PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORK CONSULTANT

Position/Program Information

EXAM NUMBER
b9037A

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT
Open Competitive-Everyone welcome

WHEN TO APPLY
The application filing period will begin on September 30, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. (PT) - Continuous. We will keep accepting applications until the position is filled. The application window may close unexpectedly once we have enough qualified candidates.

WHY WORK FOR US?
With more than 10 million residents, Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the nation! As the largest employer in Southern California, over 116,000 employees in more than 38 Departments, we provide vital public services as diverse as law enforcement, property assessment, public health protection, water conservation, cultural activities and many more.

We are dedicated professionals committed to preserving the dignity and integrity of the workplace as well as protecting the rights of each employee. The County has more than 2,300 different job descriptions, offering a lifetime of opportunities and careers! We offer one of the strongest public-sector benefits packages in the country. Join us and discover a rich selection of health care options, robust retirement plans and the flexibility to work, relax, and rejuvenate to reach your fullest personal and professional potential.
CHECK OUT OUR OUTSTANDING BENEFITS!
The County of Los Angeles offers an excellent benefits package that includes a Cafeteria Benefit Plan, Contributory Defined Benefit Retirement Plan, Deferred Compensation & Thrift Plans, and 13 paid Holidays. Click here to see a list of employee benefits.

DEFINITION :
Acts as a consultant for the psychiatric social work component of health and mental health care programs involving interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS: Positions allocable to this class are distinguished by their primary responsibility for providing consultative services to social work staff, staff of other disciplines, personnel of public agencies and private organizations and agencies regarding various County-wide mental health programs and mental health treatment. Consultant positions receive administrative and minimal technical direction from higher-level administrative social work positions; also, they may report to physicians or general high-level administrative personnel. Positions allocable to this class are typically located in assignments which primarily require the provision of consultative services in connection with the psychiatric social work service component of a mental health program and to local agencies and organizations concerning the mental health needs of their clients and patients. However, these positions also, they may be located in assignments which require the provision of consultative services concentrated on program development and evaluation of mental health services for a specific target population, County-wide, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Positions in this class are distinguished from other professional social work positions which are responsible primarily for direct service to patients, supervision, or administration of social work services, and may provide consultation only as an ancillary part of their primary function. Consultant positions may provide direct service to patients as an integral part of providing consultation services related to training of professional social work staff and staff of allied health disciplines, and advisement concerning assessment and treatment of mental and emotional illness.

Essential Job Functions

Provides consultation services to professional social work staff, interdisciplinary staff, resident staff in psychiatry, graduate students in social work and ancillary disciplines and personnel of public and private agencies concerning assessment of mental and emotional illness, development of treatment plans, treatment techniques and methods, and availability and effectiveness of community resources.

Participates in the formulation of mental health services programs and policies, in the development of procedures and changes in such programs, and in the implementation and evaluation of the psychiatric social work component and the program as a whole.

Evaluates the contribution of psychiatric social work services to program objectives in a continuing effort to elevate service and promote economy and efficiency of operation.

Develops training and orientation materials, and conducts training sessions, workshops and seminars concerning the identification and treatment of specific mental problems and emotional disorders for professional and para-professional social work staff and other staff involved in mental health treatment.

Consults with representatives of other disciplines, departments, agencies, or community organizations to advise the consultee on the utilization of mental health principles relative to the recognition and treatment of mental health problems of individuals served by the program or agency.

Serves as a technical resource person for public and private agencies regarding County, State, and Federal regulations concerning mental health services as well as professional standards, goals, and objectives in the implementation of mental health programs.

Prepares activity reports, articles, and research summaries for publication.

Requirements

HOW DO I QUALIFY:
Master's degree* from an accredited college or university in Social Work, including supervised field work experience in psychiatric social work -AND- four years' professional social work experience in a recognized social service agency, clinic, hospital, or public health agency involving problems of mental or emotional adjustment and the use of psychiatric consultation. Two years of the experience must have been in a mental health setting in a hospital, clinic, or day treatment center; one year of which must have been in an independent capacity at the level of Psychiatric Social Worker II* performing work which included providing mental health consultation. One additional year of the required experience will be accepted for the supervised fieldwork.

