Director of Behavioral Health

Director of Behavioral Health

Department: Behavioral Health

Reports to: Chief Medical Officer

FLSA Status: Exempt

Type of Position: Full-Time

Revised Date: 05/20/2026

Mission & Vision Statement

The Kewa Pueblo Health Corporation (KPHC) is established for the purposes of carrying out the vision and mission of the Santo Domingo Health Center (SDHC). The MISSION of KPHC is: “ENSURING HEALTH & WELLNESS THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN HEALTHCARE WITH RESPECT FOR CULTURE” and the VISION OF KPHC is: “HEALTHY PEOPLE, HEALTHY COMMUNITY, and HEALTHY LIFESTYLE”.

Position Purpose

The purpose of this position is to provide psychological services to adults, children, adolescents, and families; as well as maintain the operations and full scope of duties as the administrator of the Behavioral Health department.

Perfomance Expectations

In performance of their respective tasks and duties all employees of the Santo Domingo Health Center are expected to conform to the following:

• Fully uphold all principles of confidentiality and patient care.
• Adhere to all professional and ethical behavior standards of the healthcare industry.
• Interact in an honest, trustworthy and dependable manner with patients, employees and vendors.
• Possess cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Maintain a current insurable driver’s license.
• Comply with all Kewa Pueblo Health Corporation and Santo Domingo Health Center policies and procedures, as well as all applicable laws.

Essential Duties, Functions & Responsibilities

CLINICAL (40% of time)

• Provide psychological services based on this statement of work utilizing professional expertise, education, knowledge and training in determining the appropriate behavioral health therapy. This may include individual, therapeutic and psychoeducational groups, couples, and family therapy via face to face or telehealth delivery.
• Maintain a consistent caseload of 10-15 patients per week across the lifespan (e. g., adults, children/adolescents, families).

• Lead interdisciplinary treatment team meetings and program consultation to behavioral health and medical staff, health care and community providers

• Document patient diagnosis and treatment and prognosis in the appropriate client records according to Kewa Pueblo Health Corporation requirements.
• Enhance professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, reading current literature, attending in-services, meetings and workshops.
• Work closely with the Santo Domingo Pueblo programs including Santo Domingo Social Services, Tribal Courts, Behavioral Health, and other agencies to coordinate services for patients.
• Promote cooperation and collaboration with appropriate tribal programs and government agencies to develop a better understanding of the Behavioral Health Program, focusing particularly on child and related family emotional health.
• Assist and assess chronic cases and make case management recommendations taking into consideration sensitivity to cultural customs.
• Serve as clinical supervisor to clinicians with provisional licensure (inclusive of being a State Board approved Social Work and Counseling Supervisor); as well as serve as clinical supervisor to services that take place off-site at the Early Childhood Learning Center and SD Elementary and Middle School and other locations as allowed by KPHC’s IHS Scope of Work.
• Supervise the Behavioral Health triage line which receives crisis calls, warm hand offs and requests for consultation.
• Ability to maintain and build trust; protect and preserve confidential information along with high attention to detail.
• Serve as on-call clinician to respond to Code Brown and Code Blue calls within the facility and its grounds.

ADMIN (60% of time)

• Provide direction and oversight to all direct service providers, clinical contracts, BH administrative assistant and CareLink NM Program Manager. Furthermore, monitor the capacity and productivity of the department to propose new positions and staff changes to keep up with the demands of the department.

• Develop and maintain established departmental policies and procedures; as well as departmental competencies according to AAAHC Standards on a timely basis.

