Behavioral Health Counselor Licensed | PRN

About the Role

The Behavioral Health Counselor (Licensed) is a master’s‑prepared clinician working under supervision and preliminary licensure. The counselor is accountable for gathering and summarizing bio‑psych‑social histories, developing interdisciplinary crisis‑stabilization plans of care, delivering patient and family educational sessions, conducting educational groups, participating in multidisciplinary treatment planning, and implementing discharge and after‑care planning. Additional responsibilities include auditing medical records for quality of patient care, participating in performance improvement and quality‑management processes, and educating case‑management staff on treatment and discharge planning. The counselor serves as a patient advocate and is a member of the Behavioral Health Leadership Team, reporting directly to the Director of Psychiatric Services.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Interview patients, families, and others to obtain social and developmental histories.
• Maintain regular contact with each assigned patient to monitor responses to services and identify problem areas.
• Obtain information from family members about past treatment responses and issues in work, custody, school, and leisure activities.
• Report significant information and recommendations to treatment team members.
• Liaise with local social‑service agencies to develop appropriate referrals that assist patients in returning to their communities upon discharge.
• Provide group and individual services to equip patients/clients with skills necessary for successful adjustment after release.
• Develop individual treatment plans for patients and document case records as needed.
• Provide emotional and/or cognitive patient care in an appropriate, therapeutic, and safe manner.
• Communicate abnormal variances of emotional and/or cognitive data (e.g., tearful, hallucinating) to appropriate staff.

Education and Work Experience

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, or Family Therapy.
• 2–4 years of experience working with mentally ill and/or individuals with addictions (preferred).
• Pursuing or currently supervised for licensure (e.g., LMSW, PLPC).
• Crisis response training.
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients, families, peers, and medical personnel.
• Emotional stability, resilience, adaptability to change, decisiveness, and foresight.
• Organizational and leadership abilities; ability to gain and maintain support and respect.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The work requires a variety of physical activities including sitting, standing, and walking. Bending, stooping, and lifting are minimal. The environment may be physically confining, and visual acuity is required for many tasks. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Workplace Culture

“Experience Memorial” is more than a slogan; it reflects the care provided to patients and the commitment to the community and team members. As a nationally certified Great Place to Work, Lake Charles Memorial Health System offers an organizational culture that supports exceptional patient care, employee well‑being, professional growth, and celebrates employee contributions.