Job Summary

Responsible for working with the integrated healthcare team of Primary Care Providers, Pharmacists, Dietitians, Nursing & and support staff to provide quality health care to patients and their families. Responsible for working with the integrated team to recognize and address psychological symptoms and conditions using the biopsychosocial model. Provide behavioral health consultation to children, adolescents, adults, and families to improve psychosocial functioning. In addition to the above duties, the position will supervise, train, and monitor the performance of other Behavioral Health Consultants.

Job Description

Supervisory Duties

• Directly supervises behavioral health consultants.
• Train assigned staff on the integrated care model.
• Ensure staff complete SBIRT (Screening Brief Intervention Referral to Treatment) with patients in the clinic.
• Address performance challenges according to CIHA policy.
• Ensure behavioral health support for all assigned primary care teams.
• Identify training priorities for assigned staff.
• Provide reports to the direct supervisor and other leadership members as needed.
• Ensure documentation of all treatment and clinically significant events in the Electronic Health Record as prescribed by CIHA policies and procedures and quality assurance standards.
• Communicate regularly with the Adult Services Manager, other hospital departments, and CIHA Executive Management staff as needed.
• Provide staff training as directed, according to expertise and scope of practice.
• Ensure the supervised program is taking measures to improve practice by completing performance improvement projects in areas needing improvement.
• Participate in completing performance appraisals of direct reports with the applicable manager/supervisor.
• Assists in attaining and maintaining accreditation by the Joint Commission of Health Care Organizations.
• Ensures implementation of provisions contained in all applicable privacy/confidentiality policies, procedures, and practices for maintenance and release of patient records and clinical information, including EBCI, CIHA, IHS, DHHS, HIPAA, JCAHO, 42 CFR or other licensing bodies.
• Assist with the recruitment and hiring process for employees.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community stakeholders.
• Other clinical and administrative duties as assigned.
• Participate in BH Departmental meetings as assigned.
• Assist the Adult Services Manager with special projects or other delegated tasks to support the BH department.
• Provide training and support to Primary Care staff about BH practice areas,
• Assist CIHA Tribal Option Care Managers as needed.

Direct Service Duties

• Creates, develops, and nurtures culturally appropriate interactions and connections with each other, customer-owners, and the community
• Provides professional expertise and consultation to the primary care provider.
• Propose changes to achieve more effective working relationships to improve performance and services provided, and connections with other departments.
• Works with Primary Care Providers to develop the “core” behavioral health skills needed on an integrated primary care team.
• Makes appropriate referrals to the Crisis Intervention Team and seeks resources to aid customer-owners.
• Assists, leads, or co-leads customer-owner case conferences and customer-owner support or counseling groups with the primary care provider.
• Works with members of the treatment team (internal and, where appropriate, external), including mentors, educational and vocational instructors, clinical staff, etc., to further the goals of the individual educational and/or treatment plans.
• Develops and maintains a trusting and partnering relationship with assigned customer-owners to assist in the success of the treatment plan.
• Works with the provider to monitor and manage “at-risk” and “chronic” customer-owners.
• Works to improve the provider and customer-owner working relationship.
• Performs assessment and brief treatment for a wide range of psychological disorders using brief therapy.
• Obtains complete and accurate information in a courteous, respectful and culturally sensitive manner to determine a diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan.
• Assesses the treatment needs of the customer-owners, and designs and implements various treatments indicated to best meet customer-owner needs.
• Participates in presenting customer-owner reviews to a multi-disciplinary team and provides feedback regarding clinical issues.
• Strives to ensure that appropriate diagnostic evaluations and treatment plans are achieved to provide the highest quality of care for the customer-owner.
• Advises customer-owners and family members in methods that facilitate a capacity for self-care and a movement towards a healthcare partnership between the healthcare providers, the customer-owners, and their families.
• Participates in the after-hours/weekend, on-call rotation with the with other BH department clinicians.
• Provides effective triage of customer-owners in need of specialty behavioral health.
• Participates in fulfilling the mission, vision, goals, and objectives of the organization.
• Assists in committee and other duties within the department.
• Assist in maintaining a clean work environment, including adequate supplies and upkeep of the unit and equipment. Assists in reporting defective or missing equipment and safety hazards. Assists in disaster planning and activities.
• Intervenes and diffuses situations involving agitated, confused, or emotional customer-owners, and/or family members.
• Maintains currency of job knowledge and skills to assist customer-owners in assuming self-care and to provide customer-owners and family members with appropriate information regarding home care. Skill in empathic interpersonal relationships is a priority for this position since the perception of the customer-owner must be that the staff is interested in attending to their needs.
• May occasionally need to respond to a consultation request from the emergency department or inpatient unit.
• Participates in division/program meetings to review and identify opportunities to improve the program and treatment provided, and recommends changes when challenges are identified. This includes assisting with changes in policy and procedure, which would improve the care of service delivery.
• Other duties as assigned.

Communications & Teamwork

• Shares and receives information, opinions, concerns, and feedback in a supportive manner.
• Works collaboratively by building bridges and creating rapport with team members within departments and across the organization.
• Performs job duties as a member of the primary care team.
• Provides simultaneous focus on health and behavioral health issues.
• Attends Outpatient and/or Pediatric staff meetings, training sessions, and urgent treatment team meetings.
• Participates in regularly scheduled individual and group supervisory sessions.
• Develops educational, training materials and conducts sessions or disseminates information to the primary care team on recent advances in the field.
• Utilize professional communication and conflict resolution skills with customer-owners and staff.
• Effectively coordinates with multi-disciplinary team and CIHA providers in accomplishing goals/objectives of treatment plan.
• Present clinical cases at clinical review meetings.

• Seeks out additional learning opportunities to continue to develop the technical and professional skills needed now and in the future.
• Consults and coordinates with the Primary Care Providers (PCP).
• Supports provider decision-making and builds on provider-customer-owner interventions.
• Works in coordination with the PCP and case managers to develop treatment plans for customer-owners.
• Adheres to agency policy regarding documentation and medical records procedures.
• Practices appropriate assessment techniques, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric disorders in children, adolescents, and adults
• Efficiently and effectively manages multiple clinical tasks.
• Evaluates suicidal individuals or individuals in crisis and manages their safe disposition.
• Maintain quality, safety, and infection control standards.
• Independently produce professional and accurate written work (assessments, treatment plans, documentation, and discharge summary reports with minimal supervisory correction or editing.
• Utilize different therapeutic modalities including group therapy, individual, child, family, couples counseling, family support services, and wrap-around services.
• Independently develop, coordinate, and facilitate psycho-educational classes, groups, and customer-owner activities as relevant to the treatment plan/program.
• Demonstrates expanding capability to be self-directed in the management of responsibilities.

Additional Responsibilities for Behavioral Health Consultant Supervisor: Meets all requirements of Behavioral Health Consultant I & II, including the following:

Workforce Development Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated ability and skills to serve in the capacity of “lead” clinician or serve as a resource on behavioral health/treatment issues for program staff.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, develop, and facilitate training on specific mental health/treatment approaches for program staff.
• Demonstrated ability and skills to facilitate Clinical and Treatment Reviews for the program.
• Demonstrated ability to make independent decisions/problem solve on issues of intervention strategies and crisis interventions.
• Demonstrated ability and skill to train staff on use of therapeutic models, investigate new models, and determine applicability for clients/programs served.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as part of the Primary Care Team in managing chronic and behavioral health conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a “readiness to change” model versus a long-term therapeutic model of care.
• Demonstrated ability to optimize the roles and responsibilities of all of the primary care team members to facilitate health and healing.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a clinical supervisor, if needed, for BHC’s or other clinical staff.
• Demonstrated ability and skills to chair or facilitate a new initiative or group in the Outpatient Department or Pediatrics Clinic.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience

Required

• Master’s Degree in social work, psychology, or counseling; OR PhD/PsyD in Clinical or Counseling Psychology; OR. A degree must be obtained from an accredited university that is accepted by the appropriate licensing agencies in NC; and
• Must be licensed in NC in a specific discipline, including Licensed Clinical Social Work, , or Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor; and
• Completion of Alcohol and Drug credentialing by the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board (CDAC or LCAS); and
• Two (2) years of supervised clinical work experience for master’s level or Two (2) years of post-graduate clinical experience for PhD or Psy.D. level; and
• Must be approved for and maintain medical credentialing, upon hire; and
• Must possess a valid driver's license.

