Job Summary:

The Behavioral Health Clinical Director is responsible for leading and managing behavioral health services at the Oyate Health Center (OHC) for the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board (GPTLHB), with the goal of maintaining and enhancing health and psychosocial functioning for patients and their family’s mental health and substance abuse related. Services include providing clinical, preventive, curative and rehabilitative human services to individuals, families, and groups directly and through consultation and collaboration with other programs and functions. This position is responsible for leading efforts in determining the vision and long-range goals to expand and strengthen the services provided to meet community and stakeholder needs.

Essential Functions:

• Responsible for the overall planning, organizing, improving, and implementing behavioral health services.
• Provides leadership and management oversight of all daily activities of behavioral health services related to budget, purchasing, personnel, administration, and performance management, while ensuring safe and efficient patient care.
• Lead the behavioral health programs in short and long-term planning.
• Hires, trains/precepts, assigns, schedules, directs, supervises, evaluates and disciplines assigned personnel. Arranges for contract staff as needed.
• Develops standards and qualifications for behavioral health professionals; participates in the recruitment and selection process.
• Works in close collaboration with physicians and other health care personnel in patient evaluation and treatment to further their understanding of significant social and emotional factors underlying patient's health problem.
• Provides independent mental health assessments and therapy by observation, interpretation, and intervention of the full range of complex emotional, behavioral, and mental health disorders as outlined by the DSM-5.
• Serves as a clinical resource to staff members, identifies and recommends educational needs.
• Provide Behavioral Health in-service training for staff and other Behavioral Health partners including tribal programs using Behavioral Health Services.
• Works in close collaboration with physicians and other health care personnel in patient evaluation and treatment to further their understanding of significant social and emotional factors underlying patient's health problem.
• Collaborate with the grant writing team to seek additional funding to support the Behavioral Services.
• Leads ongoing assessment of community behavioral health needs, the planning and implementing of a community oriented behavioral health program, and integration of best practice behavioral health concepts into services provided.
• Provides leadership in the development of policies and procedures related to outpatient behavioral health services.
• Provides administrative oversight to the clinical providers.
• Serves as the Principal Investigator for the Garret Lee Smith grant, providing overall leadership, mentorship, and guidance to the Connecting with Our Youth (CWOY) program manager.
• Assure appropriate billable services are provided to enhance third party revenue generation.
• Participates in the establishment of priorities for use of third-party resources, including behavioral health priorities.
• Coordinates with Purchased Referred Care in developing resources for difficult and/or high-cost cases.
• Reviews results of patient satisfaction survey and reviews patient complaints.
• Maintain effective, collaborative interdepartmental and external relations.
• Actively participates in clinic quality improvement activities.
• Must comply with federal laws and regulations as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Participates in Core Connections training and applies GPTLHB Core Connections concepts and practices in their work.
• Performs related duties.

Professional Behavior

• Effectively plan, organize workload, and schedule time to meet the demands of the position.
• Work in a cooperative and professional manner with OHC and GPTCHB staff.
• Treat Great Plains tribes and collaborators with dignity and respect.
• Utilize effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Advance personal educational development by attending training sessions and seminars as appropriate.
• Exemplify excellent customer service with tribal stakeholders, health board colleagues, program partners, service recipients, visitors, and guests.
• Foster a work environment of wellness, courtesy, friendliness, helpfulness, and respect.
• Relate well and work collaboratively with coworkers and all levels of staff in a professional manner.
• Consistently demonstrate respect for and acceptance of differing capabilities, cultures, gender, age, sexual orientation and/or personalities.
• Maintain and ensure organizational privacy and confidentiality.
• Handle crisis and tolerate stress professionally.
• Be self-directed and take proactive initiative to assist others.
• Resolve issues with other departments and coworkers without direct supervision if needed.
• Exercise flexibility to alter plans/routines when situations require and continue to perform without projecting stress/frustration that would adversely affect the work environment.
• Promote an alcohol, tobacco, and drug-free lifestyle.
• Embrace modes of appearance and attire that reflect a professional presence.
• Adhere to GPTCHB policies and procedures.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations affecting areas of responsibility.

