Supervising Mental Health Clinician-Primary Care Interface Team (Departmental Promotional Only)

Full Job Description

San Mateo County Health's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Division is seeking a well-qualified individual for the position of Supervising Mental Health Clinician – Primary Care Interface Team.

About the Role

Join BHRS as a Supervising Mental Health Clinician and lead an innovative, high-impact program that serves as a key entry point to behavioral health services for thousands of individuals each year.

This role is central to integrated care, bridging behavioral health and primary care to ensure patients receive timely, evidence-based, and trauma informed services while remaining connected to their medical home.

This position provides clinical and administrative oversight across six embedded primary care clinics and leads a team that includes psychiatrists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, case managers, medical office assistants, health counselors, community workers/peer specialists with lived experience and clinical interns.

The role also requires close collaboration with internal BHRS programs and external partners, including San Mateo Medical Center (SMMC) and the Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM).

As a leadership role overseeing approximately 2,600 referrals annually, this position plays a pivotal role in shaping integrated care workflows and advancing community health outcomes across San Mateo County. This position is part of the BHRS Medical Team that reports to the BHRS Medical Director.

This role offers meaningful opportunities for professional growth and leadership development within a mission-driven, community focused environment.

Program Overview

This Primary Care Interface Program uses a brief treatment model to provide rapid access to behavioral health services, improve engagement, and support positive clinical outcomes while keeping patients connected to their primary care providers.

The program operates across two electronic health record systems (Avatar and EPIC) to support seamless coordination between behavioral health and medical providers.

Through this multidisciplinary, integrated approach, the program serves individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and co-occurring disorders and functions as a key entry point to the broader behavioral health system.

Key Responsibilities

As the Supervising Mental Health Clinician, responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide clinical and administrative supervision to clinicians embedded in six primary care clinics.
• Oversee direct and indirect reports, ensuring high-quality care and adherence to clinical standards.
• Plan, implement and coordinate all unit related activity.
• Manage an entry-to-care program with approximately 2,600 referrals annually using a brief treatment model.

• Foster cross-collaboration across clinics, behavioral health programs, and SMMC and HPSM partners.
• Facilitate development of training programs for staff and interns and support clinicians in delivering evidence-based interventions for common mental health conditions.
• Facilitate case consultations, team meetings, and training sessions.
• Conduct therapy for individuals, couples and families; make diagnoses.
• Ensure accurate documentation and compliance across Avatar and EPIC EHR systems adhering to state and division policy and procedures.
• Monitor program performance and contribute to workflow and quality improvements efforts.
• Conduct annual or as-needed performance evaluations for supervisees.
• Track and report data for established and pilot programs to leadership.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• At least two (2) years of post-licensure clinical experience providing direct mental health services, with crisis-related work preferred.
• Strong supervisory skills, including at least two (2) years of experience providing administrative and clinical supervision to mental health clinicians and paraprofessionals, including team development and support for complex client needs.
• Knowledge of program management techniques and practices.
• Expertise in clinical work with youth and adults with serious mental illness, including co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
• Knowledge of system of care principles and crisis continuum of care, including inpatient and outpatient clinical settings.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with consumers, families, professionals, primary care partners, BRHS programs, Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES), homeless services providers, and community partners.
• Ability to make sound, timely decisions, often in high pressure or crises situations.
• Knowledge of evidence-based clinical practice modalities, such as motivational interviewing, solution-focused brief treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy, wellness and recovery principles, and trauma informed care.
• Knowledge of Medi-Cal and Medicare regulations and managed mental health care.
• Strong working knowledge of Avatar, EPIC and other tools or databases used by BHRS for information and charting.

NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.

Requirements

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Serve as the Unit Chief, planning, assigning, training, and supervising inter-disciplinary mental health staff and interns.
• Plan, implement and coordinate unit operations and activities.
• Participate in administrative meetings to support program planning and operational review.
• Establish and maintain program procedures which are consistent with federal, state and local laws governing mental health services.
• Maintain unit records and collect statistical data for routine, evaluative and research purposes.
• Research and prepare grant proposals for specific mental health initiatives.
• Lead clinical meetings focused on treatment planning and accountable case disposition.
• Develop and facilitate training programs for staff and interns.
• Provide therapy to individuals, couples and families, including diagnostic assessments.
• Perform case management functions, as appropriate.
• Ensure patient documentation complies with state and division policies.
• Provide both client-centered and program-centered consultation and community education to external agencies and partners.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Department Status: Only current County of San Mateo employees in San Mateo County Health with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date may apply.

Licensure/Certification:

Education and Experience:

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

• Master's degree in a mental health specialty, such as social work, nursing, or clinical counseling and;
• Two years of professional post-graduate experience in a mental health setting.

Knowledge of:

• Master's degree in a mental health specialty, such as social work, nursing, or clinical counseling and
• two years of professional post-graduate experience in a mental health setting.
• Basic program management techniques and practices.
• Principles and practices of supervision and training.
• Human and health services system in the county including private agencies and their community resources.
• Current philosophy, principles and practices for services to clients with serious mental illness.
• Legal and policy aspects of community mental health methods.
• Techniques of family, individual and group counseling and diagnosis.
• Individual, group and family psychodynamics.
• Current principles and practices of psychiatric casework.
• Mental health consultation and education.
• Problems, needs, attitudes and behavior patterns of patients/clients.

Skill/Ability to:

• Supervise, train and evaluate inter-disciplinary staff.
• Work collaboratively with other senior professionals in planning and developing programs of a geographic or service unit.
• Prepare and deliver written and oral reports.
• Plan, implement and evaluate all operations of a geographic or service unit.
• Provide treatment to adults and/or children/adolescents with various dysfunctions.
• Establish and maintain objective working relationships with clients/patients, other professionals, and the public.
• Evaluate degree of mental disability or emotional distress of patients/clients.

Additional Information

Departmental Promotional Only. Only current County of San Mateo employees in San Mateo County Health with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date may apply.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%).

Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification.

All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination.

All examinations will be given in the County of San Mateo, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the “Apply” button.

If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply.

Responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted in addition to the standard County employment application form.

A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required application materials. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

Tentative Recruitment Timeline
Final Filing Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026, by 11:59PM PST
Application Screening: Friday, February 20, 2026
Panel Interviews: Week of February 23, 2026

About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment.

The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.