Psychiatric Evaluation Specialist Details

Psychiatric Evaluation Specialist

King County - King County, WA

Employment Type : Full-Time

Summary

Public Health- Seattle & King County values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and veterans.The Jail Health Services Division of Public Health | Seattle & King County is seeking a full time, Career Service Psychiatric Evaluation Specialist (PES) to join our team!
The responsibilities of the Psychiatric Evaluation Specialist (PES) include providing mental status/diagnostic evaluations and related evidence-based interventions, suicide risk assessment, and mental health treatment planning for jail inmate-patients. The incumbent will monitor inmate-patients throughout their incarceration and may provide both individual and group treatment to improve the overall functioning of the inmate-patient. Additionally, to assist in more streamlined continuity of care, the incumbent will ensure appropriate referral to diversion or treatment and may provide testimony in court (ITA) regarding inmate-patients. The PES will make psychiatric housing decisions and refer inmates to community mental health providers or into involuntary treatment, as needed. Responsibilities will also include performing chart review / triage functions, providing training on areas of expertise, consultation with other professions, community outreach and engagement, and participating in ongoing process improvement efforts within King County Public Health and Jail Health Services.
Who May Apply:
This position is open to all qualified applicants.
Work Location:
King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Downtown Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent.
This position is considered “mission critical” by King CountyPublic Health. Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is theexpectation that patient assessment and care (face to face) remain a criticalfunction of this position. At this time there are not any PES staff thatexclusively telecommute, but telecommuting may constitute a portion of the workday (following patient encounters). Partial telecommuting is currently beingimplemented to encourage social distancing and the need for this will bere-evaluated over time.”
Some of the work associated with this position may be performed remotely, at least through July 5, 2021 in compliance with King County’s telecommuting mandate. Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. There will be situations where the employee is required to report to a County worksite. Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required by the department in alignment with the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer.

To support employees during this time King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.
Work Schedule:
This position will work a schedule determined by the program manager, based on need; i.e. current inmate population. The work hours will be 40 hours per week; days, evenings, and weekends.

Job Duties

• Initiate psychiatric assessments; conduct formal diagnostic assessment in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-5); provide evidence based individual and group therapeutic intervention based on the specific psychiatric needs of the inmate-patient; identify medical conditions and make referrals to medical professionals, chronic mental illness, developmental disability, suicide-risk and depressed inmates; determine need for involuntary treatment; develop a treatment plan; and provide witness testimony regarding patient's presentation and behavior.
  
• Assess substance dependence, abuse, intoxication, withdrawal, and other substance-related disorders. Provide brief interventions and refer appropriately for longer term care.
  
• Conduct case management and follow up. Work with Release Planners to ensure continuity of care and referral to community mental health services.
  
• Make psychiatric housing decisions within the jail; assess need for additional intervention and mental status evaluations and provide additional intervention(s) when needed; and track inmate-patient's progression through the legal system.
  
• Develop mental health treatment plans; communicate and coordinate care with Psychiatric Providers and other JHS staff; act as liaison between the inmate-patient, correctional staff and courts to ensure diversion or release for appropriate treatment.
  
• Lead regularly scheduled unit meetings to review cases and utilization of various treatment approaches.
  
• Provide in-service training to all health and corrections staff on various areas of expertise, including suicide prevention.
  
• Attend various community organizational meetings as representative of JHS and provide trainings on the operations and services of JHS.
  
• Review charts and evaluations performed by psychiatric hospital personnel and develop treatment plans and/or refer accordingly.
  
• Act as consultant to other disciplines (including the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention; DAJD) and professions on the presentation of mental illness in a correctional setting.
  
• Perform release interviews with inmate-patients and refer them to a Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) for additional evaluation, if necessary.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

• Master's or Doctoral degree in psychology, social work, clinical counseling, or a related field, from an accredited university.
  
• Independent licensure as a psychologist, mental health counselor, clinical independent social worker, marriage and family therapist or recognized alternate licensure.
  
• Working knowledge of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-5).
  
• Working knowledge and past experience with evidence-based practices for mood, psychotic, and personality disorders.
  
• Working knowledge of the principles of behavior and motivation.
  
• Working knowledge of psychiatric medication.
  
• Knowledge of the Washington State Criminal Code, rules of court procedure and legal definition of competency.
  
• Knowledge of community mental health resources and criteria for providing services.
  
• Working knowledge of personality disorders and malingering and how to differentiate these from other psychiatric disorders.
  
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
  
• Proven ability to make effective forensic assessments.
  
• Suicide-risk assessment skills.
  
• Demonstrated ability to perform psychological and behavioral interventions.
  
• Demonstrated skill in defusing hostile or violent behavior.
  
• Demonstrated ability to perform evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of inmate-patients.
  
• Demonstrated ability to detect the signs, symptoms and behavioral effects of depression, mental illness and poly-substance chemical dependency.
  
• Demonstrated skill in gathering clinical and psychiatric data to establish a diagnosis.
  
• Demonstrated skill in gathering and interpreting court and law enforcement records pertaining to a particular inmate-patient's case.
  
• Demonstrated skill in determining an inmate-patient's competency to participate in legal proceedings.
  

Desired Qualifications:

• Proficiency in a language other than English, particularly Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, African Languages, or Chinese Languages.
  
• Experience working in correctional facilities and/or inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
  
• Experience working with electronic medical record systems.
  
• Experience working on continuous process improvement systems.

Supplemental Information

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles-we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.
Application process:
Applications will be reviewed after the job posting closes. The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:
NEOGOV/Government Jobs on-line or paper application

• Supplemental questionnaire responses
• Resume
• Current BLS CPR certification is required for Healthcare Providers. (Please attach)

You may attach multiple documents if you wish:

Copy and paste one or more documents into the text resume section of the application.

• Attach multiple documents/files in the resume attachment section.

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the standard information in the application. Providing information only in a resume will not be considered a complete application.

Your application materials must validate your answers to the supplemental questions. If your answers cannot be validated, you will not proceed to the next steps of the process.

The selected candidate will be required to pass a thorough background investigation.

Your application materials must validate your answers to the supplemental questions. If your answers cannot be validated, you will not proceed to the next steps of the process.

The selected candidate will be required to pass a thorough background investigation.

This selection process may include but is not limited to: evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, testing and interviewing. For more information on our selection process, please refer to http://www.kingcounty.gov/jobs/applying.aspx

Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.

Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.

Current BLS CPR certification is required for Healthcare Providers.
Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.

Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.

Staff may be required to play an active role in the event of a public health emergency, which may include changes in responsibilities and working hours.

If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.

Applicants from this job posting may be used to fill temporary or other positions in this classification for a period of up to a year.
Additional Information:
Public Health - Jail Health Services follows and maintains federal and state requirements standards including, but not limited to, Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards which apply to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders. PREA standards preclude the department from hiring or promoting anyone who has engaged in, or been convicted of any conduct which would violate PREA standards related to sexual assault including:

• Sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution;
• Convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or,
• Has been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in the activity described above.

Additionally, PREA standards require that the department consider any incidents of sexual harassment involving an inmate or detainee in determining whether or not to hire or promote anyone.

The above is in compliance with PREA and its implementing regulations, 28 C.F.R. Part 115, Subpart A, Section 115.17, Hiring and Promotion Decisions.
Union Affiliation:
Positions in this classification are represented by the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, Local #21.
Contact:
For more information about the application process please contact Mark Lacy at Mlacy@kingcounty.gov.