Position Summary

Behavioral health counselors are core members of the Sanitas medical centers care team. Behavioral health counselors provide hope, empowerment, and psychoeducation in order to promote autonomy and self-management by arranging comprehensive mental health care services in a primary care setting.

Essential Job Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Complete and maintain all documentation in a timely and accurate manner according to all federal, state and center guidelines.

2. Support the mental and physical health care of patients on an assigned patient caseload. Closely coordinate care with the patient’s medical provider and, when appropriate, other mental health providers. 

3. Screen and assess patients for common mental health and substance abuse disorders. Facilitate patient engagement and follow-up care.

4. Develop and implement care plans/treatment plans. 

5. Provide brief behavioral interventions using evidence-based techniques such as behavioral activation, problem-solving treatment, motivational interviewing, or other treatments as appropriate.

6. Guide patients in the development of skills and strategies for dealing with their diagnosis. 

7. Support psychotropic medication management as prescribed by medical providers, focusing on treatment adherence monitoring, side effects, and effectiveness of treatment.

8. Track treatment response and monitor patients for changes in clinical symptoms and treatment side effects or complications. 

9. Collaborate with a variety of health professionals in the patient’s circle of care including but not limited to primary care providers, care nurses, care coordinators, community health workers, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals and specialists to ensure a comprehensive continuity of care.

10. Provide individual, family or group interventions, to assist patients in adjusting to life and making changes. 

11. Provide or facilitate in-clinic or outside referrals to evidence-based psychosocial as clinically indicated.

12. Participate in regularly scheduled (usually weekly) caseload consultation with the psychiatric consultant and communicate resulting treatment recommendations to the patient’s medical provider. 

13. Facilitate treatment plan changes for patients who are not improving as expected in consultation with the medical provider and the psychiatric consultant and who may need more intensive or more specialized mental health care. 

14. Develop and complete relapse prevention self-management plan with patients who have achieved their treatment goals and are soon to be discharged from the caseload.

15. Resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.  

16. Connect patients and family members with community and social resources.

17. Guide clinical staff on how to manage common behavioral health situations.  

Supervisory Responsibilities

        This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Required Education and Experience

1. Relevant: 1-year experience.

2. Master’s degree in counseling or related field (Social work, Mental health counseling) from accredited program.

3. License by a state board to provide counseling preferred (LCSW,