Behavioral Health Consultant

Overview of Position:           Behavioral Health Consultant provides culturally competent services to patients in order to improve their overall functioning.  

Qualifications:                        Behavioral Health Consultant must be licensed as an LMSW, LISW-CP, Psychologist, or LPC as required by the State of South Carolina.   Prefer a minimum of two years’ experience in a public health setting.                                  

Knowledge/Skills:                  Multicultural competency in working with minority populations including the medically and socially underserved is required.  Possess great interpersonal skills, handle stress and multiple tasks effectively.  Have good oral and written communication skills and able to function well as a multidisciplinary team member.  

Other Requirements:

• Emotional maturity, cultural sensitivity, and empathy for patients and their difficulties.
• Ability to manage information verbally conveyed and which is essential to behavioral health intervention. 
• Efficiency in organizing, managing, and prioritizing the analytical aspects of behavioral health in providing purposeful services to patients. 
• Good working knowledge of behavioral medicine and evidence-based treatment for medical and mental health conditions.

 Essential Job Functions:

• Provide focused assessment, consultation, and brief behavioral health intervention to patients in the primary care setting. 
• Expand access to behavioral health services by being flexible and accessible.
• Improve behavioral health outcomes by providing therapeutic, evidence-based interventions.
• Educate patients on understanding their diagnosis in order for them to make the necessary adjustments to their lifestyle, housing, and/or healthcare.
• Provide information on services, such as home healthcare or support groups, to help patients manage their illness or disease.
• Help PCPs and other healthcare professionals understand the bidirectional relationship between diseases and illnesses and patients’ mental and emotional health.
• Provide diagnostic assessment and diagnosis of behavioral and mental health conditions consistent with DSM-5 guidelines.
• Assess patients’ needs, situations, strengths, and support networks. 
• Develop Treatment Plans/Individualized Plan of Care (IPOC) with the patient to accomplish identified and agreed upon goals. Maintain documentation that is compliant with state and federal regulations.  
• Help patients adjust to changes and challenges in their lives, such as illness, unemployment, or family-relational problems.
• Build rapport with patients and their families and relay all concerns to supervisor.
• Assist patients in developing strategies to change behavior and how to cope with difficult situations.
• Evaluate crisis situations and apply appropriate interventions.
• Advocate for and help patients obtain resources that would improve their well-being.
• Help monitor the site’s behavioral health program, identifying problems related to patient services and making recommendation for improvement.
• Participate in provider team meetings and other relevant meetings and trainings, as needed.  
• Provide case management and maintain appropriate records, progress notes, treatment plans, assessments, and billing records for all encounters according to state and federal guidelines. 
• Build a positive work environment by working cooperatively within department and with other program areas through teamwork, positive interpersonal skills, and personal improvement initiative.  
• Maintain networking relationship with community service providers and coordinate services for patients. 
• Provide guidance, consultation, and peer to peer mentoring.   
• Participate in the Behavioral Health internship and training programs to help prepare future clinicians for behavioral health integrated services.
• Other duties as assigned.

Physical Requirements:         Hearing: Adequate to perform job duties in person and over the telephone. Speaking: Must be able to communicate clearly to patients in person and over the telephone. Vision: Visual acuity adequately to perform job duties, including reading information from printed sources and computer screens. Other: Requires occasional lifting and carrying items weighing up to 10 pounds unassisted in normal daily activities and up to 30 lbs. for other required work activities. Additionally, requires frequent bending, reaching, and repetitive hand movements (especially if keyboarding and writing), standing, walking, squatting, and sitting, with some lifting, pushing and pulling exerted regularly throughout a regular work shift.