Behavioral Health Consultant

Student and Campus Life (SCL) inspires transformation in all Cornell students on their journey of individual, academic and personal evolution. Our division is comprised of leading student affairs experts who support our campus on pressing student life matters including public service, health, wellness, social justice, residential living, food services, sports, recreation, career services, and student activities and organizations including sorority and fraternity life. We provide support and services to roughly 25,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on multiple campuses in the U.S. and abroad.

Cornell Health's more than 200 employees collaborate to provide integrated and culturally-sensitive mental health, medical, health promotion, public health, student accommodations, and occupational medicine care and services. Dually focused on holistic health of Cornell students and well-being of the larger campus community, the unit supports readiness to learn, to participate fully in the Cornell experience, and to achieve academic, work, and life success. Cornell Health is nationally recognized for innovation and leadership, and is committed to an ongoing journey toward integrated, cost-effective, and community-based services and campus health initiatives.

Cornell Health’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers confidential counseling services, designed to help students with mental health concerns that may be affecting their quality of life and ability to learn. Our providers include psychologists, social workers, and mental health counselors from diverse cultural and clinical backgrounds. CAPS providers value students in all of their individuality, and are committed to welcoming all people with respect and sensitivity. Our providers regularly collaborate with Cornell Health’s diverse array of healthcare providers as an integrated service that support both the mind and the body.

   

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Clinical Services, the Behavioral Health Consultant’s (BHC) provides mental health or behavioral health services embedded in Cornell Health’s Primary Care Medical Services. Primary care settings are often entryways for individuals to engage in behavioral health services to help adhere to primary care recommendations and/or cope with complex health problems. As the behavioral health specialist within Primary Care Medical Services, the BHC oversees mental health screening, educational/training initiatives, facilitates referrals to Cornell Health’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), delivers direct student mental health services, liaises with community hospitals, provides crisis intervention, and offers consultation to Cornell Health staff. This position also provides case management services to students seeking community-based mental health services, and carries a small caseload of brief counseling cases.

Success Factors

• Shares Cornell Health's commitment to providing timely mental health access to students
• Works collaboratively with professionals throughout the health center as a strong team player
• Remains current on best practices for providing mental health care in a campus community
• Integrates values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging throughout their work with clients and colleagues
• Experience utilizing assessment/screening measures to inform diagnosis/treatment planning. 
• Effective interpersonal, written, and electronic communications skills, including the ability to convey complex information in accessible terms to diverse or multicultural audiences
• Understanding of, and compliance with, the ethical and legal issues involved in the provision of clinical services
• Ability to establish, build and maintain effective working relationships based on respect, empathy and honesty with diverse groups and individuals
• Ability to manage and maintain confidential and private information; uses confidential, sensitive and/or private records and information, protects information appropriately

Please Note: This is a full-time, on-campus 12-month fixed-term position. Extension of the term appointment is contingent upon funding, successful performance, and business need. There is no visa sponsorship for this position.  

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropria