Intensive Outpatient Behavioral Health Counselor

As a key member of the integrated care team in the Addictions Recovery/MAT Program, the IOT Behavioral Health Clinician (BHC) provides trauma-informed, evidence-based interventions for patients with complex behavioral health and substance use needs. Using a harm reduction approach, the BHC supports patients in meeting their recovery goals, addressing co-occurring emotional and psychiatric concerns, and improving overall quality of life.

Working in a fast-paced community health clinic, the BHC assesses readiness for change, provides crisis support, identifies DSM-5 diagnoses, and manages a range of symptoms including anxiety, depression, PTSD, psychosis, and substance/alcohol use disorders. The BHC collaborates closely with addiction medicine providers to deliver coordinated care throughout the recovery process by focusing on stabilization, support systems, and overdose prevention. Behavioral Health Counselors are responsible for providing ongoing individual therapy, new patient intakes, and monthly check-ins as needed.

Essential Functions

• Provide assessments, screening, and intervention services as an essential member of the interdisciplinary care team, through collaboration with the primary care and/or specialty providers to identify, treat, and manage patient behavioral health that is primarily affected by patients’ substance and alcohol use.
• Consult and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to provide integrated on-site care, by counselor assessment of patients’ goals, readiness for behavioral changes, progress and barriers, and appropriate level of care/ services for patients with MH/substance use disorders, with high proportion of caseloads on medications for treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders (MAT/MOUD).
• Provide trauma-informed, person-centered care, with harm reduction approach, within collaborative addiction recovery team, and in conjunction with patients primary, specialty, acute, chronic, and preventative care.
• Provide psychoeducation around recovery models, overdose prevention, and harm reduction to patients and primary support system
• Serve all patients who have been scheduled/referred to the AR/MAT Department and maintain low barriers to care; utilize warm handoffs with all other internal/external community social services and medical providers.
• Visits may be in-person, telehealth, co-visits, walk-in, scheduled, or as requested by another team within SEHWC.
• Utilize current knowledge of access to local and online recovery resources to provide clients with broad variety of pathways to recovery to support, define, and achieve personal goals.
• Collaborate with the care team to provide warm hand-offs, and referrals to appropriate level of addiction recovery and mental health care, and/or crisis services as appropriate; Provide crisis interventions as needed.
• Develop holistic patient-centered recovery plans, that support patient needs, to include basic, psychiatric, social, financial, environmental, and health needs to improve overall wellness and quality of life.
• Utilize appropriate evidence-based non-pharmacologic BH/SUD treatment modalities and interventions based on patient needs, with active knowledge of MI, CBT, CM, ME, Family Therapy, Models of Relapse Prevention, and other appropriate modalities.
• Attend patient care huddles, meetings, patient conferences, or planning sessions. These may be related to quality assurance, patient care and other related topics within the clinic.
• Ensure all tasks provided and associated with patient care, patient administrative processes and related duties comply with all regulatory and accreditation standards including The Joint Commission and CommUnityCare Standard Operating Procedures and CommUnityCare Policies and Procedures.
• Maintain all licensure and/or certification requirements for continuing education and best practices.
  
  
  

MINIMUM EDUCATION Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related field.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE At least 2 years of clinical experience in mental health.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE At least 1 years of clinical experience in a primary care, SUD/COPSD treatment services, community psychiatric, or other intensive care setting.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSURE

• Current Licensure as LCSW or LPC in the State of Texas.
• Basic Life Support through the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.
  
  
  

PREFERRED CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSURE Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC); National Certified Addiction Counselor