Join our dedicated mental health team and make a difference in the lives of individuals during their most critical moments. As a Crisis Counselor in the Emergency Department, you’ll provide compassionate care to people of all ages experiencing mental health emergencies in the hospital emergency room.

What You’ll Do:

• Assess risk levels and collaborate with doctors to determine the best care plan.
• Coordinate hospital admissions and outpatient care to ensure patients get the support they need.
• Help patients create safety plans to manage future crises.
• Document your assessments and care plans to maintain high-quality care standards.

If you’re passionate about helping others and thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment, this role is for you!

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling or closely related human service field from accredited university or meets the requirements of an MHP as defined by the Illinois Department of Human Services is required. 
• Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling or closely related human service field from an accredited university is preferred

Client Services

• Develop initial preliminary assessment data including clients’ presenting problems, mental status, relevant psychiatric, medical and developmental histories to make decisions regarding diagnosis (according to DSM-V) and/or to provide information and make appropriate referrals to other treatment resources in the community.
• Provide direct service intervention for emergency department patients.
• Implement crisis or pre-crisis intervention procedures with potentially suicidal, homicidal, or severely disabled clients. Make appropriate referrals to consulting psychiatrists or inpatient psychiatric facilities to prevent further destabilization.
• Coordinate referrals to inpatient and outpatient levels of care for emergency psychiatric assessments.
• Interview collateral contacts, previous and current treatment professionals, and significant others, as needed, to further assess appropriate plan of care.
• Conduct screenings and facilitates referrals from local hospitals, other agencies and/or internal programs to the state psychiatric facility (AMMHC) when applicable.
• Utilize MS Teams/Telehealth to conduct assessment of clients presenting to LMH, TMH and JMH with behavioral health concerns as requested by the ED providers

Client Information System

• Complete required administrative and legal paperwork (such as: voluntary and involuntary paperwork, Case Openings, SMI/SED, Acknowledgment of Voluntary Admission, Insurance Pre-Certifications, etc).
• Collect necessary information for billing and fee collection.
• Provide necessary client information to other agencies or health care providers to coordinate services to identified clients.
• Document assessments directly into the hospital EHR, where applicable, and ensure ED is provided with copies of all documentation when not able to enter directly into the client record.
• Complete insurance pre-certifications, when applicable, for patients being admitted to an MHS inpatient behavioral health unit.

Training Activities/Professional Growth

• Manager and employee mutually identify professional goals, which will enhance job related skills.
• Participate in ongoing agency meetings, committees, and special projects to enhance professional expertise.
• Attend and participate in mandatory monthly clinical supervision with manager as required by the IL Department of Human Services.
• Complete all mandatory education requirements by specified deadlines.
• Participate in required staff meetings and in-service meetings to keep abreast of agency policy and administrative procedures, meet requirements for continuing education, and upgrade professional knowledge.

Consultation/Networking

• Engage in appropriate team work functions (such as mutual support, clarification of office responsibilities and procedures) according agency policy to provide a professional working environment and effective service delivery.

Job Relationships

• Communicate directly with manager for clinical supervision, clarification of agency policy, and program evaluation to promote a professional working environment and effective service delivery system.
• In absence of immediate manager, will reach out to Director for clinical supervision.
• Adhere to MHS/MBH Behavioral Standards.

Other Job Responsibilities

• Respond to requests for service from the community and link to appropriate clinic program or outside agencies.
• Participate in On Call Rotation and assist manager in ensuring coverage of open shifts as needed
• Perform other duties as required by agency needs.