Preferred

• Leadership or supervisory experience;
• Specific experience working with Native Americans.

Complexity of Duties

This position is responsible for assisting in maximizing the available resources to meet the behavioral health needs of the community. Must have the ability to interpret policy, laws, and regulations to make decisions when a precedent is not available. Duties require the application of clinical judgment and problem-solving skills in order to be effective. Judgment often involves decisions that may have life-or-death results.

Supervision Received

Works under the direct guidance Adult Services Manager, where responsibilities and assignments are often broadly defined. Position must demonstrate considerable initiative and ability to work independently within applicable licensing regulations, where latitude for creative thinking, initiative, and discretion is given to achieve department goals and objectives. Position must communicate effectively with supervisor to ensure alignment with organizational goals, mission, vision, and values.

Responsibility for Accuracy

Failure to provide adequate clinical services or to properly manage and direct activities could result in poor client outcomes, delays in patient treatment, and negative patient and community relations. Ineffective health planning could have adverse effects on the health status of the community by limiting access to necessary resources. The accuracy of data and research is critical in the allocation of tribal resources. Employee is responsible for the adherence to policy and procedure. Inappropriate actions or inaccuracies in judgment could result in improper diagnosis and treatment, serious liability for the tribe, or serious health risks to patients.

Contacts with Others

Interacts frequently with coworkers, hospital staff, patients, stakeholders, and other health professionals for the purpose of exchanging information, obtaining, or providing assistance. Serves on various local, community, and health committees, boards, and advisory councils, as appropriate. Tact, courtesy, and professional conduct are required to maintain positive working relationships. Utmost sensitivity and confidentiality are required when dealing with patients and families.

Confidential Data

The provision of medical care requires that the incumbent maintain strict appropriate confidentiality regarding all patient information. The employee will have access to patient records and highly confidential information and must function with utmost integrity to safeguard this information. The employee complies with EBCI policy on confidentiality of patient records, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority Confidentiality policy, HIPAA, and other federal law requirements. Violations of confidentiality regulations may result in inter-disciplinary action and other action as allowed by federal regulations.

Mental/Visual/Physical

Job duties can be mentally and emotionally stressful at times, given the complexity of the duties, management and supervision of staff, and the clinical areas being addressed with the people being served. Close mental concentration and attention to detail are required. Physical activities require the ability to be mobile, sit, reach, bend, and be in front of groups and deliver training for extended periods. Some physical exertion and stamina is required, such as those required to transport training materials or to travel. Must have visual acuity, manual dexterity, and the ability to speak and hear. Must be able to lift 30 lbs.

• Position requires: stand (under 1/3 time); walk (under 1/3 time); sit (to 2/3 time); talk or hear (over 2/3 time).
• Weight lifted or force exerted: none.
• Special vision requirements: Close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less).

Environment

The employee works primarily in a hospital, inpatient, or outpatient clinical environment but may be required to work at other offices and locations. The work environment involves moderate risks of exposure to infectious disease, radiation, electrical hazards, and irritant chemical and explosive gases. Employees must strictly adhere to OSHA guidelines and protocol for maintaining sterile conditions.

Some travel is required. Infrequent overnight travel may be required for meetings or to attend training.

Emergency Privileges

In the case of an emergency, any member of the Medical Staff, to the degree permitted by his/her license, shall be permitted to do everything possible to save a patient’s life or save a patient from serious harm, regardless of the individual’s clinical privileges. This shall be defined as those situations in which a delay could result in serious harm or death and in which a more qualified member is not immediately available.

Customer Service

Consistently demonstrates superior customer service skills to patients/customers by demonstrating characteristics that align with CIHA’s guiding principles and core values. Ensure excellent customer service is provided to all patients/customers by seeking out opportunities to be of service.