Behavioral Health Specialist

Location: 8300 Constitution Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110-7613

Pay

Pay range: $22.79 – $38.80

About the role

Presbyterian is hiring a skilled Behavioral Health Specialist for Kaseman Hospital. This full-time, non-exempt position offers a 1.00 FTE with a work shift of 10-hour days.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services is seeking a compassionate and experienced Behavioral Health Specialist to help patients navigate mental health and substance use challenges while promoting healing, stability, and personal growth. In this dynamic role, you'll serve as both a direct care provider and a mentor, partnering with nurses, therapists, physicians, and behavioral health technicians to deliver exceptional, patient-centered care. You'll play an essential role in creating a safe, therapeutic environment where patients feel supported, empowered, and respected. This position combines hands-on patient care, behavioral health interventions, team leadership, and care coordination.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct patient care and support activities of daily living in a compassionate, therapeutic environment.
• Serve as a mentor and resource for Behavioral Health Technicians (BHTs), providing guidance and leadership.
• Observe, assess, and report changes in patients' mental, emotional, and physical conditions, including signs of substance withdrawal, self-harm risk, or psychiatric distress.
• Facilitate therapeutic, educational, skill-building, support, and wellness groups under the direction of licensed clinical staff.
• Build trusting relationships with patients through empathy, encouragement, empowerment, and effective communication.
• Assist multidisciplinary treatment teams in delivering mental health and substance abuse treatment services.
• Document patient observations, interventions, and risk management activities accurately within the electronic medical record (EMR).
• Monitor patient safety, complete safety rounds, and contribute to maintaining a structured, supportive treatment environment.
• Perform point-of-care testing, assist with case management activities, and support quality improvement initiatives.
• Participate in staff training, orientation, scheduling support, and continuous improvement efforts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and one year of experience, or Bachelor’s degree in a non-related field and two years of experience in a mental health setting. (Six years of additional experience can be substituted in lieu of a degree.)
• Must successfully complete Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) within six months.
• Advanced Physical Training (Advanced CPI) within one year.

Benefits

• Educational and career development options, including tuition and certification reimbursement, scholarship opportunities.
• Staff safety wearable badge for discreetly calling for help.
• Shift differentials for night/weekend shifts, higher education, certifications, and various lead roles (for eligible positions).
• Malpractice liability insurance.
• Loan forgiveness through the New Mexico Higher Education Department.
• EPIC electronic charting system.
• Unique wellness program, including free on-site and community-based gyms, nutrition coaching and classes, mindfulness and meditation resources, wellness challenges, and more.

About Presbyterian Healthcare Services

Presbyterian exists to improve the health of patients, members, and the communities we serve. We are a locally owned, not-for-profit healthcare system of nine hospitals, a statewide health plan, and a growing multi-specialty medical group. Founded in New Mexico in 1908, we are the state's largest private employer with nearly 14,000 employees—including more than 1,600 providers and nearly 4,700 nurses. Our health plan serves more than 580,000 members statewide and offers Medicare Advantage, Medicaid (Centennial Care), and Commercial health plans.