Behavioral Health Counselor

STATEMENT OF VALUES: 

Cooper Green Mercy strives to be THE choice for health care in our community. We honor this commitment by embracing our core values of: 

• Kindness,
• Inclusion,
• Cleanliness, &;
• Attention to Detail.

GENERAL SUMMARY

Under general supervision, the Psychiatric Counselor will provide professional clinical counseling to facilitate patients in overcoming specific behavioral and mental health challenges using the tools of psychotherapy and other counseling methods. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in mental health counseling, with a focus on supporting individuals coping with psychiatric disorders or psychosocial stressors in an outpatient environment. Will assist patients in obtaining social services through various welfare agencies and healthcare providers that fall beyond the general purview of mental health counseling by focusing on social, economic, and environmental factors that affect the patients' psychological and physical wellbeing. Counselor will also undertake various other duties as outlined to support the wellbeing of our patients within the healthcare setting.


KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conducts psychotherapy sessions with psychiatry patients. Includes group, individual and family sessions.
•  Maintains knowledge of current professional trends and developments.
• Interviews patients, families, and significant others to obtain personal history relative to diagnosis and treatment.
•  Provides psychosocial clinical assessment.
• Develops, implements and/or facilitates specialized training within the Mental Health Program.
• Provides case management/casework functions.
• Conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments to evaluate patients’ mental health needs, strengths, and resources.
• Develop treatment plans in collaboration with interdisciplinary team members to include behavioral health providers e.g., Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatrist.
• Monitor patients’ progress and implement treatment plans as necessary to achieve therapeutic goals.
• Coordinate care and facilitate referrals to medical social workers, lay navigators, community resources, support services as needed.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation or clinical assessments, treatment plans, and interventions in accordance with Cooper Green Mercy Health Authority compliance, policy, procedure, and Standard Operation Procedures.
• Participate in case conferences, team meetings and professional development to enhance clinical skills and knowledge.
• Utilizing the facility’s EHR, perform documentation of the patient’s assessment, interventions, and ongoing collaboration with the patient, family/caregiver, providers, and other pertinent stakeholders.
• Assist in crafting departmental policies and procedures, and ensure they are followed, especially those related to patient care, patient privacy and confidentiality and safety.
•  Performs other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements:
CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

• Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team and engage in interdisciplinary treatment planning.
• Commitment to cultural competence, trauma-informed care, and ethical practice
• Experience and proficiency in crisis intervention techniques for managing acute psychiatric crisis.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish rapport and build therapeutic relationships with diverse patient populations.
• Knowledge of the applicable laws and ethics concerning the treatment of psychologically ill patients
• Proficiency in delivering evidence-based psychotherapy modalities, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy) CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR).
• Experience working in an ambulatory care, outpatient mental health setting or inpatient setting.
• Knowledge of community related resources, programs, and agencies related to healthcare/behavioral health care.
• Knowledge of the types of behavioral/mental illnesses and disorders and their characteristics (or behavioral patterns) that typically occur in individuals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Master’s degree in Counseling, Mental Health, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy or related Human Services field and two (2) years of related experience required. Work experience may NOT substitute for education requirement.

LICENSES/ CERTIFICATIONS / REGISTRATIONS

Currently licensed as a(n) Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling (ABEC), currently licensed as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) by the Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners or currently licensed as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Marriage and Family Therapy required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
This role may require lifting up to 50 lbs.
The work location for this role is hybrid (after six month training period).