Introduction
Are you looking for an opportunity to lead a dynamic crisis response team and make a meaningful impact in your community?
Join us and help shape the future of mobile behavioral health services in Connecticut!
This position will require the selected candidate to be certified by DMHAS to write Emergency Certificates. This certification may be obtained either prior to or after hire.
HIGHLIGHTS
- FACILITY: River Valley Services (RVS)
- LOCATION: 351 Silver Street, Middletown, CT
- UNIT: Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) services and support Mobile Response Team (MRT) operations.
- POSITION NUMBER: 00026269
- SCHEDULE: Monday-Friday, 10AM-6:30PM
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
THE ROLE
- Oversee clinicians embedded within municipal law enforcement agencies and State Police barracks throughout Middlesex County, providing supervision, staff development, training, performance evaluations, clinical consultation, and support for crisis response services.
- Conduct mobile crisis assessments, participate on agency committees, coordinate with law enforcement and community providers, and provide rotating evening and weekend on-call coverage for the agency.
- Ensure timely, effective interventions for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises and help promote positive outcomes for both individuals and the community.
- We are seeking an experienced behavioral health professional with strong clinical leadership skills, crisis intervention expertise, and a commitment to collaborative, recovery-oriented care.
ABOUT US
DMHAS is the state agency responsible for providing a comprehensive system of behavioral health services for adults experiencing mental health and substance use conditions across Connecticut. DMHAS works to ensure accessible, recovery-oriented, and evidence-based care through community programs, state-operated services, and partnerships with local providers. The agency is committed to improving outcomes for individuals with severe and persistent behavioral health needs by coordinating services, promoting early access to care, and supporting safe transitions across levels of treatment.
River Valley Services (RVS), a community mental health center serving Middlesex County and the towns of Lyme and Old Lyme, is operated by the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). RVS’s goal is to provide the highest quality crisis intervention, case management, and residential and clinical services to adult citizens, 18 years of age and older, who suffer from serious mental disorders and who lack the financial means to secure such services in the private sector.
Services are directed at improving clients’ quality of life and fostering dignity, ability, and recovery. We are dedicated to promoting a complete and responsive service system for our clients and others in need. All persons receiving services from River Valley Services have the right to culturally appropriate mental health and addiction services consistent with their communication needs and personal preferences. Translation and interpreter services are available at RVS.
Selection Plan
FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:
Check out our Applicant Tips on How to Apply! Need more resources? Visit our Applicant Toolkit for additional support throughout the recruitment process.
BEFORE YOU APPLY:
- Meet Minimum Qualifications: Ensure you meet the Minimum Qualifications listed on the job opening by the job closing date. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements listed must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
- Educational Credits: List your earned credits and degrees from accredited institutions accurately on your application. To receive educational credits towards qualification, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the contact listed below by the closing date listed on the job posting.
- Resume Policy: Per Public Act 21-69, resumes are not accepted during the initial application process. As the recruitment process progresses, candidates may be required to submit additional documentation to support their qualification(s) for this position. This documentation may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the request and discretion of the hiring agency.
- Preferred Shift/Location: Select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
- Timely Submission: All application materials must be received by the job posting deadline. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State. Late submissions are rarely accepted, with exceptions only for documented events that incapacitate individuals during the entire duration of the job posting. Request exceptions by emailing DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
- Salary Calculations: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.
- Note: The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center job posting.
AFTER YOU APPLY:
- Some email providers may experience delays or issues delivering messages. To avoid missing important updates—such as referral questionnaires or interview scheduling links—please check your Personal Status Board regularly.
- For added convenience, you can also enable text (SMS) notifications. To do this, log in to your Personal Status Board and select “Update My Contact Information.”
- Referral Questions: This posting may require completion of additional Referral Questions (RQs), which must be completed by the questionnaire’s expiration date. If requested, RQs can be accessed via an email sent to you after the job close date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section).
- Prepare For An Interview: Interviews are limited to those whose experience and training are most aligned with the role. To prepare, review this helpful Interview Preparation Guide to make the best impression!
- Stay connected! Log in daily to your JobAps Personal Status Board to track your status and check email (including spam/junk folders) for updates and tasks.
- The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
- Note: This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State employees, available at www.ct.gov/ethics.
QUESTIONS? WE’RE HERE TO HELP:
Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt or provide status updates directly. For recruitment updates, please check your Personal Status Board and review our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions about the recruitment process, reach out to Anamaria Giangarra at Anamaria.giangarra@ct.gov
Join the State of Connecticut and take your next career step with confidence!
PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)
In a state agency this class is accountable for providing supervision and direction of a clinical unit.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
- Schedules, assigns and oversees work of staff;
- Assists in developing unit goals and objectives;
- Assists in recruitment, selection, training and development of staff;
- Conducts performance evaluations;
- Determines priorities and plans, coordinates and supervises unit activities;
- Develops relationships with and acts as liaison to other operating units, agencies and outside officials, community representatives and customers;
- Assists in mediating conflict impacting on service recipients;
- Assists in ensuring staff ability to access and employ community resources;
- Assists in integrating community resources into service planning and delivery;
- Identifies barriers and assists in developing strategies and solutions for improving client care;
- Prepares reports; may assist in developing performance standards;
- May prospectively review and monitor client care for clients to determine clinical necessity and effectiveness of care;
- May educate providers on principles of managed care and its impact on client care;
- May perform clinical direct care duties as needed;
- Performs other related duties.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY
- Considerable knowledge of
- relevant agency policies and procedures;
- mental health treatment, principles and values of community based care;
- psychiatric rehabilitation principles;
- entitlement and benefit programs;
- variety of intervention and support strategies;
- Knowledge of
- relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations;
- societal, cultural and gender issues and impact on mental illness;
- psychotropic medications;
- impact of housing and homelessness on the mentally ill;
- Considerable
- interpersonal skills;
- oral and written communications skills;
- facilitation, collaboration and conflict resolution skills;
- Ability to
- identify and articulate philosophical foundations for specific program models or service approaches;
- delegate authority;
- plan and organize effectively;
- integrate community resources into service planning;
- develop and maintain effective relationships with community representatives and staff;
- Supervisory ability.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE
Seven (7) years of professional health care experience in a psychiatric setting.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE
Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been at a lead level responsible for coordinating the work of a unit or team of professionals in a psychiatric setting.
NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of an Advanced Clinical Social Worker for social work discipline, Head Nurse for the nursing discipline, an Advanced Professional Counselor and an Advanced Marital and Family Therapist.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED
- College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
- A Master's Degree in a health care field related to one of the disciplines in the Special Experience may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience providing care & supervising the provision of care to adults with mental health disorders, substance use disorders and/or trauma.
- Experience providing community-based risk assessments.
- Experience working in close collaboration with law enforcement.
- Experience working on a mobile crisis team.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
- Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a current license as a Clinical Social Worker, a licensed Marital and Family Therapist, a licensed Professional Counselor, a Registered Nurse in the State of Connecticut or hold a Multistate or Compact Registered Nurse license. The license required for direct supervision of clinical oversight will be dictated by the functions of the assigned unit or program.
- Incumbents in this class may be required to possess certification as a clinical supervisor by the Connecticut Certification Board.
- Incumbents in this class may be required to be bilingual or fluent in American Sign Language.
- Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Incumbents in this class may be required to lift and restrain clients, may have significant exposure to communicable and/or infectious diseases and risk of injury and may be exposed to strongly disagreeable conditions.
Conclusion
AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.