Behavioral Health Counselor- MS Senior Licensed PRN

Overview

Position Title: Behavioral Health Counselor - MS Senior Licensed

Location: Riley Hospital

Shift: Part-Time PRN (As Needed)

Position Overview: The Behavioral Health Counselor provides individual, group, and family counseling within a multidisciplinary hospital setting. This role involves performing utilization review, discharge planning, crisis intervention, and managing complex cases related to abuse, neglect, guardianship, and high-risk crises. The counselor collaborates with healthcare teams, community agencies, and protective services to ensure patient safety, timely services, and resource coordination. Additionally, this position provides clinical supervision to interns and license-eligible staff, supporting professional growth and development.

Key Responsibilities:

Conduct individual, group, and family counseling sessions to support patient recovery and education.

Perform all functions related to utilization review and discharge planning to facilitate effective patient transitions.

Collaborate with healthcare team members to ensure safe, timely, and resource-rich care delivery.

Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, modeling caring and professional practices to team members.

Assess psychosocial risk factors, including prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping abilities.

Counsel patients and families regarding emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness/disability.

Access and mobilize family and community resources to meet patient needs.

Conduct mental health assessments upon physician referral and provide therapeutic interventions, including crisis management.

Serve as the primary contact for cases involving child abuse/neglect, adult/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence.

Act as a liaison between IU Health, protective services, law enforcement, and community agencies.

Lead clinical interventions in dangerous or potentially dangerous situations, utilizing de-escalation techniques to prevent violence.

Support patients during acute crises, applying crisis intervention principles to ensure safety.

Lead and guide interns (Bachelor's and Master's level) through practicum placements.

Provide clinical supervision to license-eligible staff (LSW, LMHC-A, LMFT-A).

Utilize effective interviewing techniques with victims, perpetrators, families, and significant others.

Provide intervention for end-of-life issues, guardianship, foster care, and adoption cases.

Qualifications & Requirements:

Master's Degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related field.

5-7 years of relevant post-Master's experience in healthcare, mental health, or community-based settings.

Current licensure in Indiana as an LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LCAC, or HSPP.

Certification in crisis intervention (may be required).

BLS certification (may be required).

Knowledge of psychosocial assessments, therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention techniques.

Understanding of disease processes and human behavior related to health and social needs.

Proficiency in Evidence-Based Practices such as CBT, MI, and DBT.

Knowledge of state and county legal mandates related to child and adult protective services.

Strong understanding of growth and development principles across the lifespan.

Ability to employ crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques effectively.

Ability to create a safe, therapeutic environment and instruct patients in daily activities and programming.

Basic proficiency in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Proven ability to develop and foster strong working relationships with community agencies, law enforcement, medical teams, schools, probation, and protective services.