Lead Mental Health Tech

Internal Candidates Only

The MHT Behavioral Specialist is responsible for providing direct patient care to all patients with emotional or psychiatric disorders; to support the therapeutic milieu; to ensure the safety and well-being of these patients while providing peer leadership and training to staff.

The candidate must be able to work one of the following shifts:

• 7am - 7pm
• 7pm - 7am
• 3pm - 3am
• 11am - 11pm
• 11pm - 11am

Essential Duties:

• Trains and mentors new and current MHT's by providing feedback and information on organizational culture, policies, and procedures, task prioritization, and other work-related information.
• Orient new patients and employees to unit, program and milieu.
• Participates in and leads activities which enhance professional growth and development of self and peers.
• Attends meetings with senior leadership to provide insight, feedback and solutions to issues and concerns.
• Participate in treatment planning by helping identify patients' problems, needs, and strengths; suggesting modifications to treatment plan based on observations of patients' behavior.
• Participate in implementing patients' treatment plans by monitoring patients' progress, communicating information regarding patients' behavior to other members of treatment team.
• Maintains communication with patient, family members, and referral sources in patients' interest.
• Co-facilitates didactic, educational, and community groups encouraging and facilitating patients' participation.
• Supervises patients to ensure their safety and their involvement in treatment and during transport.
• Participate in maintaining the therapeutic milieu on the unit, enforces the level system or other methods of behavior management. This includes maintaining patient, program, department, and related documentation.
• Carry out general nursing assistance as assigned and supervised by nurse in charge.
• Maintains a safe, orderly, and therapeutic physical environment for patients.
• Assists patients in carrying out activities of daily living, when congruent with the patients' treatment plan and needs, age, and developmental level.
• Carry out clerical/administrative assignment to support patient care and department and hospital operations.
• Upholds the Organization's ethics and customer service standards..
• Must be able to de-escalate conflicts between staff and patients and act as a first line of leadership in the resolution of floor concerns.

Requirements

• Education: High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Required Licenses/Certification: Successful completion of CPR and De-escalation Program (employer provided during on-site training)
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years clinical experience, preferably in a behavioral healthcare setting, phone triage, tele-health or case management or combination of education and experience. At least 4 year experience as a Mental Health Tech at Dallas Behavioral.
• Additional Requirements: Must obtain and maintain approved CPR certification as well as successful completion of assaultive behavior management/prevention training including restraint and seclusion policies prior to assuming patient care responsibility. Must be a current Dallas Behavioral employee currently be in good standing in all areas of performance, attendance and conduct.
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Skills in dealing courteously with the public and other staff within the organization.
• Basic knowledge of medical and psychological terminology, human behavior or principles of psychology, teaching or assisting with activities of daily living and human growth/development preferred.
• Skills in problem solving, prioritizing and time management.
• Appropriate social skills, including demonstration and respect for staff and patients; empathy toward patients
• Experience with therapeutic limit-setting helpful, or an understanding of level systems or other behavior management modalities.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and willingness to seek supervision in this regard.
• Ability to exercise self-control in potentially volatile situations such as being verbally or physically confronted in a threatening or aggressive manner; must be flexible and not easily frustrated in dealing with differences of opinions.
• Must be able to work and concentrate amidst distractions such as noise, conversation