Behavioral Health Technician (BHT) – Outpatient Mental Health & SUD Services

Position Summary

The Behavioral Health Technician (BHT) provides direct behavioral health support and rehabilitation services to adults and/or adolescents receiving outpatient mental health and substance use disorder services at iCare Health Services.

The BHT works as part of an interdisciplinary treatment team and provides structured individual (1:1) services, group services, behavioral health skills training, psychoeducation, rehabilitation support, client engagement, care coordination support, and assistance with treatment-plan goals.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Provide structured 1:1 behavioral health sessions based on the client's assessed needs and individualized treatment plan.
• Facilitate and/or co-facilitate behavioral health, rehabilitation, psychoeducational, and skills-development groups.
• Teach and reinforce coping skills, emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, stress management, healthy boundaries, and independent-living skills.
• Provide behavioral health education regarding symptoms, triggers, recovery, wellness, treatment engagement, and available community resources.
• Provide appropriate substance-use recovery support, including relapse-prevention education, identification of triggers, development of healthy coping strategies, and recovery-oriented skill building.
• Assist clients with practicing skills identified in their treatment plans and monitor progress toward established goals.
• Support clients with daily-living and community-integration skills when these needs are identified in the treatment plan.
• Encourage treatment attendance, medication adherence within BHT scope, appointment follow-through, and active participation in recovery.
• Conduct appropriate client outreach and follow-up when clients miss appointments, disengage from treatment, or require additional support.
• Observe clients for changes in mood, behavior, functioning, mental status, or safety and promptly communicate significant concerns to the appropriate clinical professional.
• Recognize potential behavioral-health crises and immediately follow iCare's crisis-response and escalation procedures.
• Assist licensed clinicians and other treatment-team members with implementation of treatment interventions within BHT scope.
• Participate in multidisciplinary treatment-team meetings, case reviews, staffing meetings, supervision, and discharge planning.
• Coordinate with Case Managers, Peer Support Specialists, nurses, therapists, psychiatric providers, medical providers, and other members of the treatment team.
• Assist with referrals and linkage to appropriate internal and external services.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and provide services using trauma-informed, person-centered, culturally responsive, and recovery-oriented approaches.

Individual 1:1 Services

The BHT may provide structured individual interventions addressing areas such as:

Coping skills, anxiety and stress management, anger management, emotional regulation, communication, healthy relationships, social skills, problem-solving, self-esteem, daily structure, independent living, relapse prevention, recovery skills, symptom-management strategies, treatment engagement, and other treatment-plan objectives appropriate to the BHT's scope.

1:1 BHT services are not a substitute for psychotherapy performed by an appropriately licensed clinician.

Group Services

The BHT may facilitate or assist with groups addressing:

• Coping and grounding skills
• Emotional regulation
• Anger and stress management
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Self-esteem and personal development
• Healthy relationships and boundaries
• Independent-living/life skills
• Recovery and relapse prevention
• Substance-use education
• Wellness and healthy routines
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Community reintegration
• Treatment engagement and recovery planning

Group documentation must be individualized and reflect each client's participation, response, progress, and relevant treatment-plan goals rather than using identical notes for every participant.

Documentation Responsibilities

The BHT is responsible for completing accurate, timely, individualized, and clinically meaningful documentation for services provided.

Documentation must clearly support the actual service rendered and time spent and include the reason for the service, treatment-plan goal addressed, interventions provided, client's participation and response, progress or barriers identified, and plan for continued services.

The BHT must complete documentation within iCare's established timeframe and promptly make corrections identified through clinical or compliance review.

Documentation may never be created simply to generate billable units. Services must be actually provided, medically necessary when required, appropriately authorized, and supported by the treatment record.

Client Safety

The BHT must immediately report suicidal statements, self-harm concerns, homicidal ideation, significant behavioral changes, suspected abuse/neglect, intoxication or withdrawal concerns, medical emergencies, elopement concerns, threats or violence, or other significant safety issues according to iCare policy.

The BHT must not independently make clinical determinations outside their qualifications and must escalate concerns to the appropriate BHP, nurse, provider, Clinical Director, or crisis team.