Associate Behavioral Health Clinician

Job Summary

Under the general direction of the Behavioral Health Program Manager and the Director of Behavioral Healthcare, the Associate Behavioral Health Clinician is responsible for providing evidenced-based behavioral healthcare assessment and clinical services to patients at the El Dorado Community Health Center's (EDCHC) clinics for a variety of emotional and psychiatric problems. As part of an integrated behavioral health and primary care practice, they provide initial patient evaluations, triage assessments, crisis intervention management, brief individual and group counseling, skills training, care coordination, case management, resource management, advocacy, and follow-up.

They participate in interdisciplinary case conferences, work with primary care providers, and assist with program development. Supervision provided to those requiring it for their licensure by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).

• Responsible for providing quality treatment services to the clients according to established policies and procedures as determined by professionally accepted standards identified by the Board of Behavioral Services (BBS).
• Conduct psychosocial evaluations, screenings, and triage assessments. Provide assistance to patients in dealing with psychosocial factors which affect their health and well-being and detection of high-risk patients to provide care to prevent further psychological deterioration. Uses brief assessments routinely (PHQ, GAD 7, ACES,AUDIT, etc.) Completes risk assessments of patients in crisis or with suicidal thoughts using evidence-based tools (such as Columbia Risk Assessment) to assist with safety and planning.
• Developing individualized treatment plans for patients based on a psychosocial assessment which identifies: symptoms, areas of life affected by symptoms, mental health diagnosis using DSM V, medical necessity of treatment, patient centered goals and objectives, skills training and other service needs.
• Consult and collaborate with primary care and behavioral health providers, providing education, support, and real-time consultation to primary care providers.
• Complete legible and legally defensible medical record entries in a timely manner on adaily basis using the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. Entries include patient treatment plans, and progress notes, summarizing patient subjective, objective, assessment and treatment data that facilitate continuity of care between visits as well as required documentation needs for HRSA.
• Participates in a comprehensive quality improvement process, which includes routine auditing of medical records to ensure quality clinical care, compliance with clinic protocols, and implementation of the Board’s quality assurance committee recommendations concerning integrative behavioral health care.
• Provide and/or oversee referrals to community resources. Develop and maintain relationships and good communication with related health, educational and social services agencies.
• Maintain the highest standards of professional practice, ethics, and patient confidentiality.
• Other duties and/or special projects as assigned.

• Current evidence-based practices and techniques in psychotherapeutic treatment,including brief solution-focused treatment and trauma informed care.
• Managing behavioral crises, conducting psychosocial assessments, developingcare plans and providing brief therapeutic treatment.
• Principles and practices of an integrated behavioral health and primary care service delivery model and specialty services in a community health center that serves a culturally and socially diverse, low-income population with complex substance use, mental health and co-occurring medical conditions.
• Federal, State and County laws or regulations, HIPAA, FQHC, HRSA requirements and professional licensing guidelines of ethics, privacy, confidentiality, and ability to treat applicable to providing behavioral health services; this includes Mandated Reporting, Duty to Warn, and Suicidal and Homicidal threats.
• Community resources and patient eligibility criteria; experience planning, coordinating and following up on…