Temporary Science Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Salary : $82,352.00 - $131,852.00 Annually
Location : 1301 Piccard Dr Rockville MD 20850 USA
Job Type: Temporary Intermittent
Job Number: 2026-00431
Department: Department of Health and Human Services
Division: HHS 60 Behavioral Health and Crisis Services Division
Opening Date: 08/05/2026
FLSA: Exempt
About the Position
Please note: The salary range above represents this position's earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $39.59 - $58.22 per hour worked, based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.
WHO WE ARE
Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, D.C., and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.
The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County's public health and human services that meets the needs of our community's most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With over 2,000 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.
As a Department, we believe health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods, and healthy food. HHS provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking to hire temporary intermittent part-time substitute PRN (as needed) Therapist II to serve in the 24 Hours Crisis Center of Behavioral Health and Crisis Services.
This work includes intervening with individuals experiencing psychiatric emergencies involving suicidal and/or homicidal ideation/plans, individuals with severe and persistent mental illness who are decompensating, homeless individuals and families, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or other violent crimes and other emotional or
situational crises.
What You'll Be Doing
Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services is recruiting PRN Therapist II to work in the Behavioral Health Crisis Center on a as needed basis. The Behavioral Health Crisis Center is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The PRN Therapists must work flexible hours to cover leave for permanent staff (who are essential workers for the Department of Health and Human Services during county emergencies) and assigned as needed.
Crisis Center Therapist II positions are responsible for providing telephone, walk-in, mobile outreach crisis intervention and residential crisis services 24 hours a day.
Duties Include:

• Application of crisis intervention principles and methods in the assessment, diagnosis, prevention, psychotherapeutic treatment, and case management of children who present to the Crisis Center as a walk-in, school referral or MCT.
• Provide adolescent screenings through the SASCA program.
• Substance use and mental health screenings to include drug screenings, referrals and case management and conducting counseling groups.
• Have knowledge and experience in treating clients with a wide variety of mental health disorders and substance use issues. Some screenings may be conducted at a school site.
• Able to collaborate with agencies focused on children such as Child Welfare Services, Dept of Juvenile Services and Montgomery County Public Schools.
• Collaboration and coordination with other county agencies and community partners to accomplish integration of services, linkages to treatment and response to community wide emergencies, critical incidents and disaster behavioral health situations.

The Crisis Center is a 24/7 program, and staff's schedule are subject to change. The selected PRN Therapist II candidate is required to work day shifts, weekends, evenings, or overnight shifts depending on the program needs and to cover shifts for merit staff who are essential workers. These PRN positions are budgeted for 4 hours a week and more hours may be required based on program needs.
The selected candidate will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment background check, medical exam, and drug screening.
Minimum Qualifications
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's Degree in clinical or counseling psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, nursing, or a related behavioral science field.
Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience rendering therapeutic counseling, social work, nursing or psychology services, as pertinent to one's professional licensing.
Equivalency: None.
LICENSE REQUIREMENT:
One of the following licenses, issued by the State of Maryland and maintained by the employee:

• Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC);
• Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapy (LCMFT);
• Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC);
• Licensed Certified Social Worker/Clinical (LCSW-C);
• Licensed Psychologist

Note: There will be no substitutions for this requirement.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
Preference for interview will be given to qualified candidates with the following experience:

• At least 2 years of clinical experience as a mental health practitioner treating individuals of any age with co-occurring disorders, persistent mental health issues, behavioral issues, and/or victimization and trauma.
• Professional experience in a crisis center, emergency room and/or other 24/7 settings providing urgent behavioral health services.
• Experience working in a residential treatment setting or in an inpatient hospital psychiatric setting.
• Experience providing crisis intervention services during community-wide emergencies such as natural disasters, serious accidents, and/or other emergency situations that might include fatalities.
• Experience providing mobile outreach response to psychiatric emergencies and/or on-scene support involving unexpected deaths.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.
Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at Hiring@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.
MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.
All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.
If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.
Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Leave Benefits
Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.
Retirement Benefits
All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.
Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness
Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.
Free Mass Transit Benefit
County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.
Reduced Child and Health Care Costs
Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.
Employee Wellbeing
We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.
Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits
01
Have you graduated from an accredited college or university with a Master's Degree in clinical or counseling psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, nursing, or a related behavioral science field?

• Yes
• No

02
Do you currently hold one of the following licenses, issued by the State of Maryland?

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapy (LCMFT)

Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC)

Licensed Certified Social Worker/Clinical (LCSW-C)

Licensed Registered Nurse in the United States, certified as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner or Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in the State of Maryland

Licensed Psychologist

• Yes
• No

03
Please provide us with information regarding which active Maryland State Licensure you have obtained, the licensure number, and the expiration date.
04
How many years of professional experience do you have rendering therapeutic counseling, social work, nursing or psychology services, as pertinent to one's professional licensing?

• No Experience
• 1 Year Experience
• 2 Years Experience
• 3+ Years Experience

05
Do you have at least 2 years of clinical experience as a mental health practitioner treating individuals of any age with co-occurring disorders, persistent mental health issues, behavioral issues, and/or victimization and trauma?

• Yes
• No

06
Please provide details of your clinical experience as a mental health practitioner treating individuals of any age with co-occurring disorders, persistent mental health issues, behavioral issues, and/or victimization and trauma. Also include the