Behavioral Intake Counselor

Optum; San Diego (CA); Remote; USD 33,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

UnitedHealth Group is seeking a Behavioral Intake Counselor to support the 24/7 Access and Crisis Line for the San Diego County. This role involves quick emotional connection, behavioral health screening, and linkage to appropriate care. You will work a 4-day schedule Tue-Sat 1pm-9:30pm PST and may telecommute from anywhere in the U.S.

while completing training and onboarding. The position requires a Master’s or Doctorate in a human services field, crisis de-escalation experience, and

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or Doctorate in human services such as Psychology, Sociology or equivalent.
• Licensed or cleared status with a licensing entity (Board of Behavioral Science) if applicable.
• Minimum 2 years postgrad direct clinical services including psychosocial assessments, case management and discharge planning.
• Minimum 1 year of crisis response using de-escalation and empathetic, trauma-informed care.
• Experience with diverse populations and ability to access EHR systems.

Responsibilities

• Adhere to applicable laws and ethics (HIPAA, confidentiality, Duty to Warn).
• Answer calls/chats within standard service levels and provide crisis intervention as needed.
• Triage calls based on mental health and/or substance use symptoms.
• Conduct screenings including suicide/homicide and ASAM assessments.
• Provide customized behavioral health referrals and document interactions in the EHR.
• Meet performance goals and escalate operational issues to supervision.
• Assist in training crisis line staff and ensure protocol adherence.

Education

Master’s Degree or Doctorate in human services (Psychology, Sociology, or equivalent)

Crisis de-escalation experience

Trauma-informed care approach

Ability to enter clinical information into Medi-Cal EHR

Experience with diverse multi-ethnic populations

Tools

Medi-Cal EHR

Job description

Improve the lives of others while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

Job Description – Behavioral Intake Counselor (2389130)

Behavioral Intake Counselor – 2389130

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale.

Join us to startCaring. Connecting. Growing together.

The Behavioral Intake Counselor (BIC) is a position for the County of San Diego’s 24/7 Access and Crisis Line (ACL) which provides free, confidential access to behavioral health services and crisis intervention for the 3.3 million San Diegans.

Behavioral Health Access

Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services within the system of care. ACL clinicians need to quickly establish an emotional connection with the individual seeking help, identify their needs, conduct a behavioral health screening which includes an adapted ASAM screening, recognize and properly follow up on any risk factors, and help provide linkage to the most appropriate type and level of care based on the collective screenings and preferences of the caller/chatter.

Working Schedule

4 day working week: Tue-Sat 1pm-9:30pm PST

Initial Training

1 month: Monday to Friday – Typically 7- 4.30pm depending on trainer availability

Candidates must be available for both the training schedule and working schedule, this is not flexible.

You will enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities

Responsibilities for Behavioral Intake Counselors include:

• Adhere to all applicable laws and ethics (HIPAA, Exceptions to confidentiality, Reporting Abuse, Duty to Warn etc.)
• Answer calls/chats within standard service levels
• Apply sound clinical judgement and consult with fellow clinical professionals when indicated
• Triage calls/chats based on presenting mental health and/or substance use disorder symptoms
• Conduct appropriate behavioral health screenings, including suicide, homicide (when indicated) and adapted ASAM
• Provide customized, behavioral health referrals
• Conduct crisis work and ensure safety
• Document all interaction in a succinct, clinical manner in the designated database; documentation must adhere to Dept. of Health Clinical Service (DHCS) requirements
• Access and enter accurate relevant clinical information into Medi-Cal beneficiary electronic health record (EHR)
• Meeting individual performance goal
• Problem solves technical issues
• Elevate operational issues/ concerns to supervisor or manager
• Gain experience training crisis line staff to support adherence to established protocols, quality benchmarks, and compliance requirements, while strengthening personal competency on the crisis line
• Other duties as assigned

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear directions on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or Doctorate within human services such as Psychology, Sociology or equivalent
• If Registered with a licensing entity such as the Board of Behavioral Science, must have a “cleared” status- not on probation and no pending corrective actions
• 2+ years ofpostgraduate degree providing direct clinical services: psychosocial assessments, individual therapy, substance use disorder drug/alcohol treatment, case consultation with multidisciplinary team; case management; developing treatment plans with short/long-term goals; maintain confidential files; in-service training and discharge planning
• 1+ years of experience in responding to individuals in crisis by applying de-escalation strategies, motivational interviewing skills, and empathetic, trauma informed care
• 1+ years of experience working with diverse multi-ethnic/socioeconomic populations; myriads of psychological disorders and addictions
• Ability to access and enter accurate relevant clinical information into Medi-Cal beneficiary electronic health record (EHR)

Preferred Qualifications

• 1 or more years of prior experience in a call center

*All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The hourly pay for this role will range from $24.00 to $43.00 per hour based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Application Deadline

This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location, and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups, and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug‑free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

UnitedHealth Group is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you need special assistance or accommodation for any part of the application process, please call 1-866-566-8715 to be connected to Recruitment Services. Recruitment Services hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.

UnitedHealth Group is a registered service mark of UnitedHealth Group, Inc. The UnitedHealth Group name with the dimensional logo, as well as the dimensional logo alone, are both service marks for the UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug‑free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.