Behavioral Health Specialist

Mission:

The mission of Bread for the City is to help Washington, DC residents living with low income to develop the power to determine the future of their own communities. We provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. We seek justice through community organizing and public advocacy. We work to uproot racism, a major cause of poverty. We are committed to treating our clients with the dignity and respect that all people deserve.

Position Description:

The Behavioral Health Specialist is responsible for providing brief counseling, mental health health assessments, and solution-focused clinical interventions to patients within an integrated primary care setting. (The Behavioral Health Manager provides guidance and direction to the Behavioral Health Specialist. The Behavioral Health Manager is responsible for providing regular supervision, clinical consultation, and completing an annual performance review of the Behavioral Health Specialist.

Essential Responsibilities:

1.Provides brief, solution-focused, individually-tailored services to patients using an integrated care consultancy model

• Assists the primary care provider in recognizing, treating, and managing behavioral health issues and acts as a contributing member to the primary care team;

• Provides patients with solution-focused interventions, including 1) helping patients gain insight about their mental health and socio-emotional well-being; 2) providing psycho-education; 2) teaching CBT, MI, and mindfulness-based coping strategies to help patients manage symptoms and become full participants in their own treatment and recovery;

• Helps patients, where indicated, to cope with chronic conditions like depression, anxiety, substance abuse pain and diabetes;

• Assists the patients in complying with any medical treatment initiated by the primary care provider, such as offering strategies to cope with medication side effects;

• Provides consultation and training to the primary care providers to enhance their skill and effectiveness in treating behavioral health problems;

• Provides brief, focused intervention for patients who are in need of behavioral health and psychosocial services and initiates follow-up as needed;

• Gives primary care providers timely feedback about the client's care, treatment recommendations, and progress via documentation in the client's record and verbal feedback;

• Assists in the patient's community functioning by working with the care management team to link them with public benefits, vocational rehabilitation, social support, housing, etc;

• Collaborates with primary care providers about which patients are better served for behavioral health at the primary care setting and which should be referred to specialty mental health facilities or elsewhere and makes referrals to appropriate external resources for additional or longer-term behavioral health assistance when needed;

• Works, where indicated, to effect behavioral changes in patients with, or at risk for, physical disorders and helps them make healthier lifestyle choices;

• Provides patients with self-management skills and educational information needed so they can be full participants in their own treatment and recovery;

• Develops and leads wellness support groups to help patients learn tools to cope with chronic medical conditions.
  2.Participates in development and assessment of integrated care consultancy model at agency and community level

• Develops and maintains expertise in the integrated care consultancy model;

• Supports the organization's vision, mission and goals with staff, patients and the external community;

• Cultivates relationships within the Behavioral Health Integrated Care community and participates in meetings to build and develop this model of care;

• Analyzes service provision on a regular basis for purposes of reporting and adjusting practices and interventions.
  3.Engages in ongoing professional development

• Maintains professional licensure requirements through attendance at relevant conferences, trainings, and meetings and shares learnings with staff as appropriate;

• Maintains membership in the profession's national organization and reads professional literature.

Qualifications and Required Skill Sets:

The Behavioral Health Specialist must be able to function in the fast-paced primary care environment. To be effective, they must:

• Hold a master's degree or higher from an accredited institution in social work, mental health counseling or a related field;

• Be licensed in DC at the LPC/LICSW level;

• Be experienced in working in an integrated care model and function well in a team setting;

• Be experienced working in multicultural settings with a commitment to racial equity and the work of undoing racism--including racism's impact on the social determinants that contribute to overall health and health care for our patients;

• Be experienced working within a model of Trauma Informed Care or a desire to do so;

• Be committed to the following principles: staff and patient safety, trustworthiness and transparency, the value of lived experience, collaboration and mutuality, patient empowerment, belief in the importance of our patients, and resilience;

• Be comfortable with use of laptop while working and flexible to deal with noise, frequent interruptions, and constant changes in scheduling;

• Be able to offer brief, targeted interventions;

• Be comfortable with short-term counseling, often lasting less than three visits;

• Be comfortable integrating case management activities, such as public benefits, vocational rehabilitation, social support, housing assistance, etc, into BH practice;

• Be comfortable working with adults, adolescents and children;

• Be behaviorally, rather than personality, focused;

• Be able to perform consultations and give provider feedback "on the fly";

• Proficiency in the identification and treatment of mental disorders;

• Knowledge of evidence-based behavioral assessments and interventions relevant to medical conditions, e.g., disease management; treatment adherence; and lifestyle change;

• Ability to make quick and accurate clinical assessments;

• Be competent in knowledge of local resources for outside referrals for social services and behavioral health;

• Knowledge of basic physiology, psychopharmacology and medical terminology;

• Ability to work with volunteers in a professional and collaborative manner;

• Familiarity with Google Organization & Productivity Tools (Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar) and/or ability to learn new technology systems;

• Willingness to learn and carry out Bread for the City's commitments to social justice and racial equity.

Bread for the City is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, family responsibility, physical or mental disability, medical condition, status as a veteran, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, except where a bona fide occupational qualification applies.

To apply:

You must complete an application through Bread for the City's ADP portal. Click here to review available openings and click on "Behavioral Health Specialist" position. Then select "apply" at the top right hand corner to register for a login and apply for the position. Please upload a resume and cover letter that speaks to your interest and qualifications through this online application process. Your application will not be considered complete unless it includes a cover letter. Only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. No phone calls.