Habilitation Counselor

Position Information

Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC), established in 1971, offers a full continuum of evidence based behavioral health and addiction services for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors throughout New Jersey. UBHC's 1,060 experienced behavioral health professionals and support staff are dedicated to treatment, prevention, and education. UBHC, one of the largest providers of behavioral health care in the country, has a budget of $260 million and has 15 sites throughout New Jersey.

Services are readily accessible and include: inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization, screening, crisis stabilization, family/caregiver support, community outreach and case management, supportive housing, supported employment, prevention and consultation, employee assistance programs, and a licensed therapeutic school from preschool through high school.

Specialty services include the New Jersey suicide prevention helpline and peer help lines for police, veterans, active military, teachers, mothers of special needs children and child protective service workers. In FY2016, UBHC treated 16,199 consumers, had 24,502 admissions, and touched the lives of 19,441 individual callers through peer support. In addition, UBHC is the primary mental health training resource for the New Jersey departments of Human Services, Children and Families, and Corrections, delivering 16,000 trainings each year.

Rutgers The State University is seeking a Habilitation Counselor in the Essex Children's Mobile Response and Stabilization Services of Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare.

The Habilitation Counselor provides clinical assessments for the children's mobile response and stabilization program in Essex County that meet quality and quantity standards within University Behavioral Health Care and the Department of Children and Families/Division of Children's System of Care (DCSOC). Performs functions in support of the University Behavioral Health Care mission providing streamlined, prompt, and "consumer friendly" crisis response services.

Receives telephone requests for service, undertakes crisis/strength-based assessment of the service need of the client or customer, responds by outreach to the family, assesses the youth and family strengths and current crisis situation, makes appropriate referrals for time-limited stabilization services, monitors effectiveness of services and makes linkages for aftercare. Demonstrates competency in recognizing the unique needs and applying relevant crisis stabilization approaches for children and adolescent and their families.

Among the key duties of this position are the following:

• As part of the children's mobile response and stabilization team, actively participates in ensuring the telephone calls/mobile response requests are handled in an effective and "consumer friendly" manner.
• Promptly answers children's mobile response and stabilization telephone service requests, responds to incoming calls within three rings.
• Responds to telephone contacts with clients or family members in an appropriately courteous, helpful fashion.
• Responds to families' telephone referrals, inquiries, and other contacts with professionals, outside agencies and other parties in a professional and cordial manner.
• Assesses telephone service requests/referrals and provides mobile response in accordance with prescribed children's mobile response and stabilization procedures.

The final salary offer may be determined by several factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate's qualifications, experience, and expertise, and availability of department or grant funds to support the position. We also take into consideration market benchmarks, if and when appropriate, and internal equity to ensure fair compensation relative to the university's broader compensation structure. We are committed to offering competitive and flexible compensation…