| Location | San Bernardino, CA |
| Salary | $42,972.80–$57,720 Per Year |
Mental Health Specialist Trainee
Salary
$42,972.80 - $57,720.00 Annually
Location
Throughout San Bernardino County, CA
Job Type
Full-time
Job Number
26-13222-01
Department
Department of Behavioral Health
Opening Date
09/05/2026
Closing Date
9/11/2026 5:00 PM Pacific
FLSA
Non-Exempt
The Job
Be an agent of change and make a difference in delivering health and wellness to millions of residents.
Join a team who is passionate about the services they provide and is committed to making a difference throughout
San Bernardino County.
The San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health invites qualified individuals to apply for the position of Mental Health Specialist Trainee. Mental Health Specialist Trainees assist licensed and pre-licensed professional staff in assessing, planning, and providing behavioral health services in clinic, institutional, field, and community settings. Mental Health Specialist Trainees provide crisis intervention and case management services; link clients to community resources; help clients solve problems with employment, housing and education; make placement arrangements; and advocate for client needs. They also may collaborate with target community, agencies, and individuals to inform them about and promote the use of behavioral health education programs and services; assist individuals and groups with recognizing and improving personal, home, family, or community environments contributing to behavioral health and/or substance use struggles; lead activity and task groups; and conduct individual/group counseling sessions. Trainees learn to perform these functions via on-the-job training.
The Department of Behavioral Health is also accepting applications for Mental Health Specialist. Please refer to the job title to be redirected to the corresponding application. Each position requires its own application.
For additional details, please refer to the Mental Health Specialist Trainee job description.
The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder services to county residents who are experiencing major mental illness or substance abuse related issues. DBH provides mental health and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services to all age groups, with a primary emphasis on treating children/youth who may be seriously emotionally disturbed, adults who are experiencing a serious and persistent mental illness, and individuals who are experiencing substance use disorders. DBH also provides an array of outreach/engagement, prevention, and early intervention services. DBHs core values are service, integrity, accountability, and trust.
DBH is a unique County Department comprised of eight (8) direct service areas: Community Outpatient and Transitional Age Youth Services; Youth Collaborative and Justice Involved Services; Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Services; 24 Hour and Specialty Services; Adult Justice Involved and Diversion Services; Medical Services; Community Engagement and Equity Services; Office of Patients Rights and five (5) indirect service areas: Administrative and Fiscal Services; Public Relations and Outreach Services; Program Support Services; Disaster and Safety Unit; and the Office of Compliance. The Department currently has a workforce in excess of 1500 positions and an approximate $800 million-dollar annual budget.
Follow this link to learn more about the Department of Behavioral Health
Follow this link to learn more about San Bernardino County
The list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future vacancies as they occur throughout the Department.
EXCELLENT BENEFITS!
To review job-specific benefits, please refer to the Summary of Benefits and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Pre-Employment Process: Prior to appointment, applicants must pass a background investigation, which includes fingerprinting and medical exam, which may include drug and/or TB testing. Applicants must be a U.S. Citizen or a permanent U.S. resident.
Travel: Travel throughout the County may be required and employees will be required to make provisions for such transportation.
Availability: Some programs offer 24-hour services; some assignments may require employees to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and on-call.
Sponsorship: San Bernardino County is not able to consider candidates who will require visa sponsorship at the time of application or in the future.
Minimum Requirements
Must meet one (1) of the following options:
Option 1: Thirty (30) semester (45 quarter) units of completed coursework from an accredited college in behavioral or social science.
Option 2: Sixty (60) semester (90 quarter units) of completed coursework from an accredited college, which includes 15 semester (23 quarter) units in behavioral or social science.
Note: A list of coursework or copies of transcripts MUST be submitted with the application for applicants who do not possess a Bachelors degree in behavioral or social science. Psychiatric Tech courses and Alcohol and Drug Certificate courses completed as part of a vocational program are acceptable and will be evaluated for equivalent units.
Note: Applicants who have completed a Bachelors degree in behavioral or social science may list their degree on the application in lieu of providing coursework.
Option 3T: Two (2) years of work experience as a Peer and Family Advocate or equivalent position. Applicants qualifying under Option 3T will have six (6) years from hire date to obtain one (1) of the education requirements for the Mental Health Specialist classification.
Desired Qualifications
Applicants fluent in American Sign Language, Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, and/or Vietnamese are strongly encouraged to apply. Additional compensation is associated with positions requiring the use of bilingual skills. Testing of bilingual skills may be required to receive additional compensation.
Applicants with consumer advocacy backgrounds are also encouraged to apply.
Selection Process
Application Procedure: There will be an online examination which will consist of an evaluation of knowledge and skills on the following topics:
Important: The ability to take pre-employment tests online is a privilege. Please do not take advantage of this benefit. Also, be aware that applicants may be required to take parallel versions of these tests in a proctored setting in order to confirm their identities as the original test takers.
Completing your application with statements such as "see/refer to resume" or "see attached" rather than completing your work history may affect your eligibility or competitive evaluation score. Be sure to clearly describe your experience in meeting the minimum requirements.
Technical Assistance: If you require technical assistance, follow this link to review the Government Jobs online application guide or contact their Toll-Free Applicant Support line at (855) 524-5627. Please note that Human Resources is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by your internet connection, computer, or browser when submitting an application.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) / Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): San Bernardino County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant employer, dedicated to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants.
ADA Accommodation: If you have a disability and need accommodations during the testing process, please submit the Special Testing Accommodations Request Form within one week of the recruitment filing deadline.
Veterans' Preference: Eligible veterans and their spouses or widows/widowers who are not current County employees may receive additional Veterans Preference points. For details and instructions on how to request these points, please refer to the Veterans Preference Policy.
