Behavioral Therapist - PRN

nghs; Gainesville (GA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

NGHS in Gainesville seeks a Behavioral Therapist I to provide group, individual, and family therapy within the hospital milieu. You will assess psychosocial and environmental factors affecting patients and tailor care plans with the interdisciplinary team.

The role involves discharge planning, crisis intervention, and advocacy with post-acute partners across diverse age groups. Responsibilities include developing and updating care plans, tracking progress toward goals, coordinating community

Qualifications

• Licensure at Associate level required within twelve (12) months of hire.
• Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) II also acceptable.
• Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling or related field meeting licensure requirements in Georgia or CAC II eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Develops and updates Plan of Care in coordination with the patient, support persons, and multidisciplinary team.
• Monitors progress toward goals and safety; informs team of critical information affecting discharge planning.
• Advocates for hospital and community resources to meet financial, cultural, legal, and spiritual needs.
• Provides case management and coordinates safe discharge using placement resources and contacts.
• Links patients with medication access, housing, social and emotional support; handles insurance pre-authorizations.
• Documents all clinical contact and service coordination in the EHR on the day it occurs.
• Coordinates discharge planning to ensure continuity of care post-discharge.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Team collaboration

Counseling skills

Psychosocial assessment

Cultural competency

Education

Master's degree in Social Work

Master's degree in Psychology

Master's degree in Counseling

Tools

EHR systems

Job description

About the Role

The Behavioral Therapist I is responsible for providing group, individual and family therapy services to all patients receiving care in the hospital milieu setting. The Behavioral Therapist I assesses the psychological, social, cultural, environmental and financial impacts on patient functioning, as well as determines disposition needs for each assigned patient. The Behavioral Therapist I individualizes care planning and collaborates with the clinical treatment team and post-acute partners to develop and implement identified patient goals and discharge planning needs. The Behavioral Therapist I evaluates and modifies patient care goals and initiates changes as needed. The Behavioral Therapist I utilizes crisis intervention, problem-solving and critical thinking in adapting services to the full range of age-specific populations, including adolescent and geriatric patients. The Behavioral Therapist I educates and uses advocacy skills to promote behavioral health awareness in the community and hospital setting.

Minimum Job Qualifications

Licensure or other certifications: Licensure at Associate level required within twelve (12) months of hire. Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) II also acceptable.

Educational Requirements: Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling or other related field that meets the requirements for licensure in the state of Georgia or meets the requirements for Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC II) accepted.

Minimum Experience:

Other:

Preferred Job Qualifications

Preferred Licensure or other certifications:

Preferred Educational Requirements:

Preferred Experience: At least one (1) year interview and assessment experience with patients having psychiatric, emotional, or chemical dependency problems.

Other:

Job Specific and Unique Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills as evidenced by the ability to work collaboratively with the healthcare team.
• Knowledge of post-acute community resources and linkage for funding, housing and multi-agency coordination of care.
• Skilled at facilitating counseling sessions for group, individuals, and families. Conversant with best practices of professional conduct.
• Demonstrates psychosocial assessment skills and executes appropriate treatment planning and discharge disposition and referrals.
• Demonstrates ability to work with diverse cultural and age-specific populations.

Essential Tasks and Responsibilities

• Develops and updates Plan of Care in coordination with the patient's support persons and the interdisciplinary team members. Initiates psychosocial assessment and identifies treatment goals with patient on the first treatment day. Plans and updates interventions in response to ongoing clinical assessment.
• Monitors progress toward goals and informs interdisciplinary team of critical information impacting safety and discharge planning. Monitors crisis risk in areas such as falls, abuse, neglect, exploitation, suicide and relapse. Follows regulatory standards related to mandated reporting.
• Advocates for and brokers hospital and community resources to assist financial, cultural ,legal, and spiritual needs are met. Follows through with assignments from treatment team, including face to face sessions with identified support persons.
• Provides case management services for patients and their families or support persons to ensure that these identified needs are addressed during treatment. Expedites safe discharge planning using placement resources and family agency contacts.
• Provides linkages for medication access, housing, social and emotional support, including completion of applications ,pre-authorizations to insurers ,and outreach to national and state indigent programs. Provides representation and advocacy for behavioral health on hospital and community-based committees to provide effective and ethical care in post-acute services and community service projects.
• Serves as primary liaison between community resources and linkage of patients and the Laurelwood program to ensure continuity of care and customer satisfaction. Contacts post-acute partners to coordinate services for patient treatment goals and follow-up service needs.
• Provides treatment updates throughout patient hospital stay to all parties for seamless communication of post-acute plans. Identifies follow-up services, makes appointments and contacts referral sources at time of discharge to ensure continuity of care. Documents all clinical contact and service coordination in the EHR on the day it occurs.
• Coordinates discharge planning for assigned patients to ensure appropriate continuity of care upon discharge. Assists the patient and support persons in understanding the discharge and safety risks durin