The DAWN Behavioral Health Navigator provides community-based behavioral health and substance use screening, resource navigation, referrals, warm handoffs, follow-up, prevention, early intervention, and outreach to youth, adults, and families. The Navigator helps individuals connect with appropriate behavioral health, substance use treatment, recovery, crisis, prevention, healthcare, victim services, and other community resources while reducing barriers to care and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. Core Duties

• Conduct approved behavioral health/project screenings; identify behavioral health, substance use, recovery, prevention, crisis, healthcare, victim-service, and supportive-service needs.
• Use person-centered, nonjudgmental, culturally responsive communication to explain service options and support participant choice.
• Provide individualized resource navigation, referrals, and warm handoffs; assist with eligibility, appointments, referral processes, and next steps.
• Follow up to determine whether referrals resulted in successful service connections; identify barriers such as transportation, cost, insurance, scheduling, childcare, language, stigma, technology, or waitlists and help identify alternatives.
• Follow established procedures when screenings or interactions identify immediate safety concerns; maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries, and scope of practice.
• Maintain current knowledge of behavioral health, substance use, recovery, crisis, healthcare, prevention, and community resources; communicate recurring service gaps and barriers to project leadership.
• Deliver or support approved evidence-based/evidence-informed prevention and early intervention activities addressing behavioral health, substance use, coping skills, resilience, protective factors, help-seeking, and community resources.
• Support youth and families affected by behavioral health concerns, substance use, adverse childhood experiences, social determinants of health, crime, violence, trauma, or community stressors.
• Participate in schools, community centers, resource fairs, parent meetings, coalition meetings, presentations, trainings, and outreach events; promote behavioral health literacy, stigma reduction, and help-seeking.
• Build relationships with schools, behavioral health and healthcare providers, recovery organizations, youth-serving agencies, faith-based organizations, public safety partners, and other community resources.
• Complete accurate and timely documentation of screenings, referrals, warm handoffs, follow-up, prevention activities, outreach, presentations, and service outcomes in required DAWN/organizational systems.
• Participate in project planning, data review, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement activities. Education/Training/Work Experience/Skills Requirements
• Bachelor's degree preferred in psychology, social work, education, social/human services, public health, behavioral health, sociology, community health, or related field; relevant experience may be considered.
• Minimum one year of experience working with youth, adults, parents, families, or community populations preferred.
• Experience with community outreach, resource navigation, referrals, presentations, group facilitation, prevention, behavioral health, substance use, or related services preferred.
• Knowledge of behavioral health, substance use, prevention, recovery, social determinants of health, and community resources preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, written, verbal, organizational, documentation, and follow-up skills; ability to develop trusting relationships with diverse populations and work independently in community settings.
• Experience with electronic documentation, referral, case-management, or data systems preferred; bilingual English/Spanish skills preferred.

Required Trainings Complete required organizational and Project DAWN training, including applicable evidence-based curriculum training, Prevention Skills Training (PST), CPR/First Aid, Mental Health First Aid, suicide prevention/QPR as assigned, Prevention Ethics, cultural responsiveness, stigma reduction, overdose prevention, trauma-informed practices, Texas child abuse reporting, human trafficking awareness, HIV/AIDS workplace guidelines, sexual harassment awareness, safety, and other required training. Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) preferred or Associate Prevention Specialist (APS) credential within the timeframe established by SACADA.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree preferred in psychology, social work, education, social/human services, public health, behavioral health, sociology, community health, or related field; relevant experience may be considered.
• Minimum one year of experience working with youth, adults, parents, families, or community populations preferred.
• Experience with community outreach, resource navigation, referrals, presentations, group facilitation, prevention, behavioral health, substance use, or related services preferred.
• Knowledge of behavioral health, substance use, prevention, recovery, social determinants of health, and community resources preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, written, verbal, organizational, documentation, and follow-up skills; ability to develop trusting relationships with diverse populations and work independently in community settings.
• Experience with electronic documentation, referral, case-management, or data systems preferred; bilingual English/Spanish skills preferred.