Behavioral Health Counselor MS Licensed

Position Title: Counselor – Behavioral Health (MS Licensed)

Shift: Full-Time Nights

Location: Gateway Plaza

Department: Behav Health - Virtual  

Position Overview: The Counselor facilitates patient engagement in treatment and education within a therapeutic milieu. This role involves conducting individual, group, and family counseling sessions, performing utilization review, and coordinating discharge planning. The Counselor collaborates with the healthcare team to ensure patients receive timely, safe, and resource-informed services. They interpret complex patient and family needs, role model caring practices, and provide leadership in crisis intervention and safety management.

Key Responsibilities:  

Facilitate patient involvement in treatment plans and educational activities.  

Conduct individual, group, and family counseling sessions.  

Perform utilization reviews and discharge planning to ensure optimal care transitions.  

Collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to deliver safe, timely, and effective services, providing resources and education to patients and families.  

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

Assess psychosocial risk factors through evaluation of prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping skills.  

Counsel patients and families on emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness or disability.  

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

Conduct mental health assessments upon physician referral and provide therapeutic intervention for complex discharge planning.  

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

Act as liaison between IU Health and state/county child and adult protective teams.  

Provide intervention in guardianship (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, and mental health Level II placements.

Qualifications & Requirements:  

Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in a mental health field such as Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related discipline.  

3-5 years of relevant clinical or community-based experience.  

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 the impact of disease processes and human behavior to perform psychosocial assessments, therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention.  

Familiarity with Evidence-Based Practices (CBT, MI, DBT).  

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

Understanding of growth and development principles across the lifespan.  

Ability to maintain principles, practices, and techniques of crisis intervention and de-escalation.  

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

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

Strong ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community agencies, law enforcement, medical teams, schools, probation, and protective services.

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