Behavioral Health Counselor

Neighborhood Health

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Job Summary

Neighborhood Health seeks to hire a Behavioral Health Counselor for Nashville.  Using traditional counseling skills in an innovative way, Behavioral Health Counselors provide integrated care using brief short-term, solution-based interventions (e.g., 15 or 20 minutes in duration) with our medical and dental patients.  

Behavioral Health Counselors provide critical services to enhance the well-being of our patients and are a crucial part of our care team.  By building rapport and doing recurring interventions with patients, Behavioral Health Counselors help patients adhere to their treatment plans.  In this way, they help patients improve their health status and quality of life.  Behavioral Health Counselors also play a key role in helping patients address depression and anxiety through these same brief short-term, solution-based interventions – and work with the care team (doctors, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, etc.) to address psychosocial stressors that patients may be experiencing.  Other organizations using an integrated model include Cherokee Health Systems and other community health centers.

Behavioral Health Counselors do not provide traditional counseling or ongoing therapy.  Rather, Neighborhood Health refers patients to other external providers for these services.

Neighborhood Health is an innovative network of 10 community health centers in Nashville and Lebanon, Tennessee.  We provide comprehensive primary care, integrated behavioral health, and dental services to almost 30,000 patients.  Our patients primarily include immigrants, residents of public housing, individuals experiencing homelessness, and persons living with addiction.  As a federally qualified health center, we provide care without regard to health insurance or a patient’s ability to pay.  We also strive to improve our Patient-Centered Medical Home model to ensure all patients get the right high-quality care, at the right place and the right time.

Job Responsibilities

• Understand that Neighborhood Health is Joint Commission and NCQA Accredited and is obligated to follow all guidelines and regulations of the accrediting agencies. 
• Work collaboratively with the primary care teams assigned and provide comprehensive behavioral health services to patients.
• Through patient evaluation, determine a differential diagnosis and plan for intervention.
• Adhere to standards via identified text and/or via office practice standard protocols.
• Maintain a customer-oriented approach to meeting patient needs in an expedient manner, involving the family in the plan of care as appropriate.
• Maintain confidentiality and patient privacy.
• Document care provided; meeting standards as outlined by the organization.
• Seek consultations as appropriate, and act as a consultant as requested.
• Facilitate the process of ethical decision-making as appropriate.
• Perform comprehensive assessments and refer patients for further care and services within the organization and or the community.
• Utilize teaching-learning theory with patients and their families to influence patient outcomes.
• Identify the learning needs of various populations and contribute to the development of educational programs to meet those needs.
• Identify system-specific problems, which require evaluation and/or change; work with appropriate staff to resolve these issues by participating in performance improvement processes.
• Take an active role in contributing to the improvement of quality and services delivered.

Qualifications

• Master’s prepared, licensed in the state of Tennessee.  Required Clinical licensure of LCSW and LPC-MHSP. 
• Two or more years of experience preferred. 
• Proficiency in Spanish, Arabic, or Kurdish is preferred.
• Certification in or demonstrated experience with trauma, co-occurring, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Solution Focused Intervention preferred.
• Flexible and motivated to work in a primary care setting. 
• Prior experience working in an integrated health care setting preferred.
• Ability to communicate clearly both in writing and verbally with patients, care teams, families, and other staff.
• Ability to function independently with regard to most clinical decision-making.
• Ability to relate well to patients.
• Well-versed in evidence-based behavioral health assessment and treatment modalities.
• Ability and willingness to apply evidence-based interventions in innovative delivery methods including brief, time-limited interventions and telehealth.

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Please go to our website at Get Involved – Neighborhood Health (neighborhoodhealthtn.org) to apply and submit your resume.

Details

• Date Posted: May 11, 2024
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Other
• Service Area: Health (Physical, Mental)
• Working Hours: 40 hrs week; M-F