5E07
PAY RANGE: EP20
GENERAL DEFINITION
This is advanced level mental health work consulting, advising, and providing mental and behavioral health crisis and suicide intervention in a twenty-four hour, seven days a week crisis call center. Employees in this class provide evidence-informed crisis intervention, suicide prevention, information & referral, and follow-up services to individuals in emotional distress who contact Philadelphia Crisis Line. Employees in the class provide a facilitative service to the general public, system partners, and healthcare professionals on matters pertaining to evaluations, placement, and treatment. An employee in this class may act as lead worker for lower level employees being responsible for managing the more complex decision making for client behavioral health dispositions in atypical cases. Positions in this class will provide consultation, guidance and assistance to lower level coordinators. Significant aspects of the work include authorizing legal warrants for involuntary psychiatric evaluation and commitment requests. Work also involves deploying resources and formulating recommendations and positive interventions for a variety of situations which may be deemed as a threat to life or public safety.
ALLOCATING FACTORS: (The following conditions must be met in order for a position to be allocated to this class.)
1. Positions in this class must perform advanced level mental health work responsible for consulting, advising, and providing mental and behavioral health crisis and suicide intervention in a twenty-four hour, seven days a week crisis call center.
2. Positions in this class must be located in the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services.
TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF WORK (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)
Receives calls regarding mental and behavioral health crisis and suicide crisis interventions, missing persons and homeless persons with mental illness; assesses and facilitates appropriate level of care disposition; ; receives calls on the suicide and crisis intervention phone lines; collaboratively explores the caller’s presenting problem and employs evidence-informed tools such as suicide-risk screening, assessment, intervention, referral, and follow-up; facilitates recommended referrals and communications with relevant behavioral health systems in Philadelphia; may dispatch a mobile emergency team, or other crisis resource service if it is determined that immediate care is needed or further assessment is necessary; adheres to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network guidelines.
Offers real-time, behavioral health expertise, on-going risk assessment, creation or updating of safety plans, facilitating linkages to treatment providers and other social services, as well as education and consultation.
Acts as a delegate for the county administrator ensuring that actions of the public and professionals in the field are in accordance with established legal mandates, state law and the Office's policies and procedures; receives calls for emergency involuntary commitments and gives instructions for the proper procedure to be followed to effectuate the commitment process; reviews and evaluates petitions received from Crisis Response Centers and other authorized facilities throughout the City; makes a clinical assessment of the clients’ condition via telephone; approves or disapproves the request based on the assessment made and the stipulations set forth in the Mental Health Procedures Act; documents reasons for decisions, as required; maintains records of all calls, petitions, and outcomes; reviews and signs documents from the treating authority when received.
Assesses clients’ clinical history from computer file of users of psychiatric emergency services for involuntary commitment cases or other prevailing situations; uses the computer to enter involuntary commitments (302's), accesses client data base; makes preliminary recommendation for treatment; arranges sites for emergency psychiatric evaluations.
Prioritizes and assesses behavioral health emergencies for appropriate action; prioritizes cases when multiple requests are received based on information gathered for each individual case;
May respond to other city wide crisis and emergencies that require behavioral health and crisis intervention; handles politically sensitive cases that may involve other City departments. Provides a referral and informational service when calls are received; interprets and
explains Office policies and procedures, court proceedings and the laws governing the commitment process to medical and mental health professionals, agency staff, police and the general public to ensure implementation of the law; makes referrals to other City or local agencies when appropriate; may participate on social service agency advisory committees; assesses, evaluates and plans strategies and formulates recommendations for positive interventions including those cases that may involve other City departments.
Gives presentations to groups upon request speaking on specific mental health topics or disseminating general information about the services provided by the Office along with its governing policies and procedures.
Takes lead and active role in disaster preparedness and planning activities for behavioral health actions and involvement in possible disaster events; works closely with the City’s disaster planning initiative; takes responsibility for ensuring that the behavioral component of the plan is in place and workable.
Serves as a point person for the police crisis intervention team training program.
Performs data collection and statistical research to analyze call center operations; participates in the creation and revision of call center operational memoranda, guidelines and directives when necessary and assists in the ongoing updating and revisions of the call center operations manual.
Performs related work as required.
911 Radio Room Assignment
Receives behavioral health calls redirected from the 911 Call Center; provides consultation to 911 call center staff and supports calls requiring behavioral and crisis intervention; coordinates connections to treatment, resources and referrals for callers; provides training on behavioral health content areas to call center staff.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
KNOWLEDGE OF:
· the fundamental types of mental/behavioral health illness and associated symptoms
· the functions and resources of public and private social, medical, and mental health agencies with emphasis on psychiatric emergency systems and other acute care mental health services
· the theories, principles, and techniques of working with people with emotional, mental and social problems
· the laws governing treatment and commitment of persons with mentally illness
· the basic policies and procedures governing psychiatric social services in clinics and hospitals
SKILL IN:
· assessing and interpreting individuals’ emotional distress in order to make decisions about appropriate levels of care.
· incorporating sensitivity to personal values and beliefs ranging from gender expression, age, ethnic, spiritual, developmental, sexual and cultural diversity into clinical work.
· effective listening and engagement skills, promoting recovery and resiliency with all callers.
establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with with system stakeholders (law enforcement, OEM services, providers, etc.) and other healthcare professionals
· using computer systems and software including Microsoft Office tools and applications
· using electronic database systems to enter case documentation effectively
· written and oral communication
· identifying and retrieving data
· determining the need for commitment of individuals
ABILITY TO:
· create and maintain customer service environment where meeting the caller’s needs is a priority.
· provide evidence-informed crisis intervention and suicide prevention support to individuals in emotional distress in accordance with best practices.
· work collaboratively on a plan of action, including connection to behavioral health, social services and community resources with a focus on reducing acuity of distress.
· provide extended follow-up to individuals experiencing thoughts of suicide and other emotional distress
· provide high level of service within standardized time constraints, meeting key performance metrics while at times working in stressful situations.
· triage crisis calls and dispatch Mobile Emergency Teams for face-to-face evaluations.
· utilize text, chat, video platforms and other digital medium to facilitate crisis intervention, supportive contacts and follow-up services.
· utilize conflict resolution, problem-solving and communication skills.
· participate in individual and group supervision, as well as trainings and other events.
· determine the need for commitment of individuals
· provide technical guidance and direction to a small group of workers as needed
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE (The following statement represents the minimum training and experience standards which will be used to admit or reject applicants for tests. Applications submitted by candidates for this class will be reviewed based on training and experience requirements as approved on 11/21.)
EDUCATION:
Completion of a master's degree program at an accredited college or university with major course work in psychology, sociology, mental health counseling or social work.
GENERAL EXPERIENCE:
Two years of experience providing direct services to individuals with emotional or social problems in the mental health setting.
AND
SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE:
Two years of full performance level experience consulting, advising, and providing mental and behavioral health crisis and suicide intervention in the twenty-four hour, seven days a week crisis call center for the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services.
Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Human Resources, which has included the specific experience and completion of a bachelor's degree as an educational minimum.
PHYSICAL AND MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.
Class Established - 6/87
Spec Revision:
CSC - 7/03
Ad. Board - 11/03
Spec. Revision:
CSC – 3/10
Ad. Board – 4/10
Spec. Revision:
CSC – 4/17
Ad. Board – 5/17
Latest Spec. Revision:
CSC: 11/21
Ad. Board: 12/21
SA