• Ensure treatment components are consistently implemented with integrity and fidelity, including monitoring for appropriate documentation.
• Lead training in the Code Brown policy and Mandated Reporting Policies for the Corporation; implementing annual training and monitoring.
• Develop, implement, and modify treatment protocols and clinical procedures in accordance with clinical objectives and AAAHC standards. Of note, design and execute culturally sensitive treatment models to address mental health needs of staff and patients considering the socio-political and related stressors.
• Collaborate with the patient’s multi-disciplinary treatment team members to ensure thorough assessment, safety, timely follow up, and behavioral health support.
• Interpret AAAHC accreditation and regulatory standards and implement processes to ensure compliance.
• Be a voting member of and provide expertise from a behavioral health and operations perspective on the executive leadership team, medical executive committee, safety committee, NextGen committee, infection control committee, quality improvement committee, and other ad hoc committees as necessary to execute the KPHC Health Board’s Strategic Plan.
• Oversee all facets of the daily operations of the organizational unit, ensuring compliance with federal laws, policies, and regulations.
• Monitor and ensure timeliness and accuracy to the credentialing process of all new employees and maintenance of credentialing for current employees.
• Conduct clinical peer reviews and FPPEs as required during the credentialing process according to the Med Staff & AHP Bylaws.
• Design, implement and execute Quality Improvement projects and provide training to staff to be involved in the QA/QI process of the department. Complete and/or review final storyboard for approval and distribution to the community.
• Manage Contracts and grants for various projects, as appropriate
• Serve as a clinical practice resource and assist in staff development by providing professional staff development.
• Work collaboratively with national, state, and/or local agencies and constituencies to enhance existing services and build capacity through shared knowledge and training.
• Serve as subject matter expert with regards to proposed expansion of services and integration of BH for PCMH.
• Serve as subject matter experts for clinic processes related to pain and addiction treatment and management, opiate use, and controlled substance use in collaboration with pharmacy, medical, and nursing departments.
• Develop and administer the department’s annual budget; monitor and approve expenditure.
• Responsible for providing appropriate, timely management of patient grievances and incident reports while placing a special emphasis on service recovery.
• Provide self-care initiatives for the Corporation providers and staff in collaboration with the Marketing department, healthcare awareness activities for community and Corporation while also co-sponsoring with Tribal Programs, as appropriate.
• Gather, synthesize, and report data related to department productivity and make necessary adjustments to capacity, clinic flow and staffing to meet the demands of the department.
• Able to prioritize effectively and meet strict deadlines while managing multiple, competing tasks in a fast-paced organization.
• Provide innovative solutions to meet patient health care needs (often with quick turnaround times); and inform and participate in decision making with tribal leaders, Corporation leadership and the Health Board.

Minimum Mandatory Qualifications

Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of work experience embracing work involving psychological diagnosis and treatment in a clinical setting.
• A minimum of five (5) years of supervisory experience of a behavioral health department in an integrated health center.

Education

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in Psychology from an accredited doctoral program; completion of a one-year, APA-accredited Psychology Internship, and a one-year formal (or informal) postdoctoral fellowship; A current unrestricted license in New Mexico or another state with reciprocity; and an expectation of New Mexico state license obtainment within one year of employment
• A current unrestricted license in New Mexico as a clinical psychologist.

Mandatory Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Qualifications:

• Knowledge of several established psychotherapies including play therapy, supportive, reality oriented, cognitive, behavior, psychodynamic, relaxation, psychopharmacologic. Applicants must have demonstrated skills in at least two of these therapies and is open to accepting training in others.
• Knowledge of psychopathology, diagnostic skills and assessment skills in adults and children.
• Psychometric assessment skills for adults and children.
• An appropriate appreciation for understanding the principles of diversity and cultural context as related to professional behavior and clinical practices.
• Familiarity with the mandatory reporting requirements under the Indian Child Protection Act, with regards to suspected incidence of child abuse or child neglect.
• A record of satisfactory performance in all prior and current employment as evidenced by positive employment references from previous and current employers.
• Maintain CPR and First Aid certification by a nationally recognized organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual skills in English and the Keres native language.
• Knowledge of Native American culture and a general knowledge of the historical, cultural and social factors impacting Native Americans in the psychological and emotional realms.

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