Lead Mental Health Tech

Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital; DeSoto (TX); On-site; USD 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Company-paid disability

401(k)

Paid time off

Job summary

Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital is seeking an MHT Behavioral Specialist to provide direct patient care for patients with emotional or psychiatric disorders and to support the therapeutic milieu.

The role includes mentoring staff, guiding treatment plans, and maintaining a safe environment. A CPR certification and on-site de-escalation training are required, with at least 2 years of clinical experience in behavioral health preferred.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• CPR certification and de-escalation training completion required (employer provided on-site).
• Minimum 2 years clinical experience, preferably in behavioral health, phone triage, tele-health, or case management; at least 4 years as a Mental Health Tech at Dallas Behavioral.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct patient care to patients with emotional or psychiatric disorders and support therapeutic milieu.
• Train and mentor new and current MHTs on policies, culture, and procedures.
• Orient patients and staff to unit, program, and milieu.
• Participate in treatment planning and communicate patient progress to the treatment team.
• Supervise patients to ensure safety during transport and activities.
• Maintain documentation and ensure a safe, orderly environment on the unit.
• De-escalate conflicts and act as a first line of leadership on the floor.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

De-escalation

Empathy

Problem solving

Time management

Professional boundaries

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Internal Candidates Only

The MHT Behavioral Specialist is responsible for providing direct patient care to all patients with emotional or psychiatric disorders; to support the therapeutic milieu; to ensure the safety and well-being of these patients while providing peer leadership and training to staff.

Essential Duties:

• Trains and mentors new and current MHT’s by providing feedback and information on organizational culture, policies, and procedures, task prioritization, and other work-related information.

• Orient new patients and employees to unit, program and milieu.

• Participates in and leads activities which enhance professional growth and development of self and peers.

• Attends meetings with senior leadership to provide insight, feedback and solutions to issues and concerns.

• Participate in treatment planning by helping identify patients’ problems, needs, and strengths; suggesting modifications to treatment plan based on observations of patients’ behavior.

• Participate in implementing patients’ treatment plans by monitoring patients’ progress, communicating information regarding patients’ behavior to other members of treatment team.

• Maintains communication with patient, family members, and referral sources in patients’ interest.

• Co-facilitates didactic, educational, and community groups encouraging and facilitating patients’ participation.

• Supervises patients to ensure their safety and their involvement in treatment and during transport.

• Participate in maintaining the therapeutic milieu on the unit, enforces the level system or other methods of behavior management. This includes maintaining patient, program, department, and related documentation.

• Carry out general nursing assistance as assigned and supervised by nurse in charge.

• Maintains a safe, orderly, and therapeutic physical environment for patients.

• Assists patients in carrying out activities of daily living, when congruent with the patients’ treatment plan and needs, age, and developmental level.

• Carry out clerical/administrative assignment to support patient care and department and hospital operations.

• Upholds the Organization’s ethics and customer service standards.

• Must be able to de-escalate conflicts between staff and patients and act as a first line of leadership in the resolution of floor concerns.

• Education: High school diploma or equivalent required.

• Required Licenses/Certification: Successful completion of CPR and De-escalation Program (employer provided during on-site training)

• Experience: Minimum of 2 years clinical experience, preferably in a behavioral healthcare setting, phone triage, tele-health or case management or combination of education and experience. At least 4 year experience as a Mental Health Tech at Dallas Behavioral.

• Additional Requirements: Must obtain and maintain approved CPR certification as well as successful completion of assaultive behavior management/prevention training including restraint and seclusion policies prior to assuming patient care responsibility. Must be a current Dallas Behavioral employee currently be in good standing in all areas of performance, attendance and conduct.

• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • Skills in dealing courteously with the public and other staff within the organization.
  • Basic knowledge of medical and psychological terminology, human behavior or principles of psychology, teaching or assisting with activities of daily living and human growth/development preferred.
  • Skills in problem solving, prioritizing and time management.
  • Appropriate social skills, including demonstration and respect for staff and patients; empathy toward patients
  • Experience with therapeutic limit-setting helpful, or an understanding of level systems or other behavior management modalities.
  • Ability to maintain professional boundaries and willingness to seek supervision in this regard.
  • Ability to exercise self-control in potentially volatile situations such as being verbally or physically confronted in a threatening or aggressive manner; must be flexible and not easily frustrated in dealing with differences of opinions.
  • Must be able to work and concentrate amidst distractions such as noise, conversation and foot traffic; ability to handle interruptions often and be able to move from one task to another.

• Screening: Must successfully pass background check, drug screen, physical and be able to provide positive employment references.

• Physical Demands: With or without reasonable accommodations, must be able to stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, stand for sustained period of time, walk, pull, lift, raise and move objects from position to position (up to 50 lbs), finger grasp; feel sizes, shapes, temperatures, and textures; express or exchange ideas orally and potentially loudly, accurately, or quickly; visually detect, determine, perceive, identify, recognize, judge, observe, inspect, assess; perceive the nature of sound with or without correction; perform repetitive motions of the wrist, hands, or fingers.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties to meet the ongoing needs of the hospital.

Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.

• Full-time employees are eligible for medical, dental, vision, company paid disability, 401(k) and a generous amount of paid time off.