Patient Navigator, Behavioral Health Non-Clinical

UCLA Health; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 66,000 - 131,000; Full time

Job summary

UCLA Health in Los Angeles seeks a Behavioral Patient Navigator to support psychiatric and behavioral health patients as a non-clinical member of the care team. The role provides behavioral triage, therapeutic communication, motivational interviewing, patient engagement, care coordination, and linkage to services.

The navigator assists patients with overcoming barriers to treatment adherence, appointments, and engagement with their care plan while promoting patient-centered care and recovery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, or related behavioral science.
• Minimum 3 years in behavioral health and care coordination.
• Experience in motivational interviewing and patient-centered communication.
• Ability to multi-task and work with interruptions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct outreach and maintain regular contact with behavioral health and psychiatric patients.
• Provide non-clinical behavioral health triage and elevate urgent or high-risk concerns to licensed clinicians.
• Use therapeutic communication and motivational interviewing techniques to support patient engagement, treatment adherence, and behavioral goals.
• Assist patients with navigating appointments, referrals, behavioral health services, and community resources.
• Coordinate with internal care teams, behavioral health and primary care providers, and community organizations.
• Track referrals, follow up on missed appointments, and assist with transitions of care.
• Connect patients with appropriate behavioral health, social service, and community-based resources.

Skills

Motivational Interviewing

Patient-centered communication

Multi-tasking

Documentation and reporting

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Behavioral Science

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Visio

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

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Onsite or Remote

Flexible Hybrid

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm PST

Posted Date

09/18/2026

Salary Range: $65800 - 130800 Annually

Employment Type

Duration

Indefinite

Job #

32600

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

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The Behavioral Patient Navigator serves as a non-clinical member of the interdisciplinary care team supporting psychiatric and behavioral health patients throughout their healthcare journey. The role provides behavioral triage support, therapeutic communication, motivational interviewing, patient engagement, care coordination, behavioral and psychiatric resource navigation, and linkage to appropriate services. The Patient Navigator assists patients with overcoming barriers related to treatment adherence, appointments, medication routines, behavioral health follow-up, and engagement with their established plan of care while promoting individualized, patient-centered care and recovery.

The Behavioral Patient Navigator works closely with licensed behavioral health providers, psychiatrists, social workers, case managers, community partners, Nursing, and Utilization Management to facilitate timely access to care, support care transitions, and promote continuity of care. This is a non-clinical role and does not provide clinical assessments, diagnoses, therapy, or medical advice.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct outreach and maintain regular contact with behavioral health and psychiatric patients.
• Provide non-clinical behavioral health triage and elevate urgent or high-risk concerns to licensed clinicians.
• Use therapeutic communication and motivational interviewing techniques to support patient engagement, treatment adherence, and behavioral goals.
• Assist patients with navigating appointments, referrals, behavioral health services, and community resources.
• Coordinate with internal care teams, behavioral health and primary care providers, and community organizations.
• Track referrals, follow up on missed appointments, and assist with transitions of care.
• Connect patients with appropriate behavioral health, social service, and community-based resources.

Salary Range: $ 65,800 - $130,800/Annually

Job Qualifications

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REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Behavioral Science, and Behavioral Science.
• 3 years or more in Behavioral health, patient navigation, case management support, care coordination, community health, and/or related healthcare setting.
• Demonstrated experience engaging patients with behavioral health psychosocial or complex healthcare needs.
• 3 years or more of working knowledge of Motivational Interviewing principals and patient-centered communication technique.
• 3 years or more of the ability to use supportive and therapeutic communication technique within the established scope of a non-licensed position.
• 2 years or more of the ability to recognize changes in patient behavior, treatment engagement, psychosocial circumstance that requires escalation to an RN, Social Worker, Behavioral Health Clinician, Physician or other license professional.
• Ability to multi-task, work with frequent interruptions, and meet deadlines. Must be detailed, oriented, attentive, organized, and able to follow directions.
• Ability to operate a wide variety of office equipment, including computers, printers, copy machines, facsimile receiver/transmitter, scanners and mailing equipment.
• Ability to communicate thoughts and information clearly and succinctly in writing as well as verbally.
• Highly organized, reliable, consistently seeking learning opportunities and new challenges, High EQ, communication skills, problem solving ability, and teamwork, humble yet confident, peers feel comfortable requesting your assistance.

PREFERRED:

• Experience in Managed care Organization, Medical Group operations, Health Plan administration and workflows.
• Ability to manage multiple patient related tasks.
• Proficient computer skills including working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Visio, Power P and Word.
• Experience in Medicare Advantage or value-based care models

As a condition of employment the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer. Current/former UC employees are subject to a personnel file review.