San Mateo County Health

Description

Would you like to make a difference in the lives of youth and adults in the Coastside Community and help the community access mental health care? Are you ready to take a leadership role in behavioral health?

Featured here: San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Coastside Clinic team members.

San Mateo County's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Coastside Clinic, located at the heart of beautiful Half Moon Bay, has a career opportunity for a Mental Health Program Specialist seeking an active leadership role in the delivery of behavioral health services to a culturally diverse, rural community, including immigrants, first and second generation Latinx youth and adults, migrant farmworkers, rural working class, and other underserved clients who face barriers to seeking and connecting to mental health services.

"Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to make a difference — whether supporting a client in stabilizing their life or empowering a team member to thrive. As a Mental Health Program Specialist, you become a bridge between care and change, improving lives and strengthening our community. One of the most valuable aspects of this role is the preparation it provides for running a clinic by supporting the Supervising Clinician. When I was ready to advance in the agency, this experience was a huge advantage. If you enjoy a dynamic role where your impact is felt daily, this is the place for you." — Martin C.

What we offer:

• Opportunity to start on a path to leadership in behavioral health
• Opportunity to enhance program management skills
• Opportunity to supervise and mentor licensed and license-eligible providers
• Opportunity to contribute towards the continuous development of a culturally responsive, trauma-informed entry to care system
• A relaxed and supportive multicultural team environment
• Opportunity to work in a close-knit rural community and develop close partnerships with community service agencies
• Diverse, and rich experiences in working with youth and adults seeking mental health treatment, in an outpatient setting
• Participation in health equity initiatives to address race disparities
• Opportunities to work with LGBTQ population
• Excellent training opportunities towards Continuing Education requirements for continued licensure
• Tuition Reimbursement, Education Leave
• A Qualifying site for participation in student loan repayment programs
• Wellness Program
• Flexible schedules, hybrid telework up to 2 days a week
• Mileage reimbursement and County cars available
• Competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits and pension plan for regular employees

Interested in learning more?

Join our virtual info session on August 18, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. PST on LinkedIn Live to hear from the hiring team, ask questions, and get tips on how to apply. Click here to register!

What we are seeking:

The position is a Full time Mental Health Program Specialist to coordinate and oversee Entry to Care services and provide clinical and/or administrative supervision to Youth clinical staff, Peer Specialists and Family partner.

Entry to Care is a county wide service provided by Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) to San Mateo County residents seeking behavioral health services. These services provide a San Mateo County resident direct access to a mental health clinician to determine needs and will then be linked to appropriate services.

The Mental Health Program Specialist, under general supervision

• Oversees the daily operations of all entry to care for Youth, Adult and Interface clients including supervision of Entry to Care clinicians
• Provides routine clinical case consultation and support to clinicians serving Youth with severe emotional disturbances (SED)
• Provides direct clinical care to a caseload of youth with severe emotional disturbance
• Coordinates Peer Support and Family Partner services and supervises Peer and Family Partner staff
• Provides daily on-site leadership
• Represents the clinic agency wide meetings
• Liaisons and collaborates with referring community agencies, including primary care

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills:

• Proficiency in providing both mental health and substance use treatment services and clinical case management in a clinical setting.
• Knowledge of current best practices in the fields of mental health and co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions.
• Ability to communicate well in groups or community settings and can successfully build relationships with partners, both within and outside of BHRS.
• Assist in program development and quality improvement of services.
• Ability to supervise multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural staff.
• Ability to provide leadership and promote quality improvement process, as well as an ability to negotiate, solve complex problems, and resolve conflict.
• Knowledge of the San Mateo County services and resources for individuals with mental health, substance use and co-occurring disorders.
• Interest and skills in program development and staff training.
• Strong crisis management and supervisory skills including providing clinical supervision to licensed and licensed eligible staff.
• Strong organizational skills, with an ability to work with the “big picture” of systems change, while managing many levels of detail in implementation.
• Experience working with both youth and adults, and diverse populations such as Latinx, African American and Pacific Islander communities.
• If applicable, demonstrate ability to provide clinical services using bilingual skills for monolingual Spanish speaking clients.
• At least two years post licensure experience providing direct clinical care to youth and adults.

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

Working at the Coastside Clinic in Half Moon Bay offers stunning ocean views during your scenic commute. You'll enjoy ample parking for staff and patients, making for an easy start to your day. The clinic is nestled in a friendly community, fostering a supportive work environment and meaningful connections.

Examples Of Duties

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

• Coordinate assigned program activities with services provided by and responsibilities of the Division's Regional clinics, private service providers, schools, state institutions and other public or community agencies.
• Establish and maintain program procedures which are consistent with Federal, State and local laws governing mental health services.
• Monitor and consult with contract providers to ensure compliance with services requested by the County and help determine jointly beneficial solutions to problem areas.
• Research and prepare grant proposals for specific mental health projects.
• Consult with schools and other public agencies regarding the assigned program and provide the proper program supervision and liaison to the contractors.
• Evaluate and integrate changes in legislation into the program procedures.
• Provide clinical consultation to various agencies.
• Evaluate employee performance of subordinates assigned to program.
• Compile data and prepare program evaluations and other reports.
• Managing Same-Day Assessments (occurs when clients seek services with the clinic and initiates process to see if they meet criteria for services).
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Licensure/Certification:

• California license as one of the following: 1) Clinical Social Worker; 2) Marriage and Family Therapist; or 3) Clinical Psychologist.

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 three years of experience as a Mental Health professional.

Knowledge of:

• Principles, techniques and practices of program management and delivery.
• Principles and practices of employee supervision and training.
• Applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations and County policies and guidelines.
• Individual, group and family psychodynamics.
• Psychological diagnostic methods and terminology.
• Current principles and practices of psychiatric casework.
• Human and health services systems in the County including private agencies and other community resources.
• Various methods used in individual and group therapies such as role playing, play, art and milieu.
• Methods and techniques used in mental health education.

Skill/Ability to:

• Plan, assign, supervise, review and evaluate the work of interdisciplinary subordinates.
• Train staff in work procedures and provide technical and programmatic assistance to staff and subcontractors.
• Analyze, interpret and apply various regulations, requirements and/or clinical approaches.
• Prepare grant proposals and written reports.
• Set realistic treatment goals and facilitate their attainment.
• Evaluate patients/clients’ degree of mental disability or emotional distress.
• Communicate effectively in writing and orally and make public presentations as needed.
• Establish and maintain effective and cooperative relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within general policy and regulatory guidelines.

Application/Examination

Open and Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours)of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, Confidential and Management extra-help/limited term, and SEIU or AFSCME represented extra help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (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 San Mateo County, 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. A supplemental application form must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. Resume or CV will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Wednesday, August 27, 2025 by 11:59 PM PST

APPLICATION SCREENING: September 3, 2025

COMBINED PANEL/DEPARTMENTAL INTERVIEWS: September 11, 2025

About the County

San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 770,000 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 is committed to advancing equity in order 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 committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels.

HR Contact: Carolyn Burns (080625) (Mental Health Program Specialist - G081)

We invite you to explore our Benefits-at-a-Glance (Download PDF reader) page for a snapshot of the comprehensive and competitive benefits available to eligible employees of the County of San Mateo. From health and wellness to financial security, our benefits are designed to support you at every stage of your career. (Please note that benefits are subject to change.)

In addition to core benefits, the County is proud to offer a variety of wellness and professional development programs to help you grow both personally and professionally. Most of these enriching opportunities are available during work hours and come at no cost to you.

As a County employee, you’ll also be covered by the federal Social Security system, earning valuable retirement benefits based on your salary and years of service.

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