ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Cambridge Emergency Communications Department (ECD) The Emergency Communications Department operates the City's Combined Emergency Communications and 911 Center (ECC) and Public Safety Information Technology (PSIT), located at the Robert W. Healy Public Safety Facility. ECC receives over 50,000 911 and other emergency type calls and alarms throughout the year and manages the coordinated dispatch of police, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) as well as other resources. ECC staff handles over 180,000 non-emergency calls regarding quality-of-life issues related to noise, traffic, lost property and after-hour responses for City services and information. PSIT handles all IT maintenance, troubleshooting, and project management for Police, Fire and Emergency Communications.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The 911 Call Center Clinician is part of a team of behavioral health professionals working across City departments to directly support members of the community in crisis.
Specific duties/responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
• Work in the 911 Call Center to support individuals with mental health, homelessness, and substance use disorder who reach out for help.
• Perform lethality, environmental risk, and safety assessments. Relay this information to responders.
• Implement protocols to safely de-escalate behavioral health crises over the phone.
Provide short-term counseling utilizing harm reduction and trauma-informed care principles.
• Maintain confidentiality and respect the boundaries of clients.
• Connect clients with additional medical support or community resources as appropriate.
• Conduct follow-up case management as needed.
• Adhere to documentation and record-keeping requirements.
• Develop best practice guidelines for 911 dispatchers to better serve callers with behavioral health challenges.
• Assist dispatchers in management of high utilizers of the 911 call system.
• Collaborate closely with other providers, particularly those in Community Safety and Police Clinical Support, on case management and care planning.
• Collaborate with community providers as needed, including attending site visits, meetings, and court sessions.
• Lead programs around 911 Dispatcher mental health, particularly as it relates to workplace stress and accumulated trauma.
• Develop and implement a robust peer support program, Formalize and implement the department’s Crisis Intervention Stress Management (CISM) protocols. Partner with regional resources as appropriate.
• Provide programming around mental health topics for dispatchers.
• Help dispatchers connect with mental health support resources.
• Consult on the mental health impacts of policy decisions and procedures on staff.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Graduate from an accredited master’s in psychology (MA), master’s in education (Counseling -Med.) or MSW program.
• Current Massachusetts license LMHC, LMFT, LCSW, LICSW, or license eligibility.
• Minimum of 2 years relevant post-graduate experience, preferably in mental health, community health or criminal justice setting.
• Must be CPR and First Aid certified on date of employment or within 60 days of employment and maintain current certification throughout employment.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license (preferred).
• Must be able to obtain certification as required by State 911 Department to work in a 911 call center which will be paid for and scheduled by the department in September 2025.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Strong working knowledge of behavioral medicine and evidence-based interventions.
• Ability to work through brief patient contacts in a 911 center as well as make quick and accurate clinical assessments of mental health and behavioral conditions.
• Sensitivity to multi-cultural populations and their experiences and perspectives.
• Ability to de-escalate an individual in crisis, create rapport, and maintain a calm demeanor over the phone.
• Familiarity with psychiatric conditions, crisis de-escalation, and recovery principles.
• Working knowledge of major mental illness, personality disorders, traumatic brain injury, dementia, complex trauma, intellectual/developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, suicide assessment, and safety planning.
• Ability to work under pressure and quickly but thoroughly assess the immediate stabilization needs of an individual in crisis.
• Ability to effectively communicate client needs when making direct referrals to community resources.
• Ability and eagerness to work with vulnerable individuals, some of whom are experiencing acute mental illness or homelessness.
• Ability to work independently yet collaboratively towards a common goal.
• Ability to learn and help navigate all applicable resources with patients/clients over the phone.
• Ability to maintain strong professional boundaries over the phone.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• The City of Cambridge's workforce, like the community it serves, is diverse, and candidates must demonstrate the knowledge and the ability to work effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience as a licensed LSW, LCSW, LICSW, LMHC, PhD, or PsyD.
• Experience working in a busy call-center environment.
• Strong awareness of local social service providers/community resources, particularly those in Cambridge
• Experience working with adults experiencing homelessness, mental health and substance use.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Tasks involve extensive keyboarding on multiple keyboards and attentive listening to telephone calls and radio transmissions (often at a low volume level and of poor audio quality on a department-supplied headset or handset). Candidates must have the ability to exert very moderate physical effort typically involving some combination of stooping, kneeling, and lifting, as well as carrying, pushing, and pulling objects and materials of moderate weight, twelve to twenty pounds. Candidates must be able to work any shift assignments, including nights, weekends, holidays, overtime (both forced and scheduled), and up to 16-hour shifts. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: General call center-type environment with air conditioning and fluorescent lighting. Noise level can be high as the office is active with phone calls, radio transmissions, signal, and equipment sound.

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS:

• Health, dental and vision insurance
• Vacation, personal and sick days
• Sick incentive pay eligibility
• Management allowance of $2700/year
• City employee commuter benefits (T-Pass reimbursement, Bluebikes membership, EZRide Shuttle membership)

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:

Please upload the below documents to complete your application.
• Resume
• Cover Letter