Mental Health Screener in Elizabeth, New Jersey at RWJBarnabas Health

Job Title: Mental Health Screener

Location: NEW POINT CAMPUS

Department Name: Emergency Screening

Req #: 0000268001

Status: Hourly

Shift: Evening

Pay Range: $34.43 - $35.57 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.

Our Mental Health Screener works collaboratively to provide life-saving crisis stabilization, advanced psychiatric evaluations, and trauma-informed intervention paths for children and adults across the full developmental lifespan. Operating within our active emergency screening hub, our screeners serve as a critical component of the interdisciplinary healthcare team, partnering fluidly with families, local emergency rooms, and state mental health agencies to deliver structured connection and safety when patients need it most. We hope you are excited by the opportunity to deliver specialized crisis care in a way that redefines the patient experience through teamwork, compassion, and excellence within the RWJBarnabas Health network!

A Typical Day

• Crisis Assessment & Evaluation: Providing comprehensive emergency room, hospital-based, and community-based psychiatric crisis assessments for pediatric, adult, and geriatric patient populations.
• Legal Screening Documentation: Utilizing state screening laws and evidence-based assessment tools to complete legal documents for adults when an involuntary psychiatric admission is clinically recommended.
• Integrated Care Coordination: Partnering with the RWJ Access Center, families, and multidisciplinary medical teams to coordinate safe, legal admissions, transfers, and comprehensive discharge plans.
• Mobile Outreach Engagement: Executing mobile crisis outreach assessments throughout the county for adult patients, with future eligibility to participate in innovative alternate response models like the ARRIVE Together mobile initiative.
• Safety & Referral Architecture: Designing targeted, individualized safety plans and linking patients with the necessary social service networks or community providers to promote a seamless post-acute continuity of care.
• Crisis Hotline Management: Answering and managing the designated 24-hour crisis hotline queue, performing telephonic triage, and utilizing verbal de-escalation techniques for callers experiencing acute distress.

This Role Might Be For You If

• You possess a deep, empathetic passion for creating a welcoming, supportive, and non-judgmental environment for vulnerable populations navigating severe psychiatric crises.
• You excel under intense pressure, maintain an exceptional professional demeanor, and stay highly current on acute crisis intervention, de-escalation, and emergency medical screening protocols.
• You set a high bar for documentation excellence, taking pride in meeting strict state regulatory compliance guidelines and charting precise milestone outcome data.
• You understand that long-term stabilization and recovery are optimized when a clinician meets a patient's complex needs with structured vigilance, deep empathy, and a focus on individual strengths.

To Be Considered

Education & Experience

• Master’s Degree Pathway: A Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) with a specialization in Mental Health, or a Master's degree in a closely related mental health graduate discipline, combined with one (1) year of post-master's full-time acute care experience within a psychiatric setting; OR
• Bachelor’s Degree Pathway: A Bachelor’s degree in Psychology combined with a minimum of three (3) years of full-time post-bachelor acute care experience, at least one (1) year of which must be directly within an emergency crisis stabilization setting.

Licensure & Certifications

• State Screener Credential: Must be certified, or fully certification-eligible, as a Mental Health Screener by the State of New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). Formal DMHAS approval for a temporary license is strictly required prior to your official hire date.
• Driver's License: Must possess and maintain a valid, unencumbered Driver’s License with a clean driving record validated by the State Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA).
• Scheduling Requirements: Comfort committing to a flexible Per Diem schedule working dedicated Evening Shifts.