Behavioral Health Clinical Specialist - Promotional

Job Description:

Behavioral Health Clinical Specialist - Promotional

Description

Position Information

This recruitment is promotional only. You must presently be a full or part-time, regular, or probationary County of Sonoma, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, or Sonoma County Water Agency employee in order to apply for this position.

The Department of Health Services has requested a department promotional certification to fill two Behavioral Health Clinical Specialist positions. Only qualified permanent and/or probationary Department of Health Services employees on the eligible list may be eligible for referral to the department for the advertised positions . This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time or part-time positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

The Department of Health Services is seeking two dedicated Behavioral Health Clinical Specialists to join the team! One of these positions is open in the Quality Assurance and Process Improvement - Auditing and Monitoring Team (QAPI-AMT), while the other position is open in the Crisis Stabilization Unit.

As a Behavioral Health Clinical Specialist with QAPI-AMT, you will help fulfill federal and state mandates to ensure quality, integrity, and compliance within Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder programs and support efforts to detect fraud, waste, and noncompliance in healthcare programs funded by state and federal sources, including Medi-Cal, Drug Medi-Cal, and the Substance Abuse Block Grant (SABG). You will contribute to maintaining an effective and responsive auditing and monitoring program by performing comprehensive reviews, supporting audits, and ensuring quality improvement efforts. In addition, you will collaborate with program staff to clarify findings, provide feedback, and support corrective actions, as well as oversee the workflow for clinical staff.
As the ideal candidate for this position, you will possess many of the following:

• The ability to use clinical expertise and judgement to verify services when auditing and monitoring programs
  
• Strong working knowledge of State and Federal behavioral health regulations, especially CCR Title 9 and Title 22
  
• Familiarity with Medi-Cal, Medicare, Drug Medi-Cal, and SABG documentation and billing requirements
  
• Experience with DHCS monitoring practices and compliance standards
  
• The ability to communicate complex regulatory requirements and findings to various audiences
  
• The ability to make sound clinical judgment to verify services submitted for reimbursement
  
• Passion for supporting behavioral health services and contributing to system-wide improvement
  

As a Behavioral Health Clinical Specialist with our Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), you will assist with oversight of clinical staff and operational coordination at the CSU. This position will provide clinical guidance for staff working toward licensure and manage day-to-day program workflow. You will offer direct services as needed, serve as a liaison to community partners, and support the development and revision of policies and procedures. This position is critical to our commitment to providing high-quality, trauma-informed crisis services to individuals experiencing serious mental health challenges.
As the ideal candidate for this position, you will possess many of the following:

• Experience in crisis assessment and intervention, particularly with adults and youth with serious mental health needs
  
• Proven experience in supporting clinicians in delivering culturally responsive care, especially to Latinx, LGBTQI, and other underserved communities
  
• Organization, flexibility, and effectiveness at prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced, sometimes loud, and unpredictable environment
  
• Passion for serving individuals in crisis and building strong partnerships with community-based organizations and contracted agencies
  
• Excellent leadership skills regarding fostering positive team dynamics, managing clinical disagreements, and promoting quality improvement
  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and comfortable using or learning Electronic Health Records (EHR), particularly Avatar
• Eligibility to provide clinical supervision to staff members seeking licensure is not required at the time of hire, but is strongly desired and will be needed for this assignment
  
• Bilingual in Spanish is desired, but not required
  

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Any combination of education, training, and experience which would likely provide the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, this would include a Master's Degree or higher in social work, counseling, psychology, or a related field from an accredited college or university; and two years of related experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, licensed Psychologist, OR a successor licensure recognized as equivalent by the State of California.

Special Requirement: Possession of either a valid, current Licensed Clinical Social Worker license, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist license, OR Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor license, issued by the Board of Behavioral Science Examiners, State of California; OR possession of a valid, current license as a Psychologist issued by the State of California, Board of Medical Quality Assurance, Psychology Examining Committee; OR possession of a successor licensure recognized as equivalent by the State of California.

License: Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.
The positions advertised on this announcement do not require possession of a valid California Driver's License.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation techniques used in the identification and treatment of mental illness and emotional disorders; federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations associated with mental health treatment and education programs; the social, psychological, and physiological effects of mental disorders; principles, methods, and techniques used to develop formal and informal training programs associated with assigned specialty areas; methods and techniques used to develop community information and education programs; the scope and activities of community based agencies involved in the education and treatment of mental health, including wellness and recovery, and strength based approaches with clients and their families.

Knowledge of: modern methods and techniques used to lead, plan, and control the work of others.

Ability to: plan, assign, supervise, review, and evaluate the work of staff; plan, organize, conduct, and evaluate the effectiveness of training and education programs, including training staff in clinical casework techniques and methodologies; provide lead direction to a multi-disciplinary mental health treatment team; use community resources to establish and maintain effective community programs to assist in the care, prevention, education, and treatment of mental health clients and their families; assess situations, identify problems, develop acceptable problem-solving options, anticipate possible risks associated with each option, and determine appropriate course of action; work effectively with a multicultural client and family population with diverse background and needs; establish and maintain effective working relationships on a multi-disciplinary team with peers, supervisors, subordinates, members of the public, other County employees, community agency staff, and others who have an interest in mental health prevention and treatment; supervise individual and group behavior and provide necessary support; prepare clear and concise oral and written reports; lead, plan, and control the work of others.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions may be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation may be required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org . Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: SZ

HR Technician: KK

IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

COUNTY OF SONOMA BENEFITS: GENERAL*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off : Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals; 12 paid holidays and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan : Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generousCounty contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

Retirement :Fully integrated with Social Security.For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired .

IRS 457 Plan : Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical : County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Student Loan Debt Relief :County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

Plus excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331.Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources/divisions-and-units/employee-relations/labor-agreements-and-salary-resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts go to https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources or, contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonoma-county.org or (707) 565-2900.

*IMPORTANT NOTES: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 5/30/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$109,782.51 - $133,429.58 Annually