Integrated Behavioral Health Clinician

Department: Primary Care

Reports to: Regional Manager/AMD for Integrated Behavioral Health

Locations: Roseville, South Sacramento, Amador

Status: Full-Time

FLSA: Exempt

EEO-1: Professional

Organization Information

WellSpace Health believes that everyone deserves to be seen, no matter who you are, where you come from, where you work or what place you call home. We see you and are here for you. To that end, we’ve committed ourselves to finding solutions for our community’s health and wellbeing to achieve regional health through high quality comprehensive care.

Our focus has always been to offer a full range of quality medical care, dental care, mental health and behavioral health services, and enabling services to underserved people.  We do this by placing ourselves within the communities we serve and employing outstanding healthcare professionals who are devoted to our mission.

We are a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and are accredited by the Joint Commission for Ambulatory Care and Behavioral Health. We’re also certified by the Joint Commission as a Primary Care Medical Home and a Behavioral Health Home.

Position Summary

The Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Clinician is responsible for attending to Primary Care patients in the Health Center setting with behavioral interventions for a variety of patient issues including depression, anxiety, pain management and other chronic medical conditions for which the patient would benefit from behavior changes, coaching, or additional support. The Clinician consults regularly with primary care providers during patient visits, accepts warm hand-offs, and may also intervene for crisis response, or to support the patient and care teams in establishing behavioral norms for the continued care relationship. The IBH Clinician provides brief, solution-focused interventions, follow up and referral to improve patient health outcomes. The IBH Clinician contributes equally to the patient care teams through huddles, case consultation, patient advocacy, mental health education, and collaborative team meetings with medical staff.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling, chemical dependency or related human service field required; LCSW or Psychologist license required.
• Experience in a variety of assessments, treatment planning and counseling issues including chemical dependency, co-occurring disorders and traumatic experience preferred; providing child, adolescent and/or adult counseling preferred;
• Experience with brief interventions, including Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Trauma Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) preferred;

• Experience working in medical settings preferred OR an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job.
• Demonstrated commitment to the provision of services for the underserved and sensitivity working with a variety of people from low-income populations, with diverse educational, lifestyle, ethnic, and cultural origins; disabled, homeless, substance users, HIV (AIDS) infected, and/or physiologically impaired.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to abide by standards of professional ethics.
• Compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations as they pertain to position including HIPAA, sexual harassment, Mandated Reporting, Scope of Practice, OSHA, etc.
• Ability to understand and promote the mission, vision, and values of WellSpace Health both in the work place and in the community.
• Comprehensive computer knowledge and skills of Windows/ Office Suite(Word, Excel, Outlook). Bilingual in Spanish preferred; or other languages desirable.
• Valid California Driver’s License, with insurable driving record.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provide consultations, coaching, and brief solution-focused interventions to address chronic health conditions and/or support behavioral changes to improve outcomes of Primary Care medical treatment plans.
• Recognize and treat behavioral issues related to chronic health condition management (mental health, substance use disorder, Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, etc.) as they arise, in the context of medical care provision. Serve as a critical contributing member of integrated care teams with medical providers, medical assistants, other clinical support staff, and patients.
• Consult with and provide training to care team members to enhance communication skills, support a trauma-informed approach, and enhance cultural sensitivity and effectiveness in managing behavioral components of health conditions.
• Provide patients with self-management skills (e.g. relapse prevention) and tools to enhance their participation in their own treatment and recovery. Collect, develop, and distribute health and mental health improvement tools on an on-going basis.
• Using best practices, teach patients skills to manage chronic conditions.
• Provide Motivational Interviewing, and Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to improve abstinence and harm reduction outcomes for people with substance use disorders.
• Provide patients with support, instruction, and modeling for behavior befitting the Health Center setting and most likely to encourage mutually respectful care.
• Identify high risk, high-needs patients for greater attention to whole-person care and health improvement planning, and refer to appropriate services.
• Perform risk assessment and crisis management, including evaluation and referral to Emergency Services for patients who are suicidal, homicidal or experiencing intimate partner violence.
• Give timely feedback to medical provider regarding care plans, treatment recommendations, and progress. Attend and support regular collaborative team meetings to discuss both patient issues and team collaboration issues.
• May provide limited individual/group therapy as appropriate to support the goals of the Integrated Behavioral Health model in Primary Care.
• Document all patient interactions in the Electronic Health Record according to WellSpace Health policies and timelines.
• Maintain confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements for all patient communications.
• Make referrals to specialty mental health and other specialty services, within WellSpace Health or externally, as appropriate.
• Comply with all Mandated Reporter requirements and documentation.
• Assist patients with tasks associated with community functioning, and may help patient fill out paperwork and/or provide resources as necessary for social needs and community supports
• Provide ongoing education and consultation to WellSpace Health staff and management, and the greater community, on the role and benefits of Integrated Behavioral Health in the Primary Care setting.
• Make recommendations on outcomes and program evaluation. Assist with related data collection. Assist with related projects and initiatives. Assist with Utilization Review activities.
• Travel as assigned to other sites for meetings, consultations, etc.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Successful candidate will receive regionally competitive salary, above average health benefits at reduced costs, company paid life insurance & long-term disability insurance, additional voluntary retirement plan with company match and no vesting schedule requirement.

• Paid bereavement and jury duty leave
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Paid time off
• Paid sick leave
• Flexible Spending Program
• Company paid malpractice insurance for all providers
• Professional development hours offered annually

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The work environment is characteristic of a medical clinic environment. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to handle, or feel. The employee is also required to stand; walk; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.   The employee must also possess hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the phone. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

The employee may be in contact with individuals and families in crisis who may be ill, using substances and/or not attentive to personal health and safety for themselves or their homes. The employee may experience a number of unpleasant sensory demands associated with the client’s use of alcohol and drugs, and the lack of personal care. The employee may also be exposed to bodily fluids (blood, urine) and hazardous chemicals.

WellSpace Health is committed to the principals of equal employment. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. It is the intent of WellSpace Health to maintain a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of age, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws. WellSpace Health is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy in regard to all aspects of employment, including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, placement transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay, and other compensation, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WellSpace Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer