Behavioral Health Clinician I

Job Description

At Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, we honor all members of our community and acknowledge the dignity of each person we serve. Our purpose is to provide high quality, comprehensive primary health care to the communities of Washington and Yamhill counties with a special emphasis on migrant and seasonal farm workers and a view to removing barriers to health care. We strive to provide an environment that welcomes and values the people we employ and serve.

If you are unsure whether you meet all the required qualifications for this role but are interested and passionate about this potential position, we encourage you to apply.

Job Summary The Behavioral Health Clinician I works as a member of the primary care medical team who assists the primary care (PCP) and dental teams in managing the overall health of clients working in a primary care setting. They provide consultation to clients and works with PCP to improve recognition, treatment, and management of psychosocial/behavioral problems and conditions for clients.

The Behavioral Health Clinician I is an unlicensed clinician and those actively working towards being a licensed Psychologist or LCSW or LPC or LCSW preferred with training in behaviorism, solution focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational enhancement. The Behavioral Health Clinician I must be register with respective board and work towards licensure. Virginia Garcia will provide licensure supervision.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides targeted evidence-based assessments and evaluations, which may include brief neuropsychological screens, diagnostic interviews and impressions and functional status focused on the presenting problem. This can include assessing and justifying a complete DSM mental health diagnosis.
• Provides brief solution focused empirically based interventions to clients experiencing a myriad of bio-psychosocial problems.
• Provides timely and succinct feedback to PCP's or dentists regarding consultation findings and recommendations.
• Available as needed for all medical and dental team members during work hours for consultation and crisis support.
• Develops, teaches and/or provides oversight for classes that promote education and skill-building to enhance psychological and physical health.
• Determines the appropriateness of the patient receiving services in primary care.
• Formulates evidence based behavioral health interventions appropriate to the primary care setting and assists with implementation of treatment plans.
• Provides concise documentation in electronic healthcare system of care and recommendations in the patient's medical record within 24 hours of seeing the patient.
• Provides brief follow-up, including relapse-prevention education.
• Provides consultation services (continuity consultation) for a sub-set of patients who require on-going monitoring and follow-up (e.g., "high-utilizers," chronic pain, unmanaged diabetes etc.).
• Shares knowledge with other team members and clients, both formally (in-services, consult responses) and informally (curbside consultations).
• Identifies patients who would benefit and are willing to receive specialty mental health care, and makes referral to onsite- specialty options or off-site, to programs or other community resources.
• Will carry small caseload of mental health clients for on-going specialty mental health services.
• Works as part of multi-disciplinary team in making recommendations for clients who abuse, misuse or divert controlled substances.
• Assist in registry management for patients with higher mental health needs.
• Coordinate services with the psychiatric provider.
• Provides training and consultation to clinic staff regarding prevention and management of disruptive behavior.
• May be responsible for case management. Coordinate/collaborate with physicians, staff, families, caregivers, etc. Maintain chart notes related to external contracts, obtaining pertinent records from other treatment and tracking client's involvement, follow-through and progress in varied treatment activities.
• Document and maintain client records to ensure compliance with agency and contract guidelines and confidentiality.
• Provide crisis intervention.
• Provide back-up for other staff when needed.
• Check messages within EHR throughout the day responding as appropriate.
• Provides appropriate resources and support linkage, culturally appropriate advocacy and community collaboration and culturally appropriate client evaluation and treatment.
• May be required to participate in projects assisting with metrics specific to population-based health.
• Participate in a culture of feedback at the agency by eliciting feedback to promote professional growth and assess work effectiveness.
• Meets performance standards for productivity, documentation (including progress notes, assessments, treatment plans and authorization requests) proficiency in clinical model and evidence-based practices, quality of care (including engagement and retention) and teamwork as defined in the Performance Review.
• Participate in regular individual and team meetings with supervisor. Attend informational and clinical meetings which may include all staff and team meetings, consultation with other staff and required trainings.
• Qualified licensed clinicians may be requested to provide licensure supervision as part of their regular position in compliance with the rules of their licensing board.
• Will provide a varied mix of mental health services and health and behavior interventions, depending on credentials and site.
• Document and maintain client records to ensure compliance with agency and contract guidelines and confidentiality.
• Provide crisis intervention.
• Oversees Behavioral Health Associate duties which include, services to clients and their families, e.g., institutional living, health, mental health services, employment services, etc. Maintain awareness of community referral resources.
• Serve as back-up for other staff when needed.
• Checks messages within EHR throughout the day responding as appropriate.
• Provides appropriate resources and support linkage, culturally appropriate advocacy and community collaboration and culturally appropriate client evaluation and treatment.
• May be required to act as project lead on programs assisting with metrics specific to population-based health.
• Requires ability to work some evenings.
• Participate in a culture of feedback at the agency by eliciting feedback to promote professional growth and assess work effectiveness.
• Meets performance standards for productivity, documentation (including progress notes, assessments, treatment plans and authorization requests) proficiency in clinical model and evidence-based practices, quality of care (including engagement and retention) and teamwork as defined in the Performance Review.
• Participate in regular individual and team meetings with supervisor. Attend informational and clinical meetings which may include all staff and team meetings, consultation with other staff and required trainings.
• Qualified licensed clinicians may be requested to provide licensure supervision as part of their regular position in compliance with the rules of their licensing board.
• Handle protected health information (PHI) in a manner consistent with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
• Valid driver's license, reliable transportation, safe driving record and insurance coverage required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of methods of behavioral medicine and evidence-based treatments for medical, mental and behavioral health conditions.
• Knowledge of the problems and dynamics in treating medically underserved populations.
• Ability to manage and support team-based services.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work as a successful primary health care team member.
• Creative and critical thinking skills with the ability to consider new ideas that will lead to process and team improvements.
• Time management skills with the ability to prioritize and schedule daily activities for the most efficient use of time.
• Problem solving skills with the ability to look for the root cause of issues and implementable, workable solutions.
• Interpersonal skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment with the ability to participate as an independent contributor with little direct supervision or as an active team member depending on the circumstance or need.
• Knowledge and experience in working with computer systems and electronic medical records.
• Knowledge of learning and behavior change principles.
• Demonstrated skills in motivational and health coaching, patient advocacy, health promotion, disease prevention, patient education and resource management.
• Bilingual Spanish strongly preferred.

Education Experience and Training:

• Master's degree in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or Psychology from an accredited school required.
• Actively working towards being a licensed Psychologist or LCSW or LPC preferred with training in behaviorism, solution focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational enhancement. If unlicensed, applicant must be register with respective board and work towards licensure. Virginia Garcia will provide licensure supervision.
• Fluency in Spanish and experience within the Latinx community is preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of community health, welfare, and social agencies is required.
• Basic Life Saving Skills (BLS) certification required.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct an assessment including identifying precipitating events, gathering histories of mental and physical health, alcohol and other drug