Behavioral Wellness Practitioner Associate/I/II

**** NOTICE OF CHANGE - This recruitment will now remain until filled with first considerations beginning on Monday, March 30, 2026.

SALARY

Practitioner Associate: $39.31 - $47.14 Hourly $81,758.56 - $98,049.12 Annually

Bilingual allowance when applicable. 

Special Duty Assignment allowance when regularly assigned to a Psychiatric Health Facility.

We are accepting applications to fill multiple full-time Practitioner Intern/I/II vacancies in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc.  The current vacancies are in the Behavioral Wellness Department (BWELL). The department may choose to hire at the Practitioner Associate, I or II level. If hired at the I or II levels, possession of a valid license as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) issued by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences is required at the time of appointment.

Location of Vacancies: We are accepting applications to establish one employment list for current and future Full-Time, Part-Time, and Extra Help (temporary) and *1414 vacancies for Practitioner Associate in multiple locations which include Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc. Therefore, you must check the Individual Location(s) on the application where you would be willing to accept an assignment for current and future employment.

*1414 vacancies may occur as a result of a leave of absence (Civil Service Rule 1414) and the duration of the appointment shall be subject to the return of the individual who is on leave. A person who is appointed to a position under Civil Service Rule 1414 may be able to transition into a regular position in the classification without re-application or re-testing, depending on the performance of the appointee and the needs of the department.
 
The selected candidate may need to travel between different sites within Santa Barbara County. The operational area includes: Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Goleta, Lompoc, Los Olivos, Santa Maria, and Santa Ynez.

• Retirement reciprocity
• Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate 

THE POSITION
The candidate selected for this position, under general supervision of a licensed professional, will assess, diagnose, counsel, and provide psychotherapeutic treatment, rehabilitation, and care coordination for seriously emotionally disturbed children and adolescents, and seriously and persistently mentally ill adults; and perform related duties as required.

    
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: 

Practitioner Associate

Incumbents in these classes work within a system of interdisciplinary departmental teams and/or contract service agencies providing assessment, prevention, intervention, treatment, and related ancillary support services via an integrated service delivery system to people with alcohol and other drug-related problems, mental illness, and/or co-occurring conditions.

Behavioral Wellness Practitioner I/II is a flexibly staffed series.  Behavioral Wellness Practitioner I is the entry-level class for Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT),.  Incumbents provide professional mental health services.  This class is distinguished from Behavioral Wellness Practitioner II in that the latter is assigned more complex and/or difficult cases. Behavioral Wellness assigns staff in this classification based on employee licensure and clients' needs for services.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:
 Founded in 1962, it is the mission of the Department of Behavioral Wellness to promote the prevention of and recovery from mental illness and addiction among individuals, families and communities, by providing effective leadership and delivering state-of-the-art, culturally competent services. The Department provides treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to 10,000 clients with mental illness and substance use disorders annually through its professional staff of over 400, in addition to its many contracted Community-Based Organization (CBO) providers.

For more information, please visit:  www.countyofsb.org/behavioral-wellness.

About the programs with current vacancies: 

Adult Outpatient Services: Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc 

These positions work as part of the treatment teams at the Santa Barbara Adult Outpatient Clinic, Santa Maria Adult Outpatient Clinic, and Lompoc Adult Outpatient Clinic serving clients by providing assessment, therapy, and group as well as on-call/walk-in service needs. The practitioner works collaboratively across team disciplines and with community partners to address clients’ needs. The position works with adults living with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI); adults with severe, complex Co-Occurring disorders (SPMI and Alcohol/substance abuse); older adults; and provides case management linkage and advocacy for clients. Associates are supported with individual and group supervision weekly and all roles participate in daily team meetings to help coordinate the flow of information on mutual clients as well as delegation of duties across the team.

Bilingual (English and Spanish fluency) candidates are preferred at the Santa Maria Adult Outpatient Clinic and Lompoc Adult Outpatient Clinic.

Alternative schedule options are potentially available at the Santa Maria Adult Outpatient Clinic depending on clinic needs with the priority being sufficient coverage for standard business hours of M-F 8-5.

Children’s WR&R: Santa Maria
Children’s WR&R staff work as part of multidisciplinary treatment teams at Children’s Outpatient Clinics, providing services to children, adolescents, and transitional age youth. Services include individual, family, and group rehabilitation and skill-building interventions, with an emphasis on trauma-informed care, family systems, screening and treatment planning, crisis intervention, and collaboration with schools, Child Welfare Services, Juvenile Probation, and community partners.

Crisis Services Program: Santa Barbara

The Crisis Services program in the County of Santa Barbara Department of Behavioral Wellness (BWELL) consists of three different roles: Mobile Crisis, Crisis Clinic and Access Screener.

The Mobile Crisis role involves responding in the community as a team with a partner to address behavioral health crisis situations in our community. As a member of the Mobile Crisis team, staff are trained to assist in de-escalation of the situation, conduct crisis evaluations, provide safety planning and referrals/linkage, and conduct follow-up outreach and engagement services to community members in need.

The Crisis Clinics are staffed with multidisciplinary teams who provide behavioral health support to community members who are discharged from hospital, discharged from inpatient psychiatric hospitals, or following an Emergency Department visit that involved a behavioral health crisis. As a member of the Crisis Clinic team, staff may be responsible for conducting mental health assessments, rehabilitation and therapeutic treatment, case management services and linkage to longer term services.

Access Line Screeners in Crisis Services are responsible for answering all calls coming into our departmental Access Line. As a member of the Access Line, staff are responsible for screening and determining the needs of the caller, whether community member is seeking mental health treatment, substance use services, requesting mental health or substance use information for a family member or friend, crisis de-escalation support, or dispatching a Mobile Crisis Team to respond to the community member in crisis. Access Line Screeners work a standard work week (M-F 8a-5p). Locations: Offices in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.  

As a member of the Crisis Services program, staff may be asked to cover any one of the three roles listed above depending on staffing and scheduling. All staff are cross-trained to work in any program. Vacancies in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc. Mobile Crisis is a 24/7 program so staff may be needed for weekend or overnight shift coverage. Mobile Crisis and Crisis Clinic staff typically work a 4/10 schedule that includes one weekend shift.

Familiar Faces: Santa Barbara

The Familiar Faces Program conducts intensive outreach and engagement with individuals identified as high utilizers of emergency and crisis services within the City of Santa Barbara and surrounding areas. The program focuses on building trust-based relationships, facilitating rapid assessment, and coordinating linkage to behavioral health services, housing resources, and community supports through a “warm hand-off” approach. Staff track client engagement through enrollment in services to support continuity of care and coordinated intervention planning.

New Heights PEI/TAY: Santa Maria

The New Heights TAY program provides Prevention and Early Intervention services to youth and young adults ages 16–25. Services support individuals in achieving goals related to education, employment, family relationships, and community integration. Program services include case management, peer support and youth development, individual and group therapy, crisis intervention and safety planning, and psychiatric medication management and education. The program serves Medi-Cal beneficiaries diagnosed with a severe mental illness and/or experiencing significant functional impairments who are willing to participate in treatment.

ADP – CalWorks: Lompoc

Working with adults, children and families who are experiencing barriers to employment, job training, and/or school education; and, understanding the impact of poverty, homelessness, and trauma on family systems. RST Practitioners are responsible for assessment, referrals, treatment recommendations and authorizations, crisis intervention, individual or family therapy, case management linkage/support and client advocacy. The RST program works directly with the Department of Social Services including CalWORKs, Welfare to Work and Child Welfare Services. RST program staff are co-located within DSS facilities in each county region.

Justice Alliance: Santa Maria

Experience/training in the following areas: Working with adults living with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI); adults with severe, complex Co-Occurring disorders (SPMI and Alcohol/substance abuse);experience with forensic mental health service programs or treatment courts; understanding of incompetency to stand trial, laws and procedures; collaboration with forensic partners- judges, public defender, district attorney, public guardian, law enforcement, jail; documentation for court reports.

Homeless Services Mental Health Program: Santa Maria

The Santa Barbara Homeless Services Mental Health Program delivers comprehensive services to individuals who are experiencing homelessness, transitioning into permanent housing, or recently housed, and who meet Behavioral Wellness population-of-focus criteria for moderate to severe mental illness.

This field-based program emphasizes short-term stabilization through mental health treatment, housing assistance, and connection to long-term services and community resources.  The practitioners and practitioner associates conduct clinical assessments to determine appropriate levels of care, provide counseling and psychotherapeutic services, and support participants in accessing housing placement, public benefits, substance use treatment, independent living skills development, and coordinated services with shelters, landlords, housing authorities, and the Continuum of Care/Homeless Management Information Systems (CoC/HMIS).

Services are delivered in community-based settings, including shelters and unsheltered locations. associate practitioners and clinicians must meet Behavioral Wellness direct client care standards in alignment with Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) requirements.

Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT): Lompoc

The Santa Barbara Homeless Services Mental Health Program delivers comprehensive services to individuals who are experiencing homelessness, transitioning into permanent housing, or recently housed, and who meet Behavioral Wellness population-of-focus criteria for moderate to severe mental illness.

This field-based program emphasizes short-term stabilization through mental health treatment, housing assistance, and connection to long-term services and community resources.  The practitioners and practitioner associates conduct clinical assessments to determine appropriate levels of care, provide counseling and psychotherapeutic services, and support participants in accessing housing placement, public benefits, substance use treatment, independent living skills development, and coordinated services with shelters, landlords, housing authorities, and the Continuum of Care/Homeless Management Information Systems (CoC/HMIS).

Services are delivered in community-based settings, including shelters and unsheltered locations. associate practitioners and clinicians must meet Behavioral Wellness direct client care standards in alignment with Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) requirements.

The Ideal Candidate will:

• Have experience in a psychiatric facility or community mental health program. 
• Have excellent oral and written communication. 
• Work with clients diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness. 
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team. 
• Have proficient computer skills in Microsoft Office. 
• Have the ability to read, write, converse fluently in English and Spanish (preferred for some positions).