Health Care Principal Professional - Crisis Counselor

Job Summary

The Hospital Follow-Up Program (HFUP) is a statewide program within the Department of Psychiatry that provides caring contact, telephonic and virtual follow-up, and care coordination support to individuals after behavioral health crises. This position will play a key role in expanding follow-up services for adults with substance use disorders and substance-related behavioral health crises after emergency department and hospital encounters across Colorado, including rural and frontier communities.

This position is a Crisis Specialist who must rapidly evaluate complex behavioral health and substance use-related situations, develop and support appropriate interventions, and facilitate safe and effective care transitions following discharge. This role will act as a subject matter expert for the program and will provide comprehensive crisis intervention, de-escalation support, risk assessment, and care coordination through a culturally responsive and compassionate lens. The position will also support the development, organization, and ongoing refinement of a more structured statewide behavioral health care navigation resource, including referral pathways and resource information that can be used by HFUP staff and hospital and emergency department providers.

This position is grant-funded for a 2-year timeframe.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide timely, recovery-oriented follow-up to adults after substance-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and other behavioral health crises.
• Conduct telephonic and virtual outreach to support engagement during the high-risk period following discharge.
• Act as a subject matter expert for complex adult behavioral health and substance use follow-up cases.
• Rapidly assess complex behavioral health situations and develop appropriate intervention, de-escalation, and referral responses.
• Provide suicide, substance use, and other behavioral health risk assessments telephonically and virtually, consistent with program protocols.
• Support safety planning, stabilization, and connection to appropriate levels of outpatient behavioral health, primary care, substance use treatment, recovery services, and other community-based supports.
• Provide care coordination for adults with complex psychosocial, behavioral health, and substance use needs.
• Help identify barriers to care and support practical, person-centered strategies to improve connection to treatment and recovery-oriented services.
• Help develop and disseminate client and provider facing materials that support motivation, safety planning, and connection to care after discharge.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Location

Remote - this role is eligible to work remotely, however the employee must be in Colorado to attend in person meetings and trainings.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social work, counseling, psychology or relevant field from an accredited institution
• 3 years of experience working in a health care setting, which includes 1 year of crisis intervention experience.
• A combination of education and related technical/military/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for a bachelor's degree on a year for year basis.

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with adults with substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health conditions, and recovery principles.
• Experience supporting individuals after emergency department visits, hospital discharge, or other acute behavioral health crises.
• Experience with behavioral health care coordination, case management, or service navigation.
• Experience developing, maintaining, or using behavioral health referral resources or community resource databases.
• Experience working with rural, frontier, or underserved populations.
• CAC, CAS, LAC, or related behavioral health/substance use credentials.
• Experience in a call center environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Cultural competence in working with a variety of populations.
• Effective communication.
• Ability to navigate complex healthcare systems.
• Ability to navigate behavioral health, substance use treatment, recovery, and community-based service systems.
• Ability to support effective referrals and reduce barriers to connection with care.
• Ability to organize, evaluate, and maintain accurate referral and resource information.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees at all levels throughout the institution and with external partners.
• Outstanding customer service skills.

Anticipated Pay Range

HIRING RANGE: This is a grant funded position with the yearly salary set at $84,795.

How to Apply

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

1. Curriculum vitae / Resume
2. Three to five professional references, including name, address, phone number (mobile number if appropriate), and email address

Questions should be directed to: Samantha Martin, samantha.2.martin@cuanschutz.edu