Mental Health Specialist Trainee

Job Description:

Mental Health Specialist Trainee

Description

The Job

Be an agent of change and make a difference in delivering health and wellness to millions of residents.

Join a team who is passionate about the services they provide and is committed to making a difference throughout

San Bernardino County.

T he San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health invites qualified individuals to apply for the position of Mental Health Specialist Trainee. Mental Health Specialist Trainees assist licensed and pre-licensed professional staff in assessing, planning, and providing mental health services in clinic, institutional, field, and community settings. Mental Health Specialist Trainees provide crisis intervention and case management services; link clients to community resources; help clients solve problems with employment, housing and education; make placement arrangements; and advocate for client needs. They also may collaborate with target community, agencies, and individuals to inform them about and promote the use of mental health education programs and services; assist individuals and groups with recognizing and improving personal, home, family, or community environments contributing to mental health and/or substance use struggles; lead activity and task groups; and conduct individual/group counseling sessions. Trainees learn to perform these functions via on-the-job training.

The Department of Behavioral Health is also accepting applications for Mental Health Specialist . Please refer to the job title to be redirected to the corresponding application. Each position requires its own application.

For additional details, please refer to the Mental Health Specialist Trainee job description.

The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder services to county residents who are experiencing major mental illness or substance use related issues. DBH provides mental health and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services to all age groups, with a primary emphasis on treating children/youth who may be seriously emotionally disturbed, adults who are experiencing a serious and persistent mental illness, and individuals who are experiencing substance use disorders. DBH also provides an array of outreach/engagement, prevention, and early intervention services. DBH's core values are service, integrity, accountability, and trust.

DBH is a unique County Department comprised of eight (8) direct service areas: Community Outpatient and Transitional Age Youth Services; Children and Youth Collaborative Services; Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Services; 24-Hour and Specialty Services; Adult Justice Involved and Diversion Services; Medical Services; Community Engagement and Equity Services; Office of Patients' Rights and five (5) indirect service areas: Administrative and Fiscal Services; Public Relations and Outreach Services; Program Support Services; Disaster and Safety Unit; Office of Compliance. The Department currently has a workforce in excess of 1000 positions and an approximate $700 million-dollar annual budget.

Follow this link to learn more about the Department of Behavioral Health

Follow this link to learn more about San Bernardino County

The list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future vacancies as they occur throughout the Department.

HEALTH BENEFITS PAID TIME OFF RETIREMENT PERKS - Medical & Dental: Family Coverage
- Vision: Zero Cost for Employee Coverage
- Premium Subsidies: Offset health costs
- Flexible Spending Account: Pre-tax account for qualified healthcare expenses - Up to 4 weeks accruable vacation with Cash-Out Options*
- 11 Days Accruable Sick Leave
- 15 Paid Holidays
- Perfect Attendance Leave: Up to 16 Hours
- Flexible Work Schedules (in some departments) - Retirement Reciprocity (depending upon position assignment)
- Generous Pension
- 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan
- Retirement Medical Trust Fund

Review the job-specific Benefit Summary by following this Summary of Traditional Benefits
For additional Benefits details, please refer to the Memorandum of Understanding: Teamsters

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Pre-Employment Process: Prior to appointment, applicants must pass a background investigation, which includes fingerprinting, credit check, and/or medical exam, which may include drug and/or TB testing. Applicants must be a U.S. Citizen or a permanent U.S. resident.

Travel: Travel throughout the County may be required and employees will be required to make provisions for such transportation.

Availability: Some programs offer 24-hour services; some assignments may require employees to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and on-call.

Sponsorship: San Bernardino County is not able to consider candidates who will require visa sponsorship at the time of application or in the future.

Minimum Requirements

Must meet one (1) of the following options:

Option 1: Thirty (30) semester (45 quarter) units of completed coursework from an accredited college in behavioral or social science.

Option 2: Sixty (60) semester (90 quarter units) of completed coursework from an accredited college, which includes 15 semester (23 quarter) units in behavioral or social science.

Note: A list of coursework or copies of transcripts MUST be submitted with the application for applicants who do not possess a Bachelor's degree in behavioral or social science. Psychiatric Tech courses and Alcohol and Drug Certificate courses completed as part of a vocational program are acceptable and will be evaluated for equivalent units.

Note: Applicants who have completed a Bachelor's degree in behavioral or social science may list their degree on the application in lieu of providing coursework.

Option 3T: Two (2) years of work experience as a Peer and Family Advocate or equivalent position. Applicants qualifying under Option 3T will have six (6) years from hire date to obtain one (1) of the education requirements for the Mental Health Specialist classification.

Desired Qualifications

Applicants fluent in American Sign Language, Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, and/or Vietnamese are strongly encouraged to apply. Additional compensation is associated with positions requiring the use of bilingual skills. Testing of bilingual skills may be required to receive additional compensation.

Applicants with consumer advocacy backgrounds are also encouraged to apply.

Selection Process

Application Procedure : There will be an online examination which will consist of an evaluation of knowledge and skills on the following topics:

• Mental Health Specialist Concepts
• Interviewing
• Interpersonal Relations

Important: The ability to take pre-employment tests online is a privilege. Please do not take advantage of this benefit. Also, be aware that applicants may be required to take parallel versions of these tests in a proctored setting in order to confirm their identities as the original test takers.

Please ensure all relevant experience is indicated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire, as resumes and other attachments WILL NOT be reviewed.

Please complete and submit the online employment application and supplemental questionnaire by the posted closing date.

Completing your application with statements such as "see/refer to resume" or "see attached" rather than completing your work history may affect your eligibility. Be sure to clearly describe your experience in meeting the minimum requirements.

If you need technical assistance, follow this link to review the Government Jobs online application guide or contact their Toll-Free Applicant Support line at (855) 524-5627. Please note that Human Resources is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by your internet connection, computer, or browser when submitting an application.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) / Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): San Bernardino County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with DisabilitiesAct (ADA) compliant employer, dedicated to ensuring equal employment opportunities for allemployees and applicants.

ADA Accommodation: If you have a disability and need accommodations during the testing process, please submit the Special Testing Accommodations Request Form (Download PDF) within one week of the recruitmentfiling deadline.

Veterans' Preference: Eligible veterans, their spouses, or widows/widowers who are not current County employees mayreceive additional Veterans' Preference points. For details and instructions on how to request thesepoints, please refer to the Veterans' Preference Information (Download PDF) .

For more important details, review the Applicant Information and County Employment Process .

Administrative Services Unit

The County of San Bernardino offers a range of benefit programs for employees and their eligible dependents. These include health, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as a variety of voluntary benefits. Programs and benefit amounts vary and are based on bargaining unit, family size, hire date, plan selection, and number of hours worked.

For a summary of benefits, please click here .

Refer to the appropriate MOU, contact the County's Employee Benefits and Services Division at (909) 387-5787 or visit the Benefits website for more detailed information at hr.sbcounty.gov/employee-benefits/ .

Closing Date/Time: 6/6/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

Salary:

$41,308.80 - $55,494.40 Annually