**Psychiatric Social Worker II is defined as p erforms a wide variety of professional social work services in connection with the treatment of clients in need of mental health services.

ENDORESEMENT OF COUNTY QUALIFICATIONS:
If you performed work that differs from the duties described in your class specification and you believe qualifies you for this opportunity, please describe the out-of-class duties in detail in the Work Experience and Supplemental Questions sections of their application.

LICENSE :
License as a Clinical Social Worker issued by the California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners.

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
PHYSICAL EXPECTATIONS:
PHYSICAL CLASS 2-LIGHT-This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION
In order to receive credit for any college or university course, or any type of college or university degree, such as Master's or higher, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma or official transcripts from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization with your application at the time of filing or within seven (7) calendar days from the date of filing application. Please submit documentation to Exams@dmh.lacounty.gov and indicate your name, and exam title: Psychiatric Social Worker Consultant, exam# b9037A when sending required documents by email. Unofficial transcripts will not be accepted to meet the educational requirement . We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.

Official transcripts must show the date of graduation and conferral of degree to be accepted as Proof of Education. The document should be in English; if it is in a foreign language, it must be translated and evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. For more information on our standards for educational documents, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/070812_PPG123.pdf (Download PDF reader) and https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205105_PPG_123_ACE_Resource_Guide.pdf

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
-Experience providing clinical services in any of the following areas:
a. Birth to Five Mental Health Services

b. Perinatal Mental Health Service

c. Co-occurring intellectual and developmental disabilities (CO-IDD)

d. Suicide Prevention/Postvention services
-Experience in providing trainings or clinical consultation
-Experience working collaboratively on multi-disciplinary teams, to advocate for underserved individuals, families and young children.
-Experience in public speaking

Additional Information

OUR ASSESSMENT PROCESS:
This examination will consist of an evaluation of education, experience, and desirable qualifications based upon application information and supplemental questionnaire at the time of filing weighted 100%. Additional credit will be given for desirable qualifications. In order to be placed on the eligible register, achieving a passing score of 70% or higher is required.

SPECIAL INFORMATION
Past and present mental health clients, parents, and family members are encouraged to apply.

ELIGIBILITY AND VACANCY INFORMATION
Applications will be processed as they are received and added to the list accordingly. Candidates who passed the assessment are placed on a list in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months. We will use this list to fill vacancies as they occur. No person may compete in this examination more than once every twelve months.

AVAILABLE SHIFT
Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends or holidays.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION
Applicants are required to complete and submit an online Los Angeles County Employment Application AND Supplemental Questionnaire in order to be considered for this examination. Paper applications, resumes, or any unsolicited documents will not be accepted in lieu of completing the online application and Supplemental Questionnaire. We must receive your application during the filing period.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING ONLINE
Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" tab for this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

The acceptance of your application will depend on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Minimum Requirements. Your online application must show complete license, education and work experience information necessary to evaluate your qualifications. Education information section must include name and address of school attended, complete dates attended, name of course/s taken, number of units earned, and degree/s earned. License information section must show title of license, license number, original date of issue, and expiration date. Work experience section must include job title, employer name and address, name of work area/facility, actual payroll title held and not the working and/or functional titles, from/to dates of employment including month, day and year, total number of months, total number of hours worked per week - not a range of hours (full or part-time), and complete and detailed description of related job duties. LIST separately each job experience to be evaluated. All information supplied by applicants is subject to verification. We may reject your application at any time during the examination or selection process.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance before the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker
account www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

For the time being, all notifications, including results letters and notices of non-acceptance, will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add exams@ dmh.lacounty.gov as well as selections@dmh.lacounty .gov and recruitment@ dmh.lacounty.gov to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notification from being filtered as span/junk/clutter mail.

Applicants have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. lf you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD
All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

DEPARTMENT CONTACT
Department Contact Name: Celia Yeung, Exam Analyst
Department Contact Phone: (323) 705-4249 or (213) 972-7034
Department Contact Email: exams@dmh.lacounty.gov
ADA Coordinator Phone (323) 705-4249
Teletype Phone 800-735-2922
California Relay Services Phone 800-735-2922

For detailed information, please click here

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• Los Angeles County

• (800) 970-5478

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