MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST II

Recruitment #26-6491-01 Date Opened 9/15/2026 12:00:00 AM

Filing Deadline 9/28/2026 5:00:00 PM

Salary $34.58 - $39.48/hour; $67,431.00 - $76,986.00/year

Employment Type Permanent Full-Time Employment HR Analyst Nicole Lewis-Bolton

Department Alameda County Health

Work Location Oakland Type of Recruitment New, open, assembled

INTRODUCTION THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.

The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended.

Supplemental Questionnaire:

A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted online. Qualified bilingual persons who speak English and are also fluent in: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Korean, Mien, Tagalog, Amharic, Farsi, Dari, Tigrigna, Russian, Romanian or Sign Languages are especially encouraged to apply. There is an additional biweekly compensation for persons in positions designated bilingual. Qualified candidates may be tested to demonstrate language proficiency.

DESCRIPTION THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county. The County employs 9,700 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $3.4 billion. Oakland, the County seat, is California's eighth-largest city. One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities, and rural areas. As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens. The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles. The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities, and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.

ALAMEDA COUNTY HEALTH

Alameda County Health is the local government agency that promotes and protects the health and well-being of all who live, work, learn, and play in Alameda County. We coordinate services and cultivate partnerships with community organizations and providers to help ensure access, organize, and deliver health care and services to people with Medi-Cal and without insurance, support resilient communities, and improve health for all. We focus on health equity by developing programs and systemic solutions that reduce disparities for the people and communities we serve. Alameda County Health's departments and programs focus on services and support that provide care for the whole person. The Behavioral Health Department provides mental health and substance use services for people with Medi-Cal and without insurance and supports people along their path to wellness, recovery, and resilience.

The Environmental Health Department works to keep our air, water, and food safe; it regulates, protects, and promotes the health of everyone in Alameda County by enforcing environmental health codes to reduce exposure to toxins and diseases.

The Public Health Department focuses on community and population-level health, preventing and addressing root causes of health inequity across a range of communicable and chronic diseases.

Alameda County Health also provides services through Housing and Homelessness Services, Emergency Medical Services Agency, HealthPAC, and Healthy Schools and Communities.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT

As part of Alameda County Health, the Behavioral Health Department supports people with Medi-Cal and without insurance living with serious mental illness and substance use conditions along their path toward wellness, recovery, and resiliency. We provide services through a network of contracted mental health and substance use providers and administer the State's resources and training for behavioral health providers, case managers, and other healthcare professionals. We advocate for our patients and families and create space for personal engagement in their care. We are outpatient specialists for mental health services for older adults and youth, substance use providers and treatment program specialists, advocates for quality improvement and patients' rights, and psychiatric and integrated health care providers. For more information about the Behavioral Health Department, please visit www.acbhcs.org.

THE POSITION

Under supervision, provides a variety of paraprofessional counseling services to behavioral health consumers; recommends appropriate referrals; maintains community liaisons to ensure adequate services are made available to consumers and provides facilitation for a variety of consumer-focused specialty groups; participates as part of the treatment team; and performs related duties as required. This is the entry-level class in the Mental Health Specialist paraprofessional series. The Mental Health Specialist II class is distinguished from the Mental Health Specialist I class in that the latter is a trainee level class.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to the minimum qualifications and knowledge and skills listed below, ideal candidates for this position will: Interview and secure personal health and social information to help determine consumer needs.

Work effectively with staff and consumers in treatment services and as a member of an inter-disciplinary team of behavioral health care providers.

Relate and communicate effectively with behavioral health consumers.

Know principles of risk assessment, crisis intervention and treatment.

Know the mental, physical, emotional, and social needs of consumers with mental health, physical health and/or substance abuse issues.

Apply peer counseling and motivational support techniques for helping behavioral health consumers.

Analyze problems, identify solutions and respond appropriately to crisis situations involving consumers.

Communicate effectively verbally and in writing and write concise reports. AddThis Sharing Buttons For more detailed information about the job classification, please visit: Mental Health Specialist II (#6491).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The minimum professional requirements for admission to the competitive assessment process include:

Either I Experience:

The equivalent of one year of experience in the class of Mental Health Specialist I. (Possession of a California Psychiatric Technician license may be substituted for experience.) Or II The equivalent of one year of experience performing duties comparable to those of Mental Health Specialist I, under supervision. Or III Possession of a valid license to practice as a Vocational Nurse in the State of California, And The equivalent of six months of experience performing duties comparable to those of Mental Health Specialist I, under supervision.

License:

Some positions require a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license. Applicants must possess such license prior to appointment to such positions.

Special Requirement:

In compliance with the Administrative Simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), employees in this classification are required to possess a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number prior to their first day of employment. In compliance with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Federal Cures Act, Employees in this classification who are required to render direct specialty mental health services in the course of their assignment must successfully be enrolled in Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE) web portal prior to commencing employment.

NOTE:

The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

NOTE:

The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Examples of Duties" section of this specification. The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Peer counseling and motivational support techniques for helping behavioral health consumers.
  
• The mental, physical, emotional, and social needs of consumers with mental health, physical health and/or substance abuse issues.
  
• Principles and techniques of mental health treatment and recovery principles and practices.
  
• The psychosocial aspects and characteristics of mental illness and severe emotional disturbance.
  
• Principles of risk assessment, crisis intervention and treatment.
  
• Harm reduction principles and practices.
  
• Behavioral health programs, community organizations and resources, and peer support networks in the local community.
  
• Basic understanding of mental health case management and appropriate coding, charting and documentation requirements for health care providers.
  
• Elementary psychiatric and medical terminology.
  
• Familiarity with medications commonly prescribed for consumers.
  
• Computer applications related to the work.

Ability to:

• Relate and communicate effectively with behavioral health consumers.
  
• Work effectively with staff and consumers in treatment services and as a member of an inter-disciplinary team of behavioral health care providers.
  
• Provide a variety of mental health services to a varied caseload of consumers in outpatient settings.
  
• Interview and secure personal health and social information to help determine consumer needs.
  
• Analyze problems, identify solutions and respond appropriately to crisis situations involving consumers.
  
• Maintain and monitor records of assigned consumers.
  
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing, and write concise reports.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the classification will move on to the next step in the examination process. 2) A review of candidates' Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants. Those candidates selected as best qualified will move on to the next step in the examination process. 3) An oral interview examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview examination may contain situational exercises.