Agency Description

Led by Behavioral Health Deputy Director, Sandra Sinz, Solano County Behavioral Health assists over 5,500 children, youth, and adults each year who are experiencing a psychiatric crisis or who have significant mental and emotional disabilities. Solano County provides a broad range of mental health services for children, adolescents, young adults, adults and older adults diagnosed with significant and persistent mental health disorders and/or substance use disorders. Culturally and linguistically competent care is provided with sensitivity and awareness of the person's self-identified culture, race, ethnicity, language preference, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religious/spiritual beliefs, and socioeconomic status. The spectrum of services provided through Solano County Behavioral Health includes: intake assessment, psychological testing, individual group and family psychotherapy, psycho-education, crisis evaluation, intervention and stabilization, medication services, integrated primary care, forensic psychosocial intervention, case management, and consultation. This provides a wide array of options for direct therapy experiences due to the diverse programs and communities served. There are options to work with children and families and/or adults through the outpatient programs. Psychological testing experiences can include children and adult cconsumers, including forensic consumers. Solano County is one of the 4 most diverse counties in the country with a goal to diversify the workforce to meet this populations needs.

Agency Mission

Mental Health Vision Individuals of all ages will receive support to optimize their best development, increase their resiliency, and recover from mental illness Mental Health Values Hope, Empowerment, Resilience, Choice, Community Integration and Inclusion, Self-Reliance and Responsibility, and Meaningful Quality of Life. Mental Health Mission To provide mental health services and supports in Solano County that are person-centered, safe, effective, efficient, timely, and equitable, that are supported by friends and community, that promote wellness/recovery, and that fully incorporates shared decision making between consumers, family members, and providers. Overarching Principles Care is provided to promote the self-defined recovery, family, and child resiliency as well as positive development of each person served. Care is provided in a culturally and linguistically competent way, with sensitivity and awareness of the persons’ self-identified culture, race, ethnicity, national origin, language preference, age gender, gender identity, sexual orientations, religious/spiritual beliefs, disability, and socioeconomic status. There are no disparities for individuals or groups of individuals in accessibility, availability, or quality of mental health services provided.

Population

Solano County provides a broad range of mental health services for children, adolescents, young adults, adults and older adults diagnosed with significant and persistent mental health disorders and/or substance use disorders. Members of these groups may be involved in other systems such as the jail, probation, foster care, and/or different housing services. The people served come from a variety of backgrounds and are diverse in culture, language, race, disability, socioeconomic status, level of access to support, gender, sexual orientation and or religion/spirituality. There are high levels of complex and generational trauma with the population and a variety of mental health needs including psychotic disorders, personality disorders, dual-diagnosis, and other mental health challenges. Our data below is current and represents a consumer group of &&&&&&Percentages noted are based on this total with no entry completing the 100%. Our data for children is organized between the ages of 6-17 which is roughly 21% of the total population. Breakdown of children vs. adolescents is an approximation. At this time, data is not being collected for the amount of consumers we serve with physical disabilities.

Staff (#, Degree, Prof. Lic.)

# of Psychologists: 4

# of Psychiatrists: 14

# of MFT/MSW: 52

# of Nurse practioners: 2

# of Physician Assistants: 2

Required days and times

This is a full-time position with the expectation of 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday 8am-5pm. Options for alternative 40 hour schedules may be available. Interns must be present during two-week orientation and attend all trainings and supervision unless otherwise approved. Required Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

Training and Education Offered

Training of practitioners is an integral part of maintaining and improving the field of mental health treatment. Solano County Behavioral Health serves a dynamic population with high needs for appropriate services and this is beneficial for Intern experience in addition to familiarizing practitioners with the needs of this population. Our training program encompasses the mission of Solano County to provide mental health services and supports in Solano County that are person-centered, safe, effective, efficient, timely, and equitable, that are supported by friends and community, that promote wellness/recovery, and that fully incorporates shared decision making between consumers, family members, and providers. Training will all encompass cultural competence, and recognition of diversity of the population we serve. Solano County also envisions keeping its mental health services accessible and providing the most appropriate type of care to the population. That includes training in evidence based models and treatment and continued access to research to support improvement. The roadway to being a licensed psychologist allows for different roles such as being a consultant, a supervisor, doing research, trainings, and direct services including therapy and psychological evaluations. The activities and trainings provided in our program allow opportunities to explore different roles within our field. There is also the opportunity to connect with other Pre-doctoral Interns across agencies to allow for a larger cohort for support and learning

X-Cultural Training

Responsibilities

Under supervision of Licensed staff, the pre-doctoral intern provides or assists in providing psychological evaluation and psychotherapy services to clients struggling with mental illness and their families; provides consultation to staff and community agencies; performs related duties as required. Duties may include but are not limited to : *Performs individual, group, and family counseling and psychotherapy using a variety of treatment modalities to assist clients in exploring and gaining insight into their personality/emotional difficulty and helping them resolve their conflicts. *Selects and administers psychological tests and other diagnostic procedures; analyzes and interprets tests and observations of patterns of behavior. *Conducts clinical interviews with clients and relatives to elicit information regarding psychologically relevant material *Prepares interpretive reports including diagnosis, prognosis, and other findings relevant to the disposition or treatment of the client (e.g., court reports); testifies in court as needed; confers with staff and other departments in case conferences and in-service trainings sessions; addresses professional and lay groups regarding mental health related issues.

Prerequisites

Application Procedures

Additional Comments

Applicant must pass Live Scan fingerprinting and clear all criminal clearances. It is helpful to have an established NPI number prior to beginning placement.