• Knowledge of behavioral health principles and practices including knowledge of assessment of emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders, and an understanding of theories based on best practice.
• Knowledge and ability necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of patients served.
• Knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span.
• Knowledge of management principles and practices; budget preparation and accounting; and organizational human resource policy and practice.
• Knowledge of infection control standards and protocols.
• Knowledge of diversity and cultural difference of Native American populations, and the ability to appreciate cultural differences and their effect on healthcare delivery.
• Ability to work with personal computer and utilize a variety of software applications, including database and office software systems.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing, using tact and sensitivity.
• Ability to manage multiple demands of the job.
• Ability to provide independent mental health assessment and intervention services.
• Skill in the provision of behavioral health services and therapy.
• Skill in oral and written communication.
• Skill in the provision of customer service.
• Skill in employee management and supervision.
• Skill in problem solving, mediating, and resolving disputes.
• Skill in prioritizing and planning.
• Skill in interpersonal relations.
• Skill in use of personal computer and a variety of job-related software applications.

Supervisory Controls

The supervisor sets the overall objectives and resources available. The employee and supervisor, in consultation, develop deadlines, projects, and work to be done.

The employee is considered an expert and is responsible for planning and carrying out the assignment, resolving most of the conflicts that arise, coordinating the work with others as necessary, and interpreting policy on own initiative in terms of established objectives. In some assignments, the employee also determines the approach to be taken and the methodology to be used. The employee keeps the supervisor informed of progress and potentially controversial matters.

Completed work is reviewed only from an overall standpoint in terms of feasibility, compatibility with other work, or effectiveness in meeting requirements or expected results.

Guidelines

Guidelines for performing the work are scarce or of limited use. Administrative policies, precedents, laws, and regulations are applicable but are stated in general terms. The employee uses initiative and resourcefulness in deviating from traditional methods or researching trends and patterns to develop new methods, criteria, or proposed new policies.

Guidelines include federal, state, and local regulations, Indian Health Service Manual (Chapter 14, Mental Health Program and Chapter 8, Social Services Programs), accreditation agency standards, Medical Staff Bylaws, GPTCHB and OHC policies and procedures, OHC Medical Staff Bylaws, and Centers or Medicare and Medicaid Services Conditions of Participation manual.

Complexity/Scope of Work

The work typically includes varied duties that require many different and unrelated processes and methods, such as those relating to well established aspects of an administrative or professional field. Decisions regarding what needs to be done include the assessment of unusual circumstances, variations in approach, and incomplete or conflicting data.

The work requires making many decisions concerning such things as interpretation of considerable data, planning of the work, or refinement of the methods and techniques to be used. The work involves establishing criteria; formulating projects; assessing program effectiveness; or investigating or analyzing a variety of unusual conditions, problems, or questions.

The work product or service affects a wide range of organizational activities, major financial activities, or the operation of other programs divisions of the organization.

Contacts

The personal contacts are with individuals or groups from outside the organization in a moderately unstructured setting. For example, the contacts are not established on a routine basis and the purpose and extent of each contact is different. The purpose is to influence, motivate, interrogate, or control persons or groups. The persons contacted may be fearful, skeptical, uncooperative, or dangerous. Therefore, the employee must be skillful in approaching the individual or group in order to obtain the desired effect, such as gaining compliance with established policies and regulations by persuasion or negotiation or gaining information by establishing rapport with a suspicious informant.

Contacts are typically with clinical providers, patients, department directors, employees, private individuals and groups from various institutions, vendors, and the general public.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items; or driving an automobile. The employee must be able to read, write, speak, and hear. The work involves moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions, including exposure to contagious diseases. Employees may be required to use protective clothing or masks.

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

Supervisory and Management Responsibility

This is a department head with final responsibility and authority for the accomplishment of objectives, utilization of resources, and personnel administration decisions within a major jurisdictional subdivision. The employee is accountable for the effective and efficient management of the work to achieve goals and objectives. The employee usually receives limited guidance in the form of approval/denial on matters of policy, service levels, goals, or objectives from high authorities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must have a Master’s degree in social work, Psychology, counseling, or human services.
• Five (5) years of experience in behavioral health services including three (3) years of management experience, and experience in community mental health, program development, administration, grants management, and public relations preferred.
• Experience that indicates the ability to interact effectively with leaders among Indian communities, government agencies, scientific and academic communities, medical and health-related organizations, non-governmental groups and the public at large is required.
• Current BLS certification.
• Possession or ability to readily obtain a valid driver’s license issued by the State of South Dakota with a clean driving record.
• Must carry the mandatory level of vehicle insurance required by the State of South Dakota.
• Must successfully pass a criminal and background check, and a pre-employment drug screen.

The GPTLHB is a tribal organization which follows tribal preference laws. It is our policy to give preference to qualified Indian/Tribal candidates overqualified non-native candidates in hiring decisions, if all other qualifications are equal

Employment is contingent upon the outcome of all required criminal background checks.