Behavioral Health Therapist

Provides direct integrated co-occurring behavioral health and substance use services in support of integrated primary care and behavioral health services.

Behavioral Health encompasses prevention, intervention, and recovery from mental health and substance use conditions within the primary care setting across Chase Brexton Health Care.

Behavioral Health therapists maintain a caseload of patients engaging in co-occurring behavioral health and substance use services in order to provide therapeutic support that meets their life needs.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Analytical and Critical Thinking

• Conducts brief, evidence-based and developmentally appropriate screenings.
• Conducts time limited assessments.
• Applies knowledge of evidence-based practice, including empirical bases of assessment, intervention, and other clinical applications, expertise and patient preferences to individuals, couples, groups and families to include adults, children and adolescents as assigned.
• Assesses both behavioral health and substance use needs and determines most appropriate clinical interventions to best fit patient needs
• Provides emergency assessment of patients in crisis and facilitates psychiatric hospitalization if needed.
• Assesses discharge readiness throughout the course of treatment.

Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Create and implement integrated treatment plans, ensuring access to organizational and external services within allotted time frames.
• Independently evaluates treatment progress and modifies planning as indicated, even in the absence of established outcome measures

Patient Focus

• Provides referrals for internal and external services.
• Demonstrates ability engage patients and/or families who are not engaged in services through outreach and follow up

Communication

• Provides consultation to medical providers, other CBHC staff, and other service providers to facilitate a coordinated continuum of care within the primary care setting.
• Participates in staff meetings as required.
• Verbal, nonverbal, and written communications are informative and well-integrated.
• Participates in system change and promotes change within Chase Brexton Health Care.
• Ensures progress notes are accessible to the patient's care team and considers that they may be accessible to the patient.

Compliance, Policy, and Procedure

• Document all behavioral health services as directed by CBHC policy, State requirements, and professional standards.
• Adheres to departmental productivity standards and policy and procedures.
• If providing supervision: Demonstrates knowledge of supervision models and practices; demonstrates knowledge of and effectively addresses limits of competency to supervise
• Assesses for risk using a standardized measure (e. g., CAMS; C-SSRS).
• Completes all SuccessFactors assignments as assigned.
• Demonstrates appropriate use of billing orders for all clinical documentation.

Workplace Computers and Equipment

• Utilizes Electronic Health Record to support and improve integrated healthcare.

Willingness to Learn

• Meets mandatory continuing education requirements to maintain licensure/certification.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor..

Skills and Abilities

• Must have the ability to provide services that are relevant to the culture of the patient and their family. Must be able to identify and address disparities in healthcare access and quality.
• Must be able to adapt services to cultural norms, and promote diversity among the providers working in interprofessional teams.
• Must be familiar with open access model to care in community mental health and health care settings. Must be able to adapt to changes in the field of Health Care both state wide and nationally.

Education and/or Experience

• Degree required: Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psy D or PhD
• Licensure Preferred: LCSW-C, LCPC, Psychologist
• Licensure Required: Licensure in the state of Maryland
• Preferred: Two years of experience in the provision of outpatient mental health and/or substance use services with adults adolescents and/or children. Experience in a primary care setting is strongly preferred.
• Preferred: Multi-Lingual