Mental Health Worker in Elizabeth, New Jersey at RWJBarnabas Health

Job Title: Mental Health Worker

Location: NPC PLAZA BLDG

Department Name: Residential Units - IP Adol

Req #: 0000267894

Status: Hourly

Shift: Day

Pay Range: $26.39 - $26.39 per hour

Pay Transparency:

The above reflects the anticipated hourly wage range for this position if hired to work in New Jersey.

The compensation offered to the candidate selected for the position will depend on several factors, including the candidate's educational background, skills and professional experience.

At RWJBarnabas Health, our psychiatric support teams operate at the heart of a compassionate, multidisciplinary environment dedicated to transforming the patient experience. Joining our team means becoming part of a premier academic healthcare network that values teamwork, excellence, and a shared commitment to delivering high-quality, safe behavioral health services across our communities.

A Typical Day
As a Mental Health Worker, a typical day might include the following:

• Direct Care Delivery: Providing standard patient care delegated by program leadership, including monitoring/recording vital signs and assisting with specimens and activities of daily living.
• Milieu Supervision & Facilitation: Maintaining a safe, welcoming therapeutic environment by actively supervising residents throughout the shift and facilitating recreational and psycho-educational groups.
• Crisis Management & De-escalation: Utilizing approved non-violent crisis intervention and de-escalation strategies to manage acute trauma responses, impulses, or assaultive actions.
• Unit Safety Checkpoints: Greeting and logging facility visitors, examining incoming packages for contraband, and documenting clinical observations or behavioral incidents in the daily log and EMR.
• Treatment Planning Collaboration: Partnering with clinical therapists, RNs, and physicians during shift huddles to contribute to the formulation, implementation, and modification of individual care plans.
• Resident Escort & Support: Escorting adolescent residents safely to tests, medical procedures, or the Psychiatric Emergency Slot (PES) when clinically indicated.

This Role Might Be For You If:

• You are deeply passionate about providing a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental healing space for traumatized adolescents and their families.
• You maintain an exceptional professional demeanor, high emotional resilience, and calm vigilance when managing acute behavioral crises or self-harming patterns.
• You take operational pride in documentation excellence, ensuring progress notes and safety logs are maintained with precise attention to detail.
• You thrive within a highly collaborative team environment alongside psychiatric supervisors, nurses, social workers, and community care resources.
• You believe that true clinical healing and long-term behavioral development are strengthened through kindness, empathy, and active listening.

To Be Considered:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Sociology, Behavioral Health, or a closely related human services field is required; OR an active AIMS Mental Health Association (MHA) certification.
• Experience Substitution: A minimum of five (5) years of full-time working experience within a behavioral health or medical setting is strictly acceptable in lieu of a degree. Prior experience supporting pediatric or adolescent psychiatric populations is highly preferred.
• Certifications: Must hold or obtain an active American Heart Association (AHA) BLS Provider certification within six (6) months of hire.
• Licensure: Must possess an unencumbered, current driver's license validated by the NJMVA.
• Universal S.A.F.E.T.Y Standards: Commitment to core organizational competencies, speaking up for workplace safety concerns, utilizing S.T.A.R. checkpoints, and communicating with a sensitive, positive tone across all patient interactions.