BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINICIAN I
(Formerly Clinical Social Worker/Marriage Family Therapist I)

In addition to performance-based merit increases, this position is scheduled to receive a salary range increase on the following date:

Effective June 27, 2025 – 4.00% increase

Premium Pay

In addition to the hourly salary, eligible applicants may receive premium pay for the items listed below:

Bilingual pay: Qualified employees who meet the criteria found on page 19shall receive an additional ninety $0.90 cents per hour for all hours paid.
Night Shift Differential pay: Employees assigned to a night shift shall be paid a night shift differential for each hour actually worked on the assigned night shift. Pay rate is determined by assigned shift hours found here (page 15).

Other Additional Premium Pays

This recruitment is open to the public.

This recruitment is being held to establish an open eligible list that will be used to fill current and future Behavioral Health Clinician I positions within the County of Orange. This recruitment may also be used to fill positions in similar and/or lower classifications.

This recruitment will remain open on a continuous basis until the needs of the County are met. Candidates who are placed on the eligible list will remain on the eligible list for one (1) year and may be considered/referred for selection/hiring interviews. After one (1) year, candidates must reapply to receive further consideration.

Please note that a valid Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW), Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC), or Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) number issued by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) is required to be placed on the eligible list. If you have applied for your BBS certificate but do not possess such by the date of application, you are required to provide proof of your BBS certificate application at the time of application submission. Those without possession of a valid ACSW, APCC, AMFT, or proof of application for a BBS certificate will be disqualified from the recruitment.

HEALTH CARE AGENCY
The County of Orange, Health Care Agency (HCA) is a dynamic organization dedicated to creating and supporting an environment that promotes the achievement of optimal individual, family and community health. Under the leadership of the Agency Director, a dynamic executive team with an organizational structure comprised of five (5) service areas - Strategy and Special Projects, Behavioral Health Services, Correctional Health Services, Medical Health Services and Public Health Services - is committed to meeting the health needs of the diverse Orange County community.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES
The Behavioral Health Services Division consists of eight (8) service areas. This Division provides a culturally competent and client-centered system of behavioral health services for all eligible county residents in need of treatment for alcohol and other drug abuse and mental health care.

Adult and Older Adult (AOA) includes Veteran services, offers a full range of programs to adults with mental health conditions that are at risk of more serious issues without treatment and supportive services. These services range from Outpatient services, which provide psychiatric medications, therapeutic services, peer support and other supportive services; to our Full-Service Partnership (FSP) Programs which serve individuals with the most severe symptoms who need more intensive and focused services. These programs have a “whatever it takes” approach to treatment and often work in the field and in client homes to ensure needed treatment is being provided. AOA also offers Housing and Supportive Services for individuals with serious mental illness, Peer-run Wellness Centers, Transportation Services and Supported Employment Programs.
Crisis and Acute Care Services provides responsive services to adults and youth in a behavioral health crisis. Services include mobile mental health Crisis Assessment Team (CAT), Psych Emergency Response Team (PERT), OC Links (24/7 Resources line), Crisis Stabilization Units (CSU), Crisis Residential Programs and In-home Crisis Stabilization services, as well as inpatient psychiatric hospital services and the coordination of 9-8-8.
OC Outreach and Engagement (OC O&E) serves individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Orange County. The program's focus is on linking individuals to needed services including behavioral health, physical health care, emergency shelter, housing, and other supportive services. This is accomplished through developing and building trusting relationships with the unhoused community and collaborating with other service providers.
Children and Youth Services(CYS) offers a broad array of treatment and early intervention services to children, adolescents, transitional aged youth, and their families who are experiencing symptoms of mental health and/or co-occurring physical or substance use disorders. Intensive outpatient programs such as Full-Service Partnerships and a program for First Episode Psychosis as well as, traditional outpatient mental health services, as well as collaborative service delivery models with Social Services Agency (through Wraparound WRAP and Short-Term Residential Programs STRTP), Probation (in Juvenile Hall and other Probation settings), and the Courts are offered.
Quality Management Services (QMS)includes Quality Improvement/Quality Assurance (QI/QA) and Health Records Management (HRM) functions that support the programming and operations of the other BHS service areas to ensure quality of care, program integrity and regulatory compliance of Medi-Cal behavioral health programs, including the County Mental Health Plan (MHP) and Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS). QMS also supports quality management activities for other BHS initiatives and contracts with the State Department of Health Care Services. (DHCS)
Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Office coordinates the various activities related to the development approval and reporting of MHSA programs and services including engaging with diverse stakeholders to identify behavioral health service needs and priorities across the system of care according to current laws and regulations and availability of funds.
Substance Use Disorder Services (SUD)provides an array of prevention, treatment and recovery support services for youth and adults that include the Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Team (ADEPT) community SUD prevention programs, Residential Treatment, Outpatient treatment, perinatal services, narcotic treatment programs (NTP), Medicated Assistance Treatment (MAT), Withdrawal Management, Intensive Outpatient Program, Recovery Residences and the programmatic oversight of the States Opioid Abatement Funding Plan in OC.
Forensics and Justice Involved Division provides oversight, evaluation, and treatment for all of the mental health justice involved for Orange County. This includes Collaborative Courts, AOT, Mental Health Diversion, AB109 & Re-entry, Assisted Intervention Court, Whatever It Takes collaborative court, and Recovery Court/Opportunity Court, CONREP, LPS Psychology Unit, SB317 Incompetent to Stand Trial Diversion unit, CARE Court, and Early Access and Stabilization Services.

