Case Manager/Dispatcher MCOT

Job Title: Case Manager/Dispatcher – Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT)

Department: MCOT

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Reports To:  Mobile Crisis Program Manager

Hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8:00am to 8:00pm

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.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be assigned which may become essential to the position. 

This position demands instant rapport-building with strangers in vulnerable mental states, engagement and assessment skills, de-escalation skills, knowledge of and navigation of community resources, and public speaking activities.  A central aim is to provide exceptionally caring and effective responses to calls for help and to improve outcomes for people experiencing thoughts of suicide, traumatic stress, serious mental illnesses, addictions, and severe life stressors. A secondary aim is to aid and influence the systems involved in crisis management to improve prevention, early intervention, crisis responses, and transitions in care during and following a crisis. Essential duties are detailed below:

Provide direct case management and recovery support services to people/families in a safe, professional, and culturally competent manner. Work together as a team with other MCOT staff too:

• 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. This includes identifying areas of