For more important details, review the Applicant Information and County Employment Process.
Administrative Services Unit
San Bernardino County offers a range of benefit programs for employees and their eligible dependents. These include health, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as a variety of other voluntary benefits. Programs and benefit amounts vary and are based on bargaining unit, family size, hire date, plan selection, and number of hours worked.
Please review the appropriate Summary of Benefits* for more information
Refer to the appropriate MOU, contact the County's Employee Benefits and Services Division at (909) 387-5787 or visit the Employee Benefits website for more detailed information.
01
Competitive Evaluation Instructions: The information on the application and your responses to the following supplemental questions will be used in a determination of minimum qualifications as well as a competitive evaluation. Experience indicated on this questionnaire must also be listed and fully detailed in the work experience section of your application.
02
Education Requirement: Indicate which of the following education options you meet.
03
Education/Coursework: Applicants who have NOT obtained a Bachelors degree in behavioral/social science MUST provide a list of completed college coursework. Include the following information: Course Number, Course Title, School, Number of Units. Please indicate if units are semester or quarter. Note: If you completed coursework at a vocational school, please indicate total number of hours of classroom instruction instead of units.
For example: Psych 100, Intro to Psychology, CSUSB, 4 quarter units If you have completed a Bachelors degree or higher, include your degree type, major, and completion date below.
04
Experience Requirement: Indicate which of the following experience options you meet.
05
Behavioral Health/Human Services Experience: Describe your experience performing the following duties: interviewing clients to assess needs, planning/providing behavioral health services, making placement arrangements, case management, linking clients to services/making referrals, crisis intervention, outreach, counseling, and advocacy. Specify if experience was gained in a behavioral health or human services environment and type of agency (government agency, government contract provider, non-profit, community based organization, school, hospital, private agency). If you do not possess this type of experience, indicate "N/A".
06
AOD Certification: Do you have certification as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AOD) in the State of California? If so, be sure to include a copy of your certification or your certification number with your application.
07
Training/Experience in an Alcohol and Drug Treatment Environment: Describe your training/experience in providing treatment services in a supervised Alcohol and Drug Treatment environment. If you do not possess this type of experience, indicate "N/A".
08
Experience in Housing and/or Employment Programs: Describe your experience in a housing or employment program. If you do not possess this type of experience, indicate "N/A".
09
Outreach/Community Education Experience: Indicate the areas where you have one (1) year of experience. Check all that apply.
10
Outreach/Community Education Experience: Provide the dates of employment, name of employer, and the job duties performed for the experience indicated in answer to the previous question. If you do not possess this type of experience, indicate "N/A".
11
Program Availability: The Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT) is comprised of mobile crisis response units that provide crisis assessments, evaluation for involuntary hospitalizations, and crisis interventions for adults, adolescents, and children at risk of acute psychiatric hospitalization at hospital emergency rooms, schools, Sheriff and Police stations, homes or other community locations. Indicate your willingness to work in this program below.
12
Program Availability: The Homeless and Supportive Services (HOST) programs provide services in the field to engage literally and chronically homeless individuals with mental illness into permanent supportive housing and emergency shelter placement and programming. Indicate your willingness to work in this program below.
13
Correctional Health Care/Forensics Populations: Some positions may require working in locked detention facilities, with probationers, defendants under Court supervision being diverted from correctional settings, or offenders recently released from a correctional setting. Indicate your willingness to work with these populations and/or within this environment. (Check all that apply.)
14
Background Check/Polygraph Testing: An extensive background check and polygraph testing is required for positions working with the Juvenile Justice and Correctional Health Care populations as described in the above question. Are you willing to participate in the background check process and submit to polygraph (lie detector) testing?
15
Applicant Acknowledgement - Notification via Email: As part of our efforts to increase efficiency and promote conservation of resources, Human resources uses email to communicate with applicants. Therefore, all future communications regarding this recruitment, including applicant status and testing notifications, will be made via email. We strongly encourage you, as an applicant, to ensure that the email address you have provided with your application is current, secure and readily accessible to you. Adjust Spam and/or other filters so that our emails are accepted. Please carefully read any notices that we send you and follow any instructions provided in a timely manner. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails (i.e., for the non-delivery of our emails or if you fail to check your e-mail on a timely basis).
16
ATTENTION GMAIL USERS
We have become aware of an increase in Gmails spam filter sensitivity. Due to this change, it is possible that emails coming from San Bernardino County Human Resources may be marked as spam and will not make it into your Gmail inbox.
For your convenience, a step-by-step guide to create and apply filters within Gmail is available in the attached PDF. Download the PDF Guide. Once downloaded, follow the instructions so that you will receive future emails from San Bernardino County Human Resources.
Note: If you apply the filters and still do not receive emails from San Bernardino County Human Resources you can check your www.governmentjobs.com (Neogov) account inbox. All notifications will appear there.
17
Applicants Acknowledgement - Application Complete: Thank you for taking the time to complete this application and supplemental questionnaire. Please be sure to review all information provided prior to submitting it as you cannot update or revise it once submitted. Your submitted application will be reviewed and evaluated as is. Please do not refer to a resume or other documentation in lieu of completing the employment history section or responding to the supplemental questions; they will not be reviewed or considered. Once your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive an onscreen confirmation and an email confirmation will be sent to the email address listed on your application. We recommend that you save and/or print these for your records. Please note, if you do not receive an onscreen confirmation and an email acknowledging our receipt of your application we have not received your application.
Required Question
Employer San Bernardino County
Address 175 West Fifth Street, 1st Floor
San Bernardino, California, 92415-0440
Phone (909) 387-8304
TTY Users: 711
Website http://www.sbcounty.gov/jobs