MH Clinician - Crisis Assessment

Mental Health Clinician

Assessment Brief Care Team

Mental Health Addictions Services

Taranaki Base Hospital, New Plymouth

Permanent position - Rostered rotating 4 on 2 off

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the Role

We are currently looking for a passionate and experienced mental health clinician to join our Mental Health Assessment Brief Care (ABC) Team.

The MH ABC team provide assessment and interventions for people and whanau experiencing distressing or crisis symptoms of mental ill-health. Our team will work with people in a range of settings, be it the community, their whare, medical centres or in a hospital environment with the goal of meeting the individual where they are at and together achieving the best outcome to meet the person and whanau needs.

This role sits within the ABC Team with a focus on providing the following functions:

• Brief period of face-to-face follow-ups (2-4 weeks) post crisis assessment, supporting the person through the crisis phase, partnering with the person to develop self-resilience and coping strategies, strengths reinforcement and practical assistance for maintaining wellbeing in the community.
• Arranging further appointments with mental health professionals
• Liaising with primary care partners such as GPs and HIPs

Applications are welcome from nursing and allied health professionals who have extensive mental health crisis and community experience, particularly in the practical application and use of talking therapy approaches.

Please click here to view the position description

About the Team/Service/ Location

We can offer you a welcoming and supportive environment with a team that is committed to ensuring you are successful in your role. We will also provide a comprehensive orientation process when you start so that you become familiar not only with our service but also the wider mental health sector in Taranaki.

For more information on living and working in Taranaki click here

About you

Suitable candidates will have:

• Recent mental health experience, at least 3 years Post Graduate Experience in a mental health setting
• Be a calm, person centred and patient individual with well-developed de-escalation skills
• Excellent written, verbal, and nonverbal communication skills
• Expertise in Mental State Examination, Risk Assessment and Talking Therapy models
• Ability, skills, and knowledge to implement appropriate clinical interventions/ crisis management
• Work with Service Users/ Tangata whaiora / family/ whanau and other involved parties within the organisation and community to maintain therapeutic and working relationships
• Ability to work both autonomously and part of a team
• Excellent problem solving and communication skills
• Good knowledge of the Mental health Act (1992), willing to become a Duly Authorised Officer under the Mental Health Act
• Hold Full Drivers License
• Be flexible to contribute to the on-call roster if required to support service delivery

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Maori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to Apply

To apply please click apply now. All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal by 10th April 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Ross Ekdahl via email ross.ekdahl@tdhb.org.nz

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advert.