Behavior Intervention Specialist I

Job Description

Job Description

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:

The Behavior Intervention Specialist is responsible for the assessment, development, monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of person centered behavior support services. The behavior specialist is responsible for providing behavior supports for children and adults with developmental disabilities, emotional disturbance or mental health diagnosis. Behavior support plans or services which include restrictive/intrusive interventions may be developed by a Level 1 BIS under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:

Reports directly to Behavior Services Coordinator.  Receives clinical supervision from licensed psychologist.  This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

1. Obtain and review historical, medical and/or clinical information for behavioral and mental health information. 

2. Complete assessments including but not limited to: functional behavior assessments, standardized assessment tools and techniques and strengths/needs assessments. 

3. Development of the intervention plan needed to support the behavioral or psychiatric need identified through the assessment process. 

4.  Determines the effectiveness of the intervention plan through data collection, observation and incident reports. 

5.  Provide consultation and behavior supports to families in the family home as assigned.  

6.              Provide training for staff and management with the responsibility to implement or monitor the intervention plan.  

7.   Presents information to agency/regional committees which may include intervention plans, medication information and risk plans. 

8.   Monitors symptoms of co-occuring psychiatric conditions, medication needs and the effectiveness of the medications in conjunction with medical personnel. 

9. Maintains contemporaneous and accurate records as required by OPWDD and/or agency procedures. 

10. Responsible for displaying sound, ethical judgement, supportive decision making and person centered service delivery. 

11. Develop, update and maintain risk management plans for individuals with forensic needs. 

12. Create, maintain and collect data utilizing the agency’s electronic health record system. 

OTHER DUTIES:

1.   Provides crisis prevention and crisis management, as needed.

2.  Recognizes and reports any safety concerns, including the need for additional resources to ensure safety. 

3.  Responsible for ensuring that all confidential and potentially sensitive information is processed,

retained and utilized according to procedures in a strict and confidential manner.

4. Participates in quality improvement activities for behavior services, as well as overall agency systems and processes.

5.  Attends and participates in agency or regional meetings as scheduled and/or assigned. 

6. Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Valid driver's license required as travel between locations throughout the work day is required. 

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

NOTE:  In addition to meeting OPWDD’s background check, may also be required to meet OMH and Office of Children and Family Services background checks.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Must qualify as a Level 1 BIS under OPWDD regulations: 

1. A.  Master’s degree from a program in a clinical or treatment field of psychology, social work, school psychology, or applied psychology as it relates to human development and clinical interventions and 

b. documented training in assessment techniques and behavior support plan development;  OR

2. a national board certification in behavior analysis (BCBA) and a Master's degree in:

(i) behavior analysis; or

(ii) a field closely related to clinical or community psychology that is approved by OPWDD;   Or

3. New York State license in mental health counseling; and

have at least five years of experience:

1.  working directly with individuals with developmental disabilities, including the development, implementation, and monitoring of behavior support plans; and/or

2.  providing supervision and training to others in the implementation of behavior support plans.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

⦁ Provide effective, two-way communication with people, both orally and in writing, with the ability to quickly organize and communicate thoughts and to understand communication from others in verbal and written format.

⦁ Ability to read and interpret a variety of documents/instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form and to write routine reports and correspondence.

⦁ Ability to effectively present information informally in one-on-one or small group situations, as well as formal presentations to large groups.

⦁ Ability to effectively respond to common inquiries or complaints from individuals, staff, regulatory agencies, or members of the community

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

⦁ Able to perform basic math functions (i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and percentages) 

REASONING ABILITY:

⦁ Able to read and interpret documents such as psychological reports, psychiatric reports, medical reports, diagnostic tests and procedure manuals

⦁ Ability to define areas for improvement, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, solve practical problems, and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. 

⦁ Ability to read data and draw conclusions from it to determine approach or treatment

COMPUTER SKILLS:

⦁ Ability to use Microsoft products for the creation or completion of forms and reports. 

⦁ Ability to utilize the agency Electronic Health record system. 

⦁ Ability to use google drive and Microsoft outlook

⦁ Possess a basic understanding of saving, storing and retrieving files. 

CERTIFICATES/LICENSES & REGISTRATIONS:

The following training is required: 

SCIP-R or PROMOTE (based on current Agency requirement).

CPR/First Aid

Training in assessment techniques and behavior support plan development

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Must be able to perform essential duties as described on attached form (checked areas are conditions or duties that you will either be exposed to or are expectations of the agency).  

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

⦁ Complete all mandatory agency training during the orientation period and annual updates as required.