Behavioral Health Counselor MS

Job Description

Job Title: Behavioral Health Counselor, MS
Location: Riley Hospital, Indianapolis, IN
Schedule: Part-Time, set days with some flexibility

Position Overview:

The Behavioral Health Counselor MS facilitates patient involvement in treatment and education within a multidisciplinary environment. This role involves conducting individual, group, and family counseling, performing utilization review, discharge planning, and collaborating with healthcare team members to ensure safe, timely, and effective patient care. The counselor acts as a liaison in cases of abuse, neglect, and domestic violence, and provides critical mental health assessments and interventions, including crisis management and de-escalation techniques.

Key Responsibilities:

• Facilitate face-to-face (or telehealth) individual, group, and family counseling sessions.
• Perform utilization review and discharge planning to support safe patient transitions.
• Collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to coordinate care, ensuring patients and families receive necessary resources and education.
• Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs; model caring and professional practices to staff.
• Assess psychosocial risk factors, including prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping abilities.
• Counsel patients and families on emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness or disability.
• Access and mobilize community and family resources to meet patient needs.
• Conduct mental health assessments upon physician referral.
• Support complex discharge planning through therapeutic interventions.
• Serve as the primary contact in cases involving child abuse/neglect, elder abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence.
• Act as liaison between Indiana University Health and local protective agencies (APS/CPS).
• Maintain principles and techniques of crisis intervention and de-escalation.
• Provide intervention in guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health Level II placements.
• Deliver evidence-based practices such as CBT, MI, and DBT.
• Support individuals in crisis and support safety through clinical leadership and de-escalation techniques.
• Ensure a safe, therapeutic environment and facilitate daily activities and programming.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with community agencies, law enforcement, schools, and other stakeholders.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Education: Master's Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related mental health field from an accredited college or university.
• Experience: 0-3 years relevant healthcare, mental health, or community-based experience preferred.
• Licensure: License-eligible in Indiana as an LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, or LCAC. Must have a minimum of a permanent LSW, LMHC-A, or LMFT-A upon hire.
• Certifications:
  • Crisis intervention certification required (may be obtained after hire).
  • BLS certification may be required.
• Knowledge & Skills:
  • Psychosocial assessment, therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention expertise.
  • Knowledge of evidence-based practices (CBT, MI, DBT).
  • Understanding of state and county protective legal mandates.
  • Principles of growth and development across the lifespan, including end-of-life care.
  • Ability to create a safe, therapeutic environment and instruct patients in daily activities.
  • Basic proficiency in Electronic Medical Records and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
  • Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.

Additional Information:

• Located at Riley Hospital, with a focus on providing comprehensive mental health care.

Join our dedicated team and make a difference in the lives of patients through compassionate, expert behavioral health services.

To learn more about our benefits, visit: IU Health Benefits

About Us

• Indiana University Health has nearly 40,000 team members, including more than 3,600 physicians and 1,200 advanced practice providers, and we're home to the largest nursing network in Indiana with more than 9,000 nursing team members at over 800 sites of care.
• IU Health is ranked No. 1 in Indiana by U.S. News & World Report, Riley Children's Health is ranked among the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
• A unique partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine - one of the nation's largest medical schools - gives patients access to groundbreaking research and innovative treatments, and it offers team members access to the latest science and the very best training - advancing healthcare for all.
• With 15 hospitals, including seven with Magnet designation and eight with Pathways to Excellence designation, our team members are leading the way through excellence.
• At Indiana University Health, your personal and professional growth is a top priority. You will have access to many diverse opportunities to learn and develop in meaningful ways that matter most to you, such as advanced clinical training, leadership development, promotion opportunities and cross training development.
• Indiana University Health is invested in the lives of Hoosiers, leading the transformation of healthcare to make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.

About the Team

Indiana University Health is Indiana's most comprehensive health system, with 15 hospitals and nearly 40,000 team members serving Hoosiers across the state. We're looking for team members who are inspired by challenging and meaningful work for the good of every patient. People who are compassionate and serve with a purpose. People who aspire to excellence every day.