Job Details

Sign on Bonus of $5,000 available for external candidates.

Company Description
Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare Main Building is a full-service community mental health center, providing behavioral healthcare to the citizens of Pierce County for 50 years. We are located near the intersection of Bridgeport and Gravelly Lake Drive at 9330 59th Ave SW in Lakewood, WA. Greater Lakes serves over 10,000 individuals each year with a team of over 300 staff. Our modern professional clinic provides a comfortable setting for counseling and medication services. Greater Lakes serves over 10,000 individuals each year with a team of over 350 staff. Our modern professional clinic provides a comfortable setting for your counseling and medication services.

Position Summary & Mission
The Mental Health Therapist 1 or 2 works with City of Lakewood police officers as part of a team that responds to suspected mental illness calls. The Therapist makes assessments in the field and uses a network of alternatives to jail and hospitalization for the person who is the subject of the call for service. The Therapist in this program is part of a team that visits the person of interest. Key actions for the Therapist include conducting an assessment, developing a realistic short-term placement of the person while a potentially long-term placement is sought, conducting a follow-up visit to determine if the plan is working or requires revision. The Therapist may be able to provide stabilization in place for the person of interest. The Therapist provides education (crisis intervention training) of hotel/motel owners and others who have frequent contact with a population of persons with mental illness. The Therapist provides networks for assessment/placement of the vulnerable persons and develops and provides training to first responders and other groups that interface with mentally ill individuals through their work. The Therapist (and Greater Lakes as a whole) is a key member of the partnership with the City of Lakewood Police Department to create and carry out viable alternatives to jail and hospitalization to stabilize and improve the outcomes for those subjects generating calls for police intervention who are mentally ill.

Essential Functions/Competencies
Co-responds to calls for police services that involve mentally ill citizens.

Responsibilities
Stabilizes the person and scene.

Conducts risk assessments of each subject.

Provides resources and alternatives most suitable for each individual.

Conducts follow-up with individuals and housing units within days after the initial incident.

Contacts homeless people with offers of housing resources and mental health resources if appropriate.

Develops and provides training to first responders and other groups in contact with mentally ill populations (Crisis Intervention/De-escalation Training).

Assures that there is excellent coordination with the rest of the team.

Maintains and continuously improves clinical competency and resource knowledge required to meet changing consumer, community, and legal needs and requirements.

Develops short and long-term plans with everyone, focusing on the development of both natural and community supports, with a focus on reducing the necessity of jail time and/or hospitalization.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree, Mental health professional (MHP) as defined by the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) required.
• Meets the qualifications of a Therapist 1 or Therapist 2
• Extensive knowledge of area resources is required and must be continually updated.
• Strong knowledge of major mental illnesses, including assessment, symptoms, and treatments
• Able to assess and respond responsibly to mental health crisis situations
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Excellent computer and Microsoft Office skills
• Experience working and situational awareness for working with chemically addicted individuals