Behavioral Health Specialist 1

Bradley Hospital; Providence (RI); On-site; USD 24,975 - 41,190; Full time

Job summary

Bradley Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, is seeking a Behavioral Health Specialist I to provide care and safety to children and adolescents as part of a treatment team. This role involves maintaining a therapeutic environment, developing care plans, and documenting patient interactions. A bachelor's degree in a Human Service field is preferred, along with some experience in childcare for emotionally impaired youth. The position offers a pay range of $18.13 – $29.90 per hour with day shifts every other weekend.

Qualifications

• Must demonstrate aptitude and willingness to learn role-related skills.
• Experience with emotionally impaired youth preferred.
• Ability to work independently within program policies.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a safe and therapeutic environment for children.
• Participate in developing and operationalizing care plans.
• Document patient observations and care accurately.

Skills

Ability to engage with children

Crisis management skills

Documentation skills

Education

Baccalaureate degree in a Human Service field

Job description

Summary

Under the direction of Clinical Nurse Manager (Inpatient)/Program Director (Partial) and Unit Charge RN, the Behavioral Health Specialist I (BHS I) is responsible for providing care and safety to children and adolescents as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team. The BHS I is responsible for input into the formulation of the day‑to‑day schedule and structure of a therapeutic milieu and the implementation, observation, and documentation of this program under the direction of a Registered Nurse. Brown University Health employees are expected to role model the organization’s values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence and to demonstrate the core Success Factors—instill trust and value differences, patient and community focus, and collaborate.

Responsibilities

• Participates in maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment; actively engages with assigned children throughout shift.
• Develops and operationalizes the milieu care plan for assigned patients according to established department and unit‑based procedures and policies.
• Maintains and documents level of patient observation as ordered by the physician or charge RN each shift; completes incident reports, intakes, and other documentation as applicable.
• Provides support to visiting parents and shares information as requested by the treatment team.
• Supervises assigned children in daily routines, assists with activities of daily living and basic hygiene needs, and identifies and resolves potential problems on the unit.
• Demonstrates appropriate critical incident follow‑up skills by timely verbal reporting to the charge RN and documentation in the medical record.
• Participates in restraint debriefings and carries out daily assignments as delegated by the charge RN.
• Intervenes in disruptive milieu or destructive to self/other situations, providing timely therapeutic intervention(s) to children in distress while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
• Adheres to hospital, departmental, and program policies and procedures; attends peer review and staff meetings as assigned.
• Maintains current certification in crisis management, CPR, OSHA, ERS, and other safety certifications; attends unit/hospital staff development activities as assigned.
• Acts in the patient care planning process under the direction of the primary or charge RN; helps develop initial therapeutic alliance with patient and family on admission.
• Assists with the separation process and performs other duties necessary to provide a smooth transition to the hospital environment.
• Documents objective observations within shift notes and shares observations with assigned RN; reviews milieu care plan and problem list daily and suggests revisions based on observations.
• Communicates individual patient milieu care plans to other unit staff and liaises with interdisciplinary treatment providers.
• Participates in treatment team meetings, rounds, patient‑specific discussions, and hand‑off shift reports as assigned.
• Accurately documents significant patient or family observations and milieu care on the Kardex and medical records in a timely fashion.
• Offers information and knowledge acquired through experience to other staff via formal or informal staff development forums.
• Adapts care style to meet the needs of various children and adolescents; supports and contributes to the development of care plans and behavioral management.
• Assists and teaches patients in activities of daily living and personal hygiene based on patient abilities.
• Co‑leads community meetings, milieu meetings, social skill groups, and other program‑specific groups such as activity or recreation.
• Maintains behavioral programs specific to the needs of the patient in collaboration with the assigned RN and treatment team.
• Organizes unit activities and coordinates, supervises, and actively participates in children’s physical and social development activities.
• Arranges for transportation of materials if required; participates in teaching visits/family and parent training as assigned.
• Consistently models appropriate and therapeutic interpersonal staff/family interactions.
• Co‑leads therapy groups with a clinician; supports and actively participates in recreation therapy programs.
• Handles crisis situations in a safe, effective manner, utilizing the least restrictive, safe patient care alternative.
• Seeks formal supervision and incorporates suggestions for improvement and changes in job performance.
• Performs other related duties as required, assigned, or directed by Charge RN; may be asked to perform comparable duties in other clinical settings as program needs arise.

Minimum Qualifications

• Basic Knowledge: Baccalaureate degree in a Human Service field preferred. Other education and experience considered and may be substituted for educational requirements at the discretion of the Hiring Manager. Must demonstrate aptitude and willingness to learn role‑related skills and demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care to patients throughout the life span with consideration of aging processes, human development stages, and cultural patterns.
• Experience: Six months to one year of direct childcare work with emotionally impaired youth.
• Independent Action: Performs independently within program policies and practices; refers specific complex problems to supervisor where clarification of program policies and procedures is required.
• No Supervisory Responsibility: None.

Pay Range

$18.13 – $29.90

EEO Statement

Brown University Health is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and maintaining a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment.

Location

Bradley Hospital – 1011 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, East Providence, Rhode Island 02915

Work Type

Every other weekend/holiday day shift

Work Shift

Day

Daily Hours

8 hours

Driving Required

No