Click the videos below to learn more about some of our programs.

Crisis and Acute Care Services OC Outreach and Engagement

THE OPPORTUNITY
These positions provide professional counseling and treatment services for adults, children and youth exhibiting a wide variety of mental health, drug abuse and/or alcohol related disorders in a clinic, home, field or institutional setting. Depending on the assignment, night, weekend and holiday shifts may be required. As a Behavioral Health Clinician I may:

Provide both individual and group interventions, such as psycho-educational groups, parent training, brief individual counseling, brief group counseling, case management, referral and linkage to community services; utilize a variety of evidence-based practices in interventions provided to the community
Screen participants for program eligibility, and conduct both individual and family needs assessments
Prepare written materials and present information in ways that are professional and will represent HCA positively
Collect both demographic and outcomes data to measure impact of program and changes in behavioral health
Participate in the on-going development and implementation of programs and may complete a variety of projects to accomplish this task
Provide field-based services to participants to help engage them in treatment and also help them find meaningful roles and activities in the community
Follow the ethical and practice guidelines as outlined by the Board of Behavioral Science
May participate in research projects, conduct oversight of services by contract providers, or perform crisis intervention and involuntary hold evaluations depending on division requirements

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
The ideal candidate will demonstrate sound judgment, good decision making and problem-solving skills. Additionally, the ideal candidate should be able to work independently and demonstrate reliability, proactive involvement in work, and confidence and optimism in performing daily tasks. Bilingual skills are highly desirable, especially in Spanish or Vietnamese. Also, the ideal candidate will have substantial knowledge and practical experience directly related to the following competencies:

Professional and Technical Expertise

Understanding and applying Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Understanding and applying evidence-based practices in a behavioral health setting
Applying recovery principles and experience working with participants as they move through the various stages of recovery
Working with participants who may be in crisis and may have had several hospitalizations due to their mental illness
Understanding of Integrated Care and treating a whole person by way of collaboration with our Agency partners in the larger health care community
Providing prevention and early intervention behavioral health services
Proficiency with EHR, Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook

Critical Thinking l Decision Making

Understanding of the importance of outcome measures and how they can be utilized to make improvements in the program
Evaluating situations for crisis in the community and determining if an involuntary psychiatric hold is needed
Executing quick and effective decisions impacting clients' health care treatment

Oral Communication l Relationship Building

Communicating relevant critical information to other County agencies and/or stakeholders to better facilitate continuity of care
Communicating with tact and discretion when working with confidential information
De-escalating hostile or confrontational clients/customers

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Click here for a complete classification description and minimum qualifications including Physical, Mental Requirements, and Environmental Conditions for Behavioral Health Clinician I.

Applicants who are applying with an out of state license should refer to the minimum qualifications link above.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Human Resource Services (HRS) will screen all applications to identify qualified applicants. After screening, only those applicants that meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the next step in the selection procedures. Candidates will receive notification via e-mail of further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.

Veterans Employment Preference
The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please click here to review the policy.

Based on the Agency/Department's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. Candidates will be notified via e-mail of any changes in the selection procedures.

Eligible List
Once the assessment has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.Please see below for important information regarding COVID-19-related requirements.
Effective April 3, 2023, it is strongly recommended that County employees working in health care settings and correctional facilities follow vaccination and booster guidelines provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please clickhere to see the latest guidance for more details.

E-MAIL NOTIFICATION
E-mail is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct e-mail address is included in our application and use only one e-mail account. Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via e-mail through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your e-mail folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept e-mails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your e-mail address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com.

NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply.

For detailed information on how to apply, click here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Rasika Wijayaweera at 714 834-7877 or at RWijayaweera@ochca.com.

Orange County, as an equal employment opportunity employer,
encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

County of Orange

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Behavioral Health Clinician I