Mental Health Specialist

Children’s Minnesota•Minneapolis, MN

About The Position

The Mental Health Specialist provides direct care to children and adolescents experiencing behavioral challenges or living with a mental health diagnosis, following each patient’s individual treatment plan. Under the direction of a Registered Nurse, the specialist assists with ongoing collection of information about patients’ physical, psychological, and safety status. The role may include helping patients establish daily therapeutic goals and facilitating therapeutic groups. The specialist continually monitors the department environment and patient spaces for hazards and safety concerns. Using a therapeutic approach, they may help de-escalate situations and implement behavioral modification or management strategies when appropriate. The position may float to support mental health patients throughout the mental health care continuum, including settings outside the inpatient mental health unit within the Children’s Minnesota system. The role is based in the pediatric emergency department at Children’s Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus, a freestanding pediatric Level I trauma center. The department provides emergency and trauma care to children and adolescents and emphasizes family-centered care, teamwork, open communication, safety, respect, and professional learning and growth.

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 maintain 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 care to children and adolescents with behavioral challenges or mental health diagnoses according to their individual treatment plans.
Assist, under the direction of a Registered Nurse, with ongoing collection of data about patients’ physical, psychological, and safety status.
Help patients establish daily therapeutic goals and participate in facilitating therapeutic patient groups as appropriate.
Continuously monitor the department environment and patient spaces for hazards and patient safety concerns.
Use therapeutic approaches to assist with de-escalation and, when appropriate, implement behavioral modification and management strategies.
Float as needed to support mental health patients throughout the mental health care continuum, including outside the inpatient mental health unit within the Children’s Minnesota system.