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Mental Health Counselor/ Discharge Planner (Mental Health)

22nd Century Technologies, Inc.
$25.00/hr. on W2 without benef
United States, Rhode Island, Cranston
Jan 16, 2026
Job Title: Mental Health Counselor/ Discharge Planner (Mental Health) Pay rate: $25.00/hr. on W2 without benefits Location: Cranston, RI, 02920 Duration: 06+ Months Job Summary: The client has a growing number of seriously and persistently mentally ill (SPMI) incarcerated people, many of whom have complex clinical presentations that require specialized mental health discharge planning services and clinical care as they transition back into the community. This position will ensure that incarcerated people with serious mental health needs are discharged with sufficient resources to meet their needs and to support a successful reintegration. The Specialized Mental Health Discharge Planner (MHDP) will work within the existing behavioral health unit structure to enhance overall services and provide a linkage between community mental health providers. Roles and Responsibilities: Responsible for providing discharge planning services to individuals designated as SPMI and incarcerated at RIDOC, as well as individuals who are identified by qualified mental health professionals as having serious mental health treatment needs. This position will have a focus on establishing a therapeutic relationship with each individual on the designated caseload while making formal preparations for their return to the community. This position will clinically evaluate the dynamic and static risk factors associated with recidivism and clinical needs for each individual on their caseload who is scheduled for release from RIDOC. This position will work collaboratively with qualified mental health professionals to coordinate care for each individual patient and determine appropriate levels of care. This position will build and maintain collaborative working relationships with community mental health agencies and providers. Discharge planning and post-release support will focus on clinical continuity of care, and the responsibilities of this position will include: Conduct in-person sessions and assessments of each individual on the designated caseload across all facilities. All sentenced patients on the caseload will be seen within a designated time frame prior to their expiration of sentence date, and caseload patients who are awaiting trial will be seen when they are determined to have critical release needs by a qualified mental health professional. Assess the level of care needs for each individual on the caseload, including whether a mental health psychiatric rehabilitative residence or crisis stabilization unit/acute stabilization unit is indicated, and complete all relevant applications and documents. For planned discharges, arrange for access to psychiatric medication to bridge the time period between release and intake into the care of a community mental health provider. Coordinate a discharge plan with the patient that includes identification of appropriate community providers and services; setting appointments prior to release for community mental health providers; coordinating with other divisions for patients with co-occurring treatment needs; arranging for all areas of discharge planning including refenals for housing support, transportation, assistance, obtaining identification documents, insurance benefit application assistance and provision of information on community-based resources and supports that is commensurate with each individual's level of functioning. Provide a timely exchange of health information to community providers for coordination and continuity of care, including medication lists, problem lists, relevant evaluations, and other information as requested (note: with appropriate signed releases of information signed by the patient). Provide post-release follow-up with patients via phone and in-person to provide ongoing assistance and support for the first ninety (90) days after release. Attend monthly behavioral health staff meetings as well as facility triage meetings for collaboration and communication that is both unit-based and multi-disciplinary Document all aspects of discharge planning in RIDOC's electronic medical record (EMR) in alignment with national standards. Required Experience: Possess a thorough knowledge of mental health disorders with a focus on serious and persistent mental illness; demonstrated experience working with individuals with serious mental illness; a working knowledge of discharge planning techniques; a working knowledge of identifying risk factors for recidivism; a working knowledge of a continuum of mental health care; the ability to work independently to conduct risk and needs assessments and to develop discharge plans; a working knowledge of Rhode Island's community mental health agencies/resource and public assistance programs. Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team; the ability to build relationships with community partners and maintain effective relationships; the ability to collaborate with probation and parole, classification, custody, outside agencies and other units as necessary; a working knowledge of establishing effective therapeutic relationships and using counseling interventions such as motivational interviewing to engage with patients who may be resistant to services; the ability to document pertinent information in a clinical record; the ability to compose reports as necessary; and related capacities and abilities. Required Education and Experience: Such as may have been gained through possession of a minimum of a bachelor's degree in counseling, Social Work, or Psychology from an accredited college of higher education. Such as may have been gained through at least two (2) years of employment in the field of mental health.