Behavioral Health Support Specialist

 Behavioral Health Support Specialist

Crater High School

Full Time | Hourly

We’re committed to compassionate care for all. Our patients. Our employees. You.

At La Clinica, we love our patients and enthusiastically treat them with the same care, respect, and dignity that we would our friends, family, and neighbors because that's who they are. If this appeals to you, La Clinica might be the right place to build your career. We’re looking for the right team members to treat our patients with this level of care.

We extend our commitment to compassionate care to our employees as well. We invest in our employees' lives through competitive pay, comprehensive benefits packages, easy access to wellness, personal and professional

The Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS)  is a core member of the interdisciplinary Patient Centered Primary Care Team. The BHSS - SBHC provides recovery-oriented services, teaching, and mentoring to children, youth, and their families on caseload. This position facilitates and coordinates access to needed services and supports within the community. 

In partnership with the Behavioral Health Clinicians, this role is primarily working with youth and families at our school-based health center locations to provide specific skills training and support treatment plans.

Accountabilities Include:  
Performs 2 Essential Job Duties – 1. Care Coordination in behavioral health settings, 2. Coaching and Goal setting

1. Care Coordination 

• Helps formulate and carry out individual treatment plans while working in partnership with other team members including Behavioral Health Clinicians, Primary care Providers, and Nursing Staff.
• Documents patient care in EPIC and is responsible for following workflows that result in capturing activities to meet patient engagement standards as outlined in the APCM program.

• -CareSTEP: Online Portal Engagement
• -CareSTEP: Accessing Community Behavioral Health Services
• -CareSTEP: Behavioral Health and Functional Ability Screening
• -CareSTEP: Warm Hand-off
• -CareSTEP: Education Provided in Group Setting
• -CareSTEP: Health and Wellness Call
• -CareSTEP: Accessing Community Resource/Service

2. Coaching and Goal Setting:

• Supports client in identifying self-management goals and developing customized plan with the behavioral health clinician, including goals and plan of action.
• Provides ongoing follow up support in-person or by telephone to support patient-identified goals and assists clients with accessing services and supports to address additional treatment needs, medical needs, educational needs, etc.
• Collaborate with the child and behavioral health clinician to provide support and increase knowledge and understanding around issues and behaviors that are impacting the child.
• Collaborate with school staff to help better support the child.
• Help the parent(s) and child practice skills to decrease specific behaviors in and increase child social skills.
• Help the child and parent(s) improve the parent-child relationship.
• Assists the child and family in understanding goals related to team recommendations.
• Instill confidence and support child in engaging in self-management skills.
• Skilled in utilizing motivational interviewing and ability to assess child's readiness to change.
• Actively engage the client in their care using trauma informed practices.
• Supports client in participatory relationship with care team.
• Supports client in identifying self-management goals and developing customized plan with the therapist including goals and plan of action.
• Assists client in identifying small steps toward goals (behavior change action plan.)
• Encourages client to participate in shared decision making with care team to enhance adherence to service plan and medications schedules.
• Works with client and team to identify barriers to wellness.
• Supports client and team in identifying and advocating for referral to additional services (internal or external).
• Coordinates and communicates care needs effectively with client, service delivery partners, primary care team members to ensure holistic plan of care.
• Completes required training designated on orientation checklist within 6 months of hire (i.e. motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, mental health first aide etc.)

• Engages in biweekly supervision with Behavioral Health Clinician. 
• Ensures clear concise documentation within in scope of practice and in alignment with organizational policies.
• Refers patients with behavioral health needs to BHCs for assessment and intervention and follows care plans providing supportive interventions as identified by BHC team members.
• Understands and supports patients with mild to moderate behavioral health needs, using the BHC for consultation, assessment and care planning when indicated.
• Screens and provides intervention for a variety of health screenings (i.e. PHQ, SBIRT, SDOH, etc.)
• Screens and provides intervention to a person at risk for suicide, or domestic violence, creates safety plans, consults and collaborates with BHCs on interventions and referrals to appropriate services. 
• Supports patients and care teams in navigating situations that may require de-escalation, compromise and reconciliation (i.e. Supporting development and communication of care agreements.)  

Additional Essential Job Duties:

• Ensures clear concise documentation within scope of practice and in alignment with organizational policies.
• Completes required training designated on orientation checklist within 6 months of hire (i.e., motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, mental health first aide etc.)
• Completes annually mandatory and role-based competencies (refer to competency checklists.)
• Participates in care team huddles, discipline-specific team meetings, and monthly case consultation meetings. 
• Completes assigned trainings via La Clinica’s learning module system (Relias) by required due date.
• Other duties as assigned.

Customer Service: 

Develops and maintains professional, support-oriented working relationships with patients, employees, team members, and community partners. Demonstrates continuous improvement in achieving “developing” and “fully competent” levels of La Clinica’s Behavioral Standards.

Follow La Clinica’s SERVE standards and they are the following:

• Service: I provide, helpful service focused on the needs of others. 
• Empathy: I welcome and connect with you on a personal level. 
• Relationships: I create partnerships, working a way that benefits everyone.

• Value: I recognize the importance of others and treat everyone with respect. 
• Excellence: I go above and beyond to deliver an exceptional experience. 

Qualifications: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to work independently and as part of a team performing each essential duty satisfactorily. The individual must be able to interact with a variety of individuals at various levels under stressful circumstances while exercising sound judgement, tact, and diplomacy, communicate with clarity, both verbally and in writing to groups and individuals, be an exceptional listener, and be flexible and adaptable within a fast-paced primary care or dental care setting.   

Education and/or Experience:  
Required:

• Minimum: High School Diploma
• Three to five years of experience in social services field
• CADC required
• Excellent interpersonal communication and problem-solving skills
• Skills to intervene and promote reconciliation, compromise and positive outcomes in difficult interactions.
• Skilled at using electronic health records as applicable to area of work (EPIC, Wisdom)
• Registers or is working towards a  Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA)certification within 3 years of employment and maintains certification while employed. 

Preferred:

• Certification in health coaching, alcohol and drug counseling, and/or other health care related certification.
• Experience and skill in working with populations with significant psychosocial needs and behavioral health conditions. 
• Bachelor’s degree in health education, health promotion, psychology, or social work.
• Basic knowledge of adult learning models

Language Skills:

Must have the ability to communicate with clarity, both verbally and in writing; read, analyze, and interpret complex documents, regulations, policies, and procedure manuals; and create professional business documents. Preferred bilingual English/Spanish.