Behavioral Health Clinical Advisor - LCSW or LMFT, Santa Monica

In this role, you will provide a range of services to multidisciplinary teams with emphasis on outpatient practices of the UCLA Health-Behavioral Health Associates serving adult, geriatric populations, child and adolescents. Duties may include psychosocial assessment; care coordination, consultation to the team, individual, family or group psychotherapeutic treatment; liaison with community agencies; treatment plan documentation; and disposition planning and advocacy. The Clinical Advisor is a resource to providers, patients, care coordinators, and performs complex care coordination for high risk patients to improve access to psychiatric care and to prevent unnecessary ED admissions and hospitalizations. The Clinical Advisor has three main functions: 1. Resource and complex care coordination, 2. Project coordination/management for innovative approaches to deliver behavioral health services to enhance/improve access to care and 3. Direct clinical services, the clinical advisor may provide direct mental health services including urgent assessments, interventions, and recommendations to individual patients and their families and recruitment for and coordination of group therapy sessions.

The Clinical Advisor serves as a patient advocate, demonstrates problem solving skills to resolve conflict and to assist patients/families/caregivers to identify their past and present coping skills. Works collaboratively with the patient, community resources, other providers, managed care operations, the UCLA Health System, and health plans to implement, identify, coordinate, and monitor options and services to meet at-risk patients’ healthcare needs. The Clinical Advisor aims to foster continuity of care and reduce unnecessary utilization of healthcare services by coordinating and providing health services that meet individuals’ health needs. By connecting key individuals involved in the care of the patient and decreasing fragmentation and duplication of care, the Clinical Advisor is able to enhance the quality and cost effectiveness of the care that is delivered in the outpatient setting. The Clinical Advisor also keeps current with the professional mental healthcare knowledge and pursues further enhancement of job-related knowledge.

Salary Range: $121,960 - $160,922 Annual

• Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) or Psychology/Marriage and Family Therapy
• California Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
• Experience and skill interacting with health care providers in a multidisciplinary setting
• 2-3 years of relevant experience
• Working knowledge of general theoretical and clinical models
• Ability to develop effective rapport and working therapeutic alliances with patients
• Skill in writing clear and complete clinical notes and summaries of clinical evaluations
• Skills and experiences in documenting/charting to ensure current and accurate medical records are entered and documented in patient files in accordance with established Medical Records policies and procedures
• Knowledge of LCSW/LMFT ethics and scope of practice
• Ability to perform a complete mental status exam and recognize changes in mental status
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and mutually respectful relationships with professionals and support staff
• Knowledge of pertinent current community resources, including income maintenance, mental health treatment, special education, residential and vocational supports
• Ability to provide and maintain appropriate coordination of care with existing providers and/or variety of community agencies and demonstrate assertiveness, persistence, and diplomacy as an advocate for the patient
• Ability to triage high risk behavior of patients
• Knowledge of community resources for higher level of care or specialty care
• Knowledge of psychosocial factors related to all life stages; expertise in at least one stage
• Ability to communicate clearly and therapeutically with patients and families regarding diagnosis, progress, treatment plan recommendations
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and mutually respectful relationships with professionals and support staff
• Ability to assess and respond appropriately in a timely fashion to the safety needs of patients, family and staff
• Knowledge of child and adult abuse and neglect reporting laws and procedures
• Knowledge of scope of practice of relevant other disciplines including psychiatry, psychology, and psychiatric nurse Practitioners.
• Ability to recognize complex clinical situations and seek and apply consultation of supervision when needed
• Ability to respond calmly and effectively in crisis situations
• Demonstrated resourcefulness, effective written and verbal communications and diplomacy
• Demonstrated leadership and organizational abilities with previous demonstration of consistency, independence, flexibility, initiative and creativity
• Skill at writing documentation that is timely, meaningful, complete, legible, grammatically correct, concise and consistent with legal and administrative standards
• Ability to use a computer for electronic mail and word processing, internet access to University policies and procedures, and community resources for patients/families

At UCLA Health, you can help heal humankind, one patient at a time by improving health, alleviating suffering and delivering acts of kindness. As you do, you’ll achieve great things in your life and your career. We’re a world-class health organization with four hospitals consistently recognized among the nation’s very best as well as an internationally-renowned medical school, primary and specialty care clinics and much more. Within our dynamic, innovative and growing organization, you’ll find exceptional opportunities to make the most of your abilities in a supportive, empowering and inclusive environment. If you embrace our values of Integrity, Compassion, Respect, Teamwork, Excellence and Discovery we invite you to see all you can accomplish at UCLA Health.