Behavioral Health Specialist

Brief Description

Summary of Position:
Provides trauma-informed behavioral health assessments, short-term therapeutic interventions, crisis response, and care coordination to participants, primarily in shelter and drop‑in settings. Serves as an internal clinical resource to agency staff regarding participant behavioral health needs and supports connections to ongoing community‑based treatment.

Summary of Position:
Provides trauma-informed behavioral health assessments, short-term therapeutic interventions, crisis response, and care coordination to participants, primarily in shelter and drop‑in settings. Serves as an internal clinical resource to agency staff regarding participant behavioral health needs and supports connections to ongoing community‑based treatment.

• Builds relationships with participants by initiating engagement in the drop‑in milieu, homeless shelter, or other appropriate locations
• Implements assessments of behavioral health disorders to determine eligibility for internal/external benefits and programs; prepares forms (e.g., disability assessments)
• Provides short‑term “bridge” counseling/therapy to participants in community‑based programs (drop‑in & shelter)
• Develops and maintains relationships with health care and social service providers to facilitate linkage to long‑term community‑based behavioral health services
• Completes suicide, self‑harm, violence, and other clinical risk assessments and coordinates emergency intervention or evaluation when a higher level of care may be necessary
• Provides clinical consultation to agency staff regarding participant behavioral health needs
• Consults internally with health team, benefits specialist, case managers, outreach specialists and other CFTH staff as needed to provide coordinated behavioral health care
• Facilitates and coordinates therapeutic groups for shelter and drop‑in participants
• Participates in individual and group clinical supervision as required by the employee’s license, agency policy, and applicable law
• Enters case notes and records service transactions in the clinic’s electronic medical record (EMR) and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
• Adheres to the Code of Conduct and Core Values of Connections for the Homeless
• Attends required departmental, program and agency meetings
• Performs other duties as assigned

The following qualifications are requirements for the position:

• Current Illinois LCSW or LCPC license, or current Illinois LSW or LPC license with demonstrated eligibility to obtain clinical licensure within six months of hire. Employees who are not independently clinically licensed must practice under appropriate clinical supervision and within the scope permitted by Illinois law
• Experience diagnosing mental health and substance use disorders
• Thorough understanding of trauma‑informed concepts, harm reduction, and recovery model of mental illness
• Ability to work independently and possess good organizational and interpersonal skills
• Computer competency and comfort with Microsoft Office suite and data entry

• Certification as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC)
• Knowledge of, and experience with, implementing evidence‑based practices within a trauma‑informed and harm reduction framework
• Five (5) years of experience working in social services with clients with mental illness
• Two (2) years of experience providing group/individual therapy

• Successful completion of all required background screening, consistent with applicable law and agency policy
• Must submit to or provide evidence of a recent test for tuberculosis
• If no current clinical license (LCSW/LCPC) must obtain within 6 months of hire

For nearly 40 years, Connections for…