Behavioral Health Clinician School Based - Maloney High School

About the Role

The Behavioral Health Clinician – Licensed SBHC is a licensed independent Behavioral Health provider who supports students and their families as a CHC employee in a school-based clinic. This role involves performing diagnostic psychosocial evaluations, developing care plans with clients and their families, offering individual, family, or group therapy, and collaborating with psychiatric and/or medical providers on the client’s care team. The position primarily focuses on direct client care but may include supervision of unlicensed staff and/or students.

This is a full-time salaried position following a school-based calendar of 195 days per year.

Responsibilities

Clinical

• Completes initial behavioral health evaluations; provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy with children and/or adults in an outpatient clinic.
• Runs at least five (5) groups for each week of direct clinical work.
• Practices as part of an interdisciplinary, inter-professional team, accepting “warm hand-offs” from primary care providers and other members of the healthcare team.
• Identifies patients potentially in need of Behavioral Health services using the BH clinical dashboard.
• Consults with providers within and outside the agency regarding treatment plans and patient progress.
• Coordinates with psychiatric consultants for diagnostic and consultative needs; refers for medication management as necessary.
• Attends clinical Team Meetings and Component Meetings as assigned.
• Meets productivity standards focused on quality clinical care as outlined annually during performance appraisal reviews.
• Encourages clients to express their feelings and develop insight into themselves or their relationships.
• Performs crisis interventions with clients.
• Assesses for immediate safety concerns, including high-risk patients/clients at risk for homicide, suicide, and domestic violence.
• Guides clients in developing skills or strategies for dealing with identified goals.
• Develops and implements treatment plans based on clinical experience and knowledge according to state regulatory and Joint Commission standards.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of ongoing treatment on clients' progress.
• Modifies treatment activities or approaches as needed to comply with changes in clients' status.
• Discusses with individual patients their plans for life after leaving therapy.
• Works with and supports family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, or supporting clients or patients.
• Maintains awareness of new developments in the field.
• Gathers information about community mental health needs or resources that could be used in conjunction with therapy.
• Licensed clinicians may supervise student interns or other staff working toward obtaining licensure. Unlicensed clinicians are actively working toward obtaining licensure.

Administrative

• Completes all documentation required by state regulations, Joint Commission standards, and CHC Behavioral Health department bylaws in a timely manner, including intake, prior authorization requests, progress notes, treatment plan documentation, and discharge.
• Completes and locks all treatment notes no later than the end of the next business day.
• Completes reports as required for outside agencies such as DCF, Family Relations, probation, and others with appropriate releases signed by clients.
• Participates as a member of agency-wide committees as assigned.

Requirements

• Licensure as LCSW, LMFT, LPC, or Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the State of CT (preferred), or license-eligible with a current Associate license (MLSW, PC-A, MFT-A) and ability to obtain full clinical licensure within 3 years of hire.
• Minimum of two years of experience with outpatients, including experience with children and/or adults.
• Theoretical orientation consistent with brief, problem-focused therapy.
• Reliable access to an automobile or transportation for outside agency consults, meetings, and home visits.
• Written and oral bilingual fluency in a language spoken by the patient population (e.g., English/Spanish) preferred.

Work Environment

• Combination of sustained periods of sitting at a keyboard, walking, and stair climbing.
• Minimal lifting and carrying activities.

Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to interface with patients, family members, community agencies, and other providers within the organization.
• Strict adherence to confidentiality policies regarding behavioral health and patient information.
• Full access to patient medical records and encounter data; responsible for client data entry.

Location: Maloney High School, Meriden, Connecticut