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MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, DUKE POLICE
Job Title: MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, DUKE POLICE
Job Code: 0833
FLSA: N
Job Level: 74
Revised Date: 09/01/2025
Job Family: JF 20
Occupational Summary
The Mental Health Specialist serves as a key member of the campus and hospital safety team, combining security expertise with mental health crisis response. This role focuses on de-escalation, crisis intervention, and compassionate engagement with individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral concerns or other crises. The specialist provides trauma-informed respectful, and resource-driven support to ensure the dignity and safety of all members of the community, with particular attention to unique needs of the unhoused population.
Work Performed
Respond to incidents involving individuals in mental health or behavioral crisis, utilizing crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.
Provide compassionate engagement and support to individuals experiencing homelessness on campus and in hospital settings, ensuring they are treated with dignity, respect, and care.
Connect unhoused individuals with emergency shelter options, medical care, food resources, and longer-term housing support services in collaboration with local outreach organizations.
Safely transport individuals in crisis to appropriate facilities or services, following established protocols.
Collaborate with internal departments (security, social work, counseling, emergency services) and external partners (law enforcement, mental health agencies, shelters, and outreach programs).
Maintain accurate and timely documentation of incidents, interventions and outcomes, including referrals and follow-up efforts for unhoused individuals.
Serve as a resource to campus and hospital staff regarding crisis response, homelessness-related concerns, and available community support options.
Assist in developing and implementing proactive strategies to reduce homelessness-related incidents and enhance campus/hospital safety through prevention, education and, outreach.
Provide follow up support and referrals to individuals in need, connecting them with long-term services housing assistance, and community reintegration opportunities where possible.
Required Qualifications at this Level
Education/Training
Work requires a High School Diploma or GED. A degree in Psychology, Social Work, Criminal Justice is preferred.
Prior experience in security, crisis intervention, de-escalation measures, mental health services, or social services is preferred.
Must possess and maintain a valid North Carolina Driver's License.
Pass or achieve an acceptable score on all pre-employment screening.
Pass an extensive background investigation.
Continued employment is contingent upon successful attainment and ability to perform duties associated with job related certifications (CPR, IHASS, first aid, etc.) within the timeframe established by the department.
Experience
Work requires one year of experience preferably in a security related field.
OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE
Skills
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions
Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.
