defender’s office, functions as a non-attorney member of the defense team. Working with the public defenders, this individual assists with daily mental health screenings in the detention center, coordinates the Aurora Sustained program for the office, makes recommendations for when to set cases for competency, and coordinates competency evaluations for clients in and out of custody. This individual also serves as a liaison between the Aurora Sustained program and program stakeholders, including other city departments and community partners.

Requirements

• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.
• Master’s degree in counseling, behavioral health, social work, or related field.
• At least five (5) years of experience in social services and/or working with individuals involved in the justice system.
• Experience working with populations including individuals who are unhoused and/or experiencing one or more of the following: intellectual or developmental disability, severe persistent mental illness, substance use disorder.
• Experience applying trauma-informed principles to interactions with clients.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care and issues specific to incarcerated individuals.
• A basic understanding of the criminal justice system and forensic mental health programs.
• Knowledge of community resources and programs that assist with or provide access to mental health services, case management, and/or housing assistance.
• Knowledge of different levels of care in mental health and substance abuse treatment, and a working understanding of the criteria for each.
• Knowledge of best practices when working with people who are unhoused and/or experiencing one or more of the following: intellectual or developmental disability, severe persistent mental illness, or substance use disorder.
• Understand the principles of motivational interviewing.
• Skilled in mental health screening, assessment, and diagnosis consistent with licensure.
• Ability to de-escalate and manage clients experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
• Ability to build and develop rapport with and work with clients of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• Skilled in understanding and working with clients with varying clinical diagnoses and presentations.
• Strong interpersonal skills and able to maintain professionalism when working with clients, caregivers, family members, or community partners.
• Effectively develop and maintain professional relationships with all levels of staff in the courthouse, detention center, and other stakeholder parties as needed.
• Communicate effectively with individuals who are unhoused and/or experiencing one or more of the following: intellectual or developmental disability, severe persistent mental illness, substance use disorder.
• Manage and prioritize multiple tasks and crisis situations as they arise.
• Ability to identify tasks and complete them independently.
• License in counseling, social work, or related field (LPC, LCSW, LMFT, LAC) in the State of Colorado

Nice To Haves

• License in counseling, social work, or related field (LPC, LCSW, LMFT, LAC)
• Spanish language proficiency preferred

Responsibilities

• Functions as the primary mental health resource within the Aurora Public Defender Office and informs, works with mental health contractors who inform, or guides clinical students who function as advisors, where any individual represented by the public defender needs a competency evaluation, mental health referral, and/or the circumstances require an M1 hold.
• Ensures that clients in custody pre-arraignment are screened for mental health and acts as coverage for any mental health contractor whose primary duty is to do the same.
• Advises the attorney or works with a mental health contractor (MHC) who advises the attorney of individuals experiencing mental health or medical conditions that impact their ability to participate and understand the proceedings competently.
• Manages a caseload of individuals set for competency, including but not limited to coordinating competency evaluations and connecting individuals to the appropriate treatment services.
• Reviews cases and consults with attorneys as needed to make recommendations for mental health treatment or competency evaluation.
• Develops and maintains relationships with community partners, other City departments, attends meetings, and collaborates with stakeholders for the coordination of mental health and other services that improve the quality of representation by the Public Defender.
• Gathers and keeps data related to competency evaluations and outcomes, and assists community partners in data collection as needed.
• Supervises any interns who function as data analysts or otherwise assist in this effort, for the grant requirements, and to ensure there are no service gaps.
• Works closely with Legacy Unit: Deputy Public Defender (Mental Health Programs) to prepare cases set for the Competency docket.
• Coordinates competency evaluations with the contracted doctor, facilitates the evaluation by ensuring that the client is aware and the doctor has all background information or records.
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Benefits

• Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
• Diverse community
• Competitive total compensation package
• Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
• Light rail station minutes away
• On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs
• Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
• Access to innovation workspaces
• Rewarding public sector work impacting a large and diverse community
• Growing city and employee population
• Competitive total compensation package
• Rich benefits package with low employee costs
• Generous paid leave program
• 100% funded Employee and Family Care Leave Program
• Retirement pension plan and 457b plans available
• Subsidized recreation center pass, on-site fitness centers and wellness programs
• Continued education and career advancement opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees