ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
VACANCY NOTICE
DEPARTMENT: MENTAL HEALTH – FORENSIC MENTAL HEALTH
TITLE OF POSITION: FORENSIC MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST I – ADULT MH (HELP PROGRAM)
TYPE OF POSITION: Permanent Probation
LOCATION: Erie County Correctional Facility or Erie County Holding Center
SHIFT: Tuesday – Saturday OR Sunday – Thursday
8:00am-4:00pm 3 days / week + 10:00am-6:00pm 2 days / week
SALARY: Starts at $64,291 Annually
Under the Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement (HELP) Program, this title is temporarily reassigned to NON-COMPETITIVE Classification. ***No exam required***
This is entrance level professional forensic mental health work which involves responsibility for providing direct mental health services to persons under custody in the Holding Center or Correctional Facility. These include inmates awaiting trial and sentencing, those serving sentences, probation and parole violators. The work is carried out in accordance with established procedures, with leeway permitted for the exercise of independent judgment. The work involves helping to assess the need for psychiatric examination and determination, rendering direct treatment, which at times includes crisis intervention, and providing consultation and reports to referring agencies. The work is performed under the direct rank and may exercise supervision over a small number of para-professional or clerical employees. The class differs from Mental Health Specialist II in that cases assigned are generally less complex, and in that supervision exercised by this class is limited to sub‑professional staff. Does related work as required.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Possession of a Master's Degree** in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, Education, or closely related field and six (6) months of experience providing services to persons with mental health conditions.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Possession of a New York State Department of Education license to practice as a Social Worker, Mental Health Counselor or Certified Rehabilitation Counselor at time of permanent appointment and maintenance throughout duration of appointment.
NOTE 1: *Per resolution presented to State Civil Service Commission, action approved and filed with the Department of State on December 27, 2024, under the Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement (HELP) Program, this title is temporarily reassigned to NON-COMPETITIVE Classification.
NOTE2: **Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. A list of acceptable companies who provide this service can be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee.
NOTE 3: Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements
THIS NOTICE WILL BE POSTED FOR THE PERIOD April 16, 2025
THROUGH AND INCLUDING April 30, 2025
_______________________________________________________________________________________
To apply for this position, please e-mail or mail your resume, postmarked by 4:00pm on April 30, 2025 to
Shannon.Stocker@erie.gov
Erie County Department of Mental Health
95 Franklin Street, Room 1237
Buffalo, NY 14202
Attn: Shannon Stocker
Resumes received after this deadline will not be considered.
Only those whose resumes are being considered will be contacted.
Only those whose resumes are being considered will be contacted.
Erie County is an Equal Opportunity Employer