Mental Health Technician

Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services; Winston-Salem (NC); On-site; USD 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development opportunities

Health insurance (medical, dental, etc

401(k) with company match

Tuition assistance

SoFi student loan program

Job summary

Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services in Winston-Salem, NC seeks a full-time Mental Health Technician (MHT) to support inpatient psychiatric care for adolescents through senior adults. The position comprises a 36-hour work week with two weeknights (7pm–7am) and every other Saturday and Sunday (7pm–7am) and offers full benefits.

You will build therapeutic relationships, monitor patient safety, assist with basic needs, and participate in groups while upholding infection prevention and staff

Qualifications

• Must provide contact information for two current/previous supervisors/managers AND two current/previous peer professionals to respond to a professional reference survey.
• Must be at least 21 years old.
• Knowledge of human behavior or psychology preferred including therapeutic relationships and processes.
• Ability to perform non-violent crisis intervention.
• Ability to communicate fluently in English, both verbally and in writing.

Responsibilities

• Develops and maintains a therapeutic relationship with patients throughout the healthcare continuum.
• Monitors patients at all times, conducts observation rounds, and ensures safety and orderly unit conditions.
• Performs patient vital signs and reports unusual outcomes to the unit nurse; assists with daily living activities and group facilitation.
• Follows infection control policies including hand hygiene and surface cleaning.
• Contributes to patient/staff education and supports peer learning within the team.
• Collaborates with other clinicians and participates as an effective member of the care team.

Skills

Patient observation

De-escalation techniques

Communication skills

Team collaboration

English proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in health or human services

Three years of behavioral health experience

Job description

Responsibilities

At Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services, we are helping to create brighter, healthier futures for our patients and their families. We are the Piedmont Triad's only private psychiatric hospital meeting the chemical dependency illnesses and behavioral healthcare needs of those in our community. Our 164-bed inpatient services for adolescents through senior adulthood offers comprehensive and individual assessments, psychiatric evaluation and medication stabilization, daily group therapy and personalized aftercare planning. We also offer a Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program to ensure the continuum of care for our patients. Old Vineyard is accredited by The Joint Commission and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We are passionate about our work and are looking for individuals who share in this passion.

This opportunity is for a full-time (36 hours per week) Mental Health Technician (MHT). The position offers full benefits and a schedule of two weeknights 7pm - 7am plus every other Saturday & Sunday 7pm - 7am.

Job Duties

1. MHT/Patient Relationship: Develops and maintains a therapeutic relationship throughout the healthcare continuum.
2. Patient Safety: Monitors patients at all times, performs patient observation rounds, conducts unit safety checks and patient belonging inventory to ensure no contraband enters patient care area, and monitors/controls availability of hazards and contraband, perform verbal de-escalation, or other approved interventions, in crisis situations.
3. Patient Care: Performs patient vital signs and reports unusual outcomes to unit nurse, recognizes changes in condition and takes immediate action to assist, to include reporting to the unit nurse. Assists patients with basic needs, including daily living activities. Facilitates structured groups. Assists in teh admission and discharge process.
4. Infection Prevention: Follows infection control policies and procedures including appropriate hand hygiene, blood pressure cuff cleaning, and high-touch surface cleaning.
5. Patient/Staff Education: Demonstrates a commitment to meeting the learning needs of patients and families. Utilizes appropriate resources to meet those needs and achieve positive patient outcomes. Assists in creating an environment that promotes educational growth opportunities for peers and colleagues.
6. Collaboration/Professional Development: Demonstrates respect and understanding for peers and other clinical disciplines and participates as an effective member of the patient care team to formulate an integrated approach to care.

Qualifications

All candidates for this role must be able to provide contact information for two (2) current/previous supervisors/managers AND two (2) current/previous peer professionals to respond to a professional reference survey. Survey results must be received and fall within hiring guidelines prior to job offer.

Job Requirements

• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Bachelor's degree in health or human services. If no degree (or degreed in another area), must have three (3) years of prior work experience in a behavioral health/social services field.
• Knowledge of human behavior or principles of psychology preferred including therapeutic relationships & processes, age specific growth & development, limit setting, crisis & behavior management.
• Requires sufficient body mobility to accomplish essential functions. Must be able to sit and stand for extended periods of time. Must be able to bend, stoop, and kneel with ease. Requires walking and standing often. Requires frequently speaking face-to-face as well as on the telephone. Able to write legibly and grammatically to convey patient behavior and information in the patient chart. Requires normal or corrected vision and hearing to normal range. Must be able to express and exchange ideas by means of the spoken word. Communicating fluently and effectively both verbally and in writing in English. Ability to perform Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (physical, verbal and non-verbal techniques). Ability to appropriately and professionally interact with all program staff, patients, visitors, attending physicians, and other department representatives.

Benefit Highlights

• Career development opportunities across UHS and its 300+ locations!
• Diverse programming to expand your experience and energize your career
• HealthStream online learning catalogue
• Competitive Compensation & Generous Paid Time Off
• Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug Plans
• 401(K) with company match and discounted stock plan
• SoFi Student Loan Refinancing Program
• Tuition Assistance (after 1-year of employment)
• More information is available on our Benefits Guest Website: https://www.benefits.uhsguest.com

About Universal Health Services

One of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. Growing steadily since its inception into an esteemed Fortune 500® corporation, annual revenues during 2025 were $17.4 billion. In 2026, UHS was again recognized as one of Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies™ and in 2025, was listed in Forbes ranking of America’s Largest Public Companies.

Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has approximately 101,500 employees and continues to grow through its subsidiaries. Operating acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services located in 40 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. For additional information visit www.uhs.com.

EEO Statement

All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.