Behavioral Health Technician

St. Charles Health System Inc.; Bend (OR); On-site; USD 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Charles Health System in Bend, Oregon seeks a Behavioral Health Technician to join the Inpatient Behavioral Health unit. You will provide direct patient care, support treatment plans, and work with a multidisciplinary team.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences or equivalent experience, BLS certification, and a valid Oregon driver's license; two years in mental health preferred. This full‑time night shift position offers 36 hours weekly, shift differentials, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences or a combination of at least three years relevant education, training or experience.
• American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Providers certification required.
• Valid Oregon driver’s license and ability to meet SCHS driving requirements.

Responsibilities

• Works with the multidisciplinary team to implement the treatment plan.
• Ensures safety policies and procedures are followed on the unit.
• Plans and leads therapeutic, recreational, social and skills training activities.
• Participates in shift change meetings and contributes to treatment planning.
• Maintains and documents patient records reflecting progress.
• Provides crisis intervention and de-escalation as needed.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences

Job description

Salary and Hours

Full-Time, Nights Pay range: $23.37 - $32.71 Night Shift Differential - $6.50/hr. Weekend Shift Differential - $4.00/hr.

Job Title

ST. CHARLES HEALTH SYSTEM JOB DESCRIPTION TITLE: Behavioral Health Technician

Reports To

Assistant Manager/ Assistant Nurse Manager

Department

Inpatient Behavioral Health

Date Last Reviewed

March 2025

Our Vision

Creating America’s healthiest community, together

Our Mission

In the spirit of love and compassion, better health, better care, better value

Our Values

Accountability, Caring and Teamwork

Department Summary

The Inpatient Behavioral Health Departments provide services to the community and region including: treatment for the SPMI population, acute mental health crisis requiring hospitalization, and collaboration with the outpatient community at discharge.

Position Overview

The Behavioral Health Technician assists in providing direct patient care on both Inpatient Behavioral Health units. Technicians have an important in meeting the psychosocial needs of patients and their families and helping patients utilize services to achieve optimum level of function, in accordance with St. Charles Health System (SCHS) and Sage View mission, vision, values, success factors, philosophy, policies and procedures. This position does not directly manage any other caregivers.

Essential Functions and Duties

• Works within the multidisciplinary team; including Masters Level Clinicians, Physicians, RNs, etc. in collaboration in the implementation of the treatment plan.
• Implements department policies using reasonable knowledge of behavioral health principles and practices.
• Technicians are asked to be vigilant about safety policies and procedures.
• Assists in the planning and implementation of therapeutic, recreational, social and skills training activities to be implemented on the unit in group setting and in individual interventions.
• Participates in daily shift change meetings to assist with evaluation and treatment planning for clients.
• Acts as a facilitator or co‑facilitator of therapeutic skill development groups.
• Maintains client records and documents services provided to reflect progress in treatment.
• Assesses individual client functional skills and treatment needs and communicates assessments with the multidisciplinary team.
• May be assigned to a train or teach new caregivers, interns, volunteers, or other members of the interdisciplinary team.
• Participates in the development and implementation of Evidenced Based Practices.
• Technicians are asked to assess what evidenced based practices would be most beneficial to patients based on current mental health issues, psychosis, cognitive abilities, and developmental stage.
• Assists with all direct patient care needs, including patient hygiene, patient transfers, patient belongings, obtaining vitals signs, serving patient meals, patient rounding, answering phones and transportation for patients.
• Provides crisis intervention and de‑escalation to patients as needed.
• Supports the vision, mission and values of the organization in all respects.
• Supports Value Improvement Practice (VIP‑ Lean) principles of continuous improvement with energy and enthusiasm, functioning as a champion of change.
• Provides and maintains a safe environment for caregivers, patients and guests.
• Conducts all activities with the highest standards of professionalism and confidentiality.
• Complies with all applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures, supporting the organization’s corporate integrity efforts by acting in an ethical and appropriate manner, reporting known or suspected violation of applicable rules, and cooperating fully with all organizational investigations and proceedings.
• Delivers customer service and/or patient care in a manner that promotes goodwill, is timely, efficient and accurate.
• May perform additional duties of similar complexity within the organization, as required or assigned.
• Participates in creating a healing environment that supports all aspects of the care environment and the wholeness of each individual, patient and caregiver.
• Provides a therapeutic presence in service to others by purposefully responding to the needs of patients in a caring way, including introducing oneself and explaining role in patient’s care, asking the patient his or her preferred name, sitting with the patient to determine his or her care goals, active listening, and communicating effectively and appropriately through touch, eye contact, etc.
• Provides and maintains a safe environment for caregivers, patients and guests including participating in Code Gray interventions as needed.
• Documents all patient care with proficiency in compliance with hospital policies, procedures and regulatory agencies.

Education

Required: Bachelor’s degree in a behavioral sciences field or a combination of at least three years relevant education, training or experience. Preferred: N/A

Licensure/Certification/Registration

• Required: American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Provider certification.
• Valid Oregon driver’s license and ability to meet SCHS driving requirements.
• Preferred: Certified Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA) with the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO).
• Certified Nursing Assistant‑Level 2 with the Oregon State Board of Nursing or EMT‑Basic certification.

Experience

Required: N/A. Preferred: Two years’ experience in the field of mental health, including one year of inpatient, residential or hospital based psychiatric experience.

Personal Protective Equipment

Must be able to wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to perform the job safely.

Physical Requirements

• Continually (75% or more): Standing and walking, keyboard operation, use of clear and audible speaking voice and the ability to hear normal speech level.
• Frequently (50%): Sitting, lifting/carrying/pushing or pulling 1-25 pounds.
• The use and operation of a motor vehicle for Home Health and Wound Caregivers.
• Occasionally (25%): Bending, stooping/kneeling/crouching, climbing ladder/step‑stool (varies by area), reaching overhead, lifting/carrying/pushing or pulling 25-50 pounds, grasping/squeezing, ability to hear whispered speech level.
• Rarely (10%): Climbing stairs.
• Never (0%): Climbing ladder/step‑stool (varies by area), operation of a motor vehicle.
• Exposure to Elemental Factors Rarely (10%): Wet/slippery area, chemical solution.
• Never (0%): Heat, cold, noise, dust, vibration, uneven surface.

Schedule and Work Details

• Weekly Hours: 36
• Caregiver Type: Regular Shift
• Shift: Third Shift (United States of America)
• Exempt Position? No
• Job Family: TECHNICIAN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
• Scheduled Days of the Week: Variable
• Shift Start & End Time: 1900-0730

About St. Charles Health System

St. Charles Health System is a private, nonprofit organization, dedicated to providing high‑quality care and the latest in health care technology to the communities it serves. Headquartered in Bend, Ore., St. Charles is an integrated delivery system, with a strong focus on population health, that provides a full range of evidence‑based health care services within a 32,000‑square‑mile area in Central and Eastern Oregon. The health system owns and operates a trauma level II, tertiary referral center in Bend, a trauma level III, type B rural hospital in Redmond, and trauma level IV critical access hospitals in both Prineville and Madras. As the largest employer in Central Oregon, St. Charles Health System and St. Charles Medical Group care for our communities in more than two dozen outpatient clinics and in more than 20 specialty areas of medicine.