Case Manager​/Dispatcher - MCOT

Position Summary

The Mobile Crisis Outreach Team provides a prompt, professional and compassionate response to calls for urgent assistance when a person is experiencing a psychiatric or emotional crisis or has other urgent complex care-related concerns, such as overlapping medical, mental health, addiction issues or severe or complicated life challenges, such as homelessness. This team has an immediate and profound impact in our community, both through direct, intensive work with individuals experiencing a crisis and through collaboration with others to improve our local continuum of care.

The Case Manager works as a team with a Mental Health Clinician to evaluate safety, stabilize and assist people in a variety of stressful circumstances. This includes developing action plans that address safety concerns, recovery support needs, and other necessities for survival and wellness. Action plans include directly linking the person to appropriate services and community resources and ensuring proper follow up care.

The Team assists law enforcement officers and other emergency personnel when they are responding to mental health crisis situations to provide immediate relief and prevent unnecessary and costly emergency room visits or arrests. When there is no risk of harm, the Team also responds to calls from other agencies, community organizations, concerned family members and others. Additionally, the Team also promotes these services through direct public outreach and presentations throughout the community.

• Provide direct case management and recovery support services to people/families in a safe, professional, and culturally competent manner.
• Safely initiate contact and establish positive rapport with concerned callers and clients/potential clients.
• Assess the level of response for each call, assign and coordinate mobile response using dispatch software. When necessary, respond with additional MCOT team members to provide in person mobile crisis services.
• Conduct mental status exams, provide crisis intervention and mental health first aid, facilitate de‑escalation of intense emotional states and activate capacity for problem solving and planning.
• Use motivational interviewing techniques and other strategies to engage clients in appropriate services and support systems, identify areas of need, activate strengths and resources, and develop goals and action plans.
• Express empathy, encouragement, emotional support, and facilitate problem solving.
• Obtain emergency care as needed (e.g., medical, psychiatric, other).
• Advocate for clients as needed to obtain urgent psychiatric or health care, housing, public benefits, and other community resources.
• Assist clients in obtaining basic needs for survival and stability (e.g., food, clothing, shelter).
• Assist clients in gaining access to outpatient mental health or addiction care, respite care, or residential treatment; advocate as needed when conservatorship procedures are appropriate.
• Assist clients in obtaining and organizing medications, other necessities for stability and recovery.
• Provide transportation as needed and help clients find other transportation resources.
• Assist clients in finding and using opportunities and resources to support stabilization, recovery, long‑term wellness, and improve quality of life.
• Work creatively with other Hill Country team members to implement a “whatever it takes” approach to support stabilization, resilience, wellness and recovery among clients, including active participation in team meetings, daily communication with team members and other program staff, collaborative problem solving with community partners, and advocacy in the broader community.
• Complete timely (within 24 hours)…