Senior Client Support Specialist

Full Job Description

Starting salary up to $48.44/hour ($101,100/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

About the Position

The County of Sonoma seeks dedicated and skilled Senior Client Support Specialists (SCSS) to join the Department of Health Services across multiple critical community services programs. These positions offer a rewarding opportunity to work with individuals and families in our community. As a Senior Client Support Specialist, you will provide essential services in both crisis intervention and long-term support, working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to ensure clients receive the necessary care. Whether working in the call center, in the field, or in the office, you will be a key part of our crisis response efforts, ensuring timely, effective care for those in need. Additional duties may include:

• Providing treatment planning, rehabilitation services, and education on coping skills to clients and families
• Building rapport and establishing trusting relationships with clients, families, and clinical team members
• Linking clients and families with necessary community resources, including psychiatrists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals
• Supporting families and clients in navigating complex systems of care and their processes
• Conducting crisis evaluations, risk assessments, and de-escalation interventions to reduce risks of hospitalization, incarceration, and suicide
• Working collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams and community partners to ensure holistic care for clients
• Maintaining accurate case management documentation, using electronic health records and Microsoft Office applications
• Participating in regular re-assessments to evaluate client strengths and needs, adjusting care plans as necessary
• Transporting clients and working in the field as needed

As an ideal candidate to join our team, you will possess empathy, patience, and positivity, as well as many of the following:

• Knowledge of de-escalation techniques, risk assessment, and crisis management in a variety of settings
• A deep commitment to supporting youth, adults, and families in navigating behavioral health challenges, with empathy and patience
• Experience connecting clients with community resources and services
• Comfort with learning new systems, including electronic health records (SmartCare), and proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)
• Understanding of legal mandates, confidentiality, and HIPAA compliance, while ensuring the confidentiality and protection of client information
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team, providing input, support, and feedback
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and build rapport with diverse populations, all while maintaining a compassionate and supportive demeanor
• Analytical, problem-solving, time management, and negotiation skills
• Presentation/public speaking skills and effective and thorough writing skills
• Peer Support Specialist Certification is desired, but not required

Please note: Some positions are required to work evenings, overnights, holidays, and weekends due to the 24/7 program demands.

Program Information

While this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies in different programs, we are including programs below that currently have open positions to fill.

Whole Person Care (WPC) – Full-Time

WPC provides Enhanced Care Management (ECM) services through a Care Coordinator who connects eligible Medi-Cal members with doctors, medications, transportation, community-based services like housing and food, and mental health services.

Reporting to the WPC Health Program Manager and Sheriff's program staff, the Senior Client Support Specialist for the WPC Pre-Release program will work in the Main Adult Detention Facility (MADF/NCDF) jail modules and in the field, conducting discharge planning and coordinating services for inmates being released from the Facility.

The position assigned to WPC requires the ability to obtain an extensive "Security Clearance" post-hire in order to access the detention facility (Please see the Additional Information section further below).

This position will be required to work at least one weekend day. Remote work is not available for this assignment. Driver's License required.

Transitional Recovery (TR) – Extra-Help

TR provides case management support for our conserved adult clients who require extended facility-based treatment.

The team provides support to the clients requiring the highest level of care in our mental health system.

TR monitors client’s treatment and provide ongoing case management, working diligently to support client’s recovery in the least restrictive environment.

Reporting to a Health Program Manager, you will support clients by creating individualized goals, coordinating care with facilities and our internal interdisciplinary team, providing feedback about a client's readiness to step down to lower levels of care, end conservatorship, and re-integrate into the community.

Both in office and field work are required. Remote work is not available for this assignment. Driver's License required.

Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) – Extra-HelpCMHCs provide outreach and engagement and outpatient specialty mental health treatment services to adults living in four regionally-based areas of Sonoma County.

In addition to providing services to geographically-isolated adults with severe and persistent mental illness, CMHCs also provide services to people who are homeless and/or have co-occurring substance abuse disorder problems, and to locally underserved racially and ethnically diverse communities.

