Behavioral Health Specialist

If hired for this position, you would be an employee of our partner agency, Community Family Advocates working onsite at Allegheny County DHS.

Job Posting: Behavioral Health Specialist

Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS)
Children, Youth and Families (CYF) / Office of Behavioral Health (OBH)
Reports To: Maritza Daniels
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Hybrid/ CYF Permanency office)

About the Role

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services is seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable Behavioral Health Specialist to support the Children, Youth and Families (CYF) division in partnership with the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH). This role provides consultation, case review, and specialized guidance to inform case planning and support vulnerable children and families across the county.

The Behavioral Health Specialist will collaborate closely with CYF staff, OBH leadership, contracted providers, and community partners to promote healthy behaviors, enhance service access, and build resiliency within families. This role includes both office-based and field-based work, including participation in team meetings, case reviews, and home visits when needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject-matter expert on complex CYF cases, offering a multi-system behavioral health perspective.
• Consult with staff regarding referral needs, service options, and treatment recommendations.
• Review and interpret mental health records, evaluations, and treatment plans to support caseworkers’ understanding.
• Identify and help resolve service barriers by coordinating with OBH and other DHS program offices.
• Participate in conferencing, teaming, ISP meetings, and case reviews.
• Provide case-specific guidance with support from medical units, clinical managers, and OBH leadership.
• Offer recommendations for community-based resources and behavioral health services.
• Advocate for child and family needs within the service systems.
• Provide provider-level details for recommended levels of care and support warm handoffs.
• Liaise between CYF, Behavioral Health providers, and Community Care for case coordination.
• Conduct psychoeducational groups for families, caregivers, and foster/kinship providers.
• Deliver training to CYF staff on topics such as child development, mental health symptoms, diagnoses, and service continuum.
• Conduct home visits alongside caseworkers to support behavioral health engagement and education.
• Maintain flexibility to respond to urgent or emerging case needs.
• Perform all responsibilities in a culturally competent and sensitive manner.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong understanding of child and adolescent psychosocial development.
• Advanced knowledge of child- and family-centered mental health needs and family systems.
• Understanding of trauma and its impact on behavior and development.
• Familiarity with evidence-based and evidence-informed child/adolescent treatment practices.
• Working knowledge of substance use and co-occurring disorders.
• Ability to navigate behavioral health systems and community resources.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.
• Commitment to DHS values and a family-centered service philosophy.
• Openness to continuous learning and professional development.
• Strong understanding of practice standards and systems-level approaches.

Education & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, or a related Human Services field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least 3 years of experience in a CASSP environment (Child and Adolescent Service System Program) required.
• Extensive knowledge of the child and adult behavioral health continuum within Allegheny County required.
• Act 33, Act 34, and FBI clearances required.

Why DHS?

DHS is diverse, but we strive to be even more inclusive. This includes equity in hiring and advancement, as well as in unleashing the creativity and ideas of staff at every level of DHS. It has strong, assertive leaders. We do not hire yes-people.

You can make a big impact here. We stand out as one of the best human services organizations in the country. But we need problem-solvers, innovators, and terrific leaders to make sure we are smart in how we use our funding so that we reach the people who most need our help to make their lives better.

“DHS strives to be the kind of place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come to grow and do their best work.”

-From the organization’s statement on Equity and Inclusion

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER -M/F/V/D