Mental Health Specialist
About The Position
The Mental Health Specialist provides direct care to children and adolescents with behavioral challenges or a mental health diagnosis, following each patient’s individual treatment plan. Under the direction of a Registered Nurse, the specialist helps collect ongoing information about patients’ physical, psychological, and safety status. The role may include helping patients establish daily therapeutic goals and participating in the facilitation of therapeutic groups. The specialist continually monitors the department milieu and patient areas for hazards and patient-safety concerns, and uses therapeutic approaches to support de-escalation and behavioral modification or management when appropriate. The position may float to support mental health patients throughout the mental health care continuum, including outside the inpatient mental health unit within the Children’s Minnesota system. The Lakeville partial hospitalization program serves adolescents ages 11–18, while the Roseville program serves children and adolescents ages 6–18. These mental health day programs operate similarly to inpatient mental health units, but patients return home at the end of the program day. This is a casual role with opportunities to work at both the Lakeville and Roseville campuses.
Requirements
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
- Bachelor’s degree.
- Education and experience providing gender-, culture-, and age-appropriate care.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to display a professional attitude in all aspects of performance.
- Ability to develop rapport with a wide variety of patients and families.
Nice To Haves
- One year of experience working with patients in a pediatric healthcare setting.
- Experience working with children with behavioral dysregulation, autism, intellectual or cognitive impairments, or developmental delays.
Responsibilities
- Provide direct patient care to children and adolescents with behavioral challenges or mental health diagnoses according to individual treatment plans.
- Under the direction of a Registered Nurse, assist with ongoing collection of data about patients’ physical, psychological, and safety status.
- Assist patients in establishing daily therapeutic goals.
- Participate in facilitating therapeutic patient groups.
- Continuously monitor the department milieu and patient spaces for hazards and patient-safety concerns.
- Use therapeutic approaches to assist with de-escalation and behavioral modification or management when appropriate.
- Float as needed to provide care and support for mental health patients throughout the mental health care continuum, including outside the inpatient mental health unit.
Benefits
- Medical benefits may be available.
- Dental benefits may be available.
- Vision benefits may be available.
- Retirement benefits may be available.
- Other fringe benefits may be available.
- Shift differentials or premium pay may be available for positions requiring night, weekend, or on-call work.