Reporting to a Health Program Manager, you will consult with partnering agencies, courts, community partners, and other Sonoma County Behavioral Health treatment teams.

Remote work is not available for this assignment. Driver's License required.

For more information about Behavioral Health Division's programs and services, please click on this link: County of Sonoma Behavioral Health.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities.

You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals and 12 paid holidays
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Staff Development/Wellness - Annual benefit allowances of up to $850 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits: Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief – County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

Extra-Help Employment

Extra-help employees relieve or augment permanent staff.

Temporary and intermittent, extra-help employees are not in the classified civil service and do not have property rights to permanently allocated positions.

In addition, they do not receive most employee benefits such as long-term disability insurance coverage, accrual of vacation, participation in the County retirement program, or eligibility to take promotional examinations.

Temporary, extra-help employees are limited in their employment to a maximum of one calendar year.

These employees must be off of work for three months before they can be re-employed on an extra help basis.

Intermittent, extra-help employees are limited in their employment to a maximum of 1,380 hours within any twelve-month consecutive period.

Extra-help employees who meet the eligibility requirements may qualify for a County contribution toward medical coverage.

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Additional information can be found in the Engineers and Scientists of California Union Local 20 Memorandum of Understanding (ESC MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

This recruitment is being conducted to fill one full-time and two extra-help (temporary) Senior Client Support Specialist positions in the Department of Health Services.

This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Requirements

Experience and Education: Any combination of training and experience that would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

Possession of a Bachelor Degree with significant coursework in community mental health, psychology, sociology, mental health or other closely related field of study. Experience as a Client Support Specialist, or the equivalent, may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
OR
Four years of paid experience working with adults diagnosed with a serious and persistent mental illness or children diagnosed with serious emotional disturbances that included independent interviewing, client plan development, and interventions in potentially destabilizing situations.
OR
Possession of current licensure in the State of California as a Licensed Psychiatric Technician and 2 years experience working with adults diagnosed with a serious and persistent mental or emotional condition, or with children diagnosed with serious emotional disturbances that included independent interviewing, client plan development, and interventions in potentially destabilizing situations.

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 require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Special Qualifications: Some positions may require the ability to speak and write fluently a language other than English.

Qualifications

Working Knowledge of: Community resources and services available to program clients; principles and techniques of case management and rehabilitative interventions; client legal rights; interviewing techniques, clinical and case management documentation; basic principles of individual and group behavior; principles and techniques of intervention in potentially destabilizing situations; counseling and basic interaction techniques related to the treatment of mentally or emotionally disturbed individuals; techniques and methods for overseeing and directing the daily activities of mentally and emotionally disturbed individuals; and the use of electronic information equipment and specific systems as used within the department.

Ability to: Develop and maintain the trust and cooperation of clients, their families and other significant care providers; interpret and apply County mental health program policies and procedures; analyze a client’s situation accurately and adopt an effective course of action; work with clients to resolve conflicts with other staff, care providers or family members; work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team; understand the legal mandates governing the storage of client records and information and the rights of the client to confidentiality; understand and apply the principles and techniques of case management and rehabilitative interventions with clients; effectively coordinate the delivery of mental health services; conduct basic interviews and counseling sessions and facilitate groups; communicate effectively with persons from a variety of social, cultural and economic backgrounds; evaluate situations and adopt effective course of action to prevent a crisis; identify and mobilize resources to meet client needs; speak and write in a manner necessary to fulfill job requirements; read, interpret, and apply complex regulations and reports.

Additional Information

• 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 will 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.

Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments.

This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process.

Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race.

This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

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 and 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 and 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 is 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.

For positions that are required to have access to Sheriff’s Office or Probation Department facilities, a more extensive “Security Clearance” will be performed after hire.

Successful completion of the probationary period may be contingent upon passing the security clearance, which may include completion and review of a Personal History Statement packet, Live Scan fingerprint-based criminal history checks, warrant checks, written reference checks, etc.* If you are offered apposition which requires a security clearance, the job offer letter will clearly specify this as a condition of the probationary period.

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: DP

HR Technician: PPB