Behavioral Health Consultant

Behavioral Health Consultant

Reports to Director of Behavioral Health

Background: Cahaba Medical Care Foundation is a community health center providing medical, pharmacy, dental, and behavioral health services to diverse underserved communities in Jefferson, Bibb, Perry, and Chilton counties. We are a Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home and Joint Commission accredited organization, committed to increasing integration and coordination of behavioral health and primary care. This is an exciting, fast paced practice with a strong mission and commitment to providing high quality care.

Purpose: Provide behavioral health consultation to children, adolescents, adults, and families in order to improve psychosocial functioning.

Responsibilities:

• Provide comprehensive assessment and diagnosis of behavioral health clients.

• Provide effective treatment planning and assist clients in successfully achieving goals.

• Evaluate crisis situations and apply appropriate interventions.

• Actively participate in meetings that support Cahaba’s integrated healthcare model to provide comprehensive care for clients.

• Assist in the detection of “at risk” patients and development of plans to prevent further psychological or physical deterioration.

• Assist the primary care team in developing care management processes such as the use of guidelines, disease management techniques, case management, and patient education to improve self-management of chronic disease.

• Provide assessment, consultation, and brief intervention for psychological/psychiatric problems and/or disorders.

• Teach patients, families, and staff care, prevention, and treatment enhancement techniques.

• Monitor the site’s behavioral health program, identifying problems related to patient services and making recommendations for improvement.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Education/Experience: Masters Degree in Social Work or Counseling

• Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Word Processing software.

• Certificates and Licenses: Licensed in the State of Alabama as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), Associate Licensed Counselor (ALC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); or if unlicensed, under the supervision of a LICSW, LPC, or PhD; unlicensed individuals must be registered with the Alabama Board of Social Work Examiners.

Requirements:

• Excellent working knowledge of behavioral medicine and evidence-based treatments for medical and mental health conditions.
• Ability to work through brief patient contacts and make quick and accurate clinical assessments of mental and behavioral conditions.
• Should be comfortable with the pace of primary care, working with an interdisciplinary team, and have strong communication skills.
• Good knowledge of psycho-pharmacology
• Ability to design and implement clinical pathways and protocols for the treatment of selected chronic conditions.