School Based Health Center Pediatric Behavioral Health Clinician
BROCKTON NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER
In order to prevent a direct threat to the safety and health of our patients and staff, effective August 1, 2021, new hires are required to have had at least the first dose of a COVID vaccine prior to their start, with the exception of those who have documented medical or religious exemptions. New hires who are not yet vaccinated can arrange to have the vaccine on site.
Title: School Based Health Center Pediatric Behavioral Health Clinician
Supervisor: Pedi/OB Behavioral Health Program Manager
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Pedi/OB Behavioral Health Clinician (BHC) is an important member of the School base clinic team, which also includes the student and his/her/their family (when appropriate), the nurse practitioner (NP), and community health workers. The BHC will also play an important role on the Pedi/OB Behavioral Health Integration Team at Brockton Neighborhood Health Center.
The Ideal candidate will be fully licensed with experience in collaborative program building, has worked with youth and multidisciplinary teams. The BHC should have great communication skills, be able to build rapport with school stakeholders and community partners to continue and maintain mental health services in the school setting.
The BHC must be self-motivated, proactive, and capable of identifying service needs and working collaboratively with school administrators and clinic staff to meet those needs.
The BHC will collaborate with school administrators, nurses and school counselors to assess students' overall needs and design programs to meet those needs and will collaborate with clinic staff on treatment planning for students who have identified mental health needs.
In clinic, the BHC provides consultation/assessment and bio-psychosocial evaluations on an urgent basis, support and linkage services, advocacy, education, brief interventions, counseling, and information in order to ensure adequacy of health care, increase access of services, enhance physical and psychological well-being and facilitate patient self-care.
The BHC will collaborate with the CHW to build community partnerships that will benefit students and their families, address SDOH needs and strengthen students’ engagement in mental health service.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Meet with Brockton Public school administrators, nurses, counselors and teachers to asses needs and explore programing needs
- Build and maintain a connection with Brockton Public school administrators and stakeholders
- Supervise School based CHW and assign tasks
- Provide culturally sensitive assessment, consultation and brief intervention for psychological/psychiatric problems and/or disorders and diagnostic clarification utilizing DSM-5
- Evaluate crisis situations and apply appropriate interventions and treatment planning (Suicidal/Homicidal Risk Assessment)
- Assist the primary care team in developing care-management processes such as guidelines, disease management techniques, case-management and patient education to improve self-management of chronic diseases
- Provide an array of clinical services for pediatric behavioral health problems and areas of behavioral medicine (treatment planning/provision) to assist patients with meeting goals including, but not limited to:
- Promotion of psychological wellness
- Behavior and Mood Management
- Anxiety Management
- Support with patient advocacy related to BH issues in school context
- Substance Use Screening & referral to treatment
- Interim Check of Psychotropic Medication Response (when appropriate)
- Stress & Anger Management (particularly for parents)
- Health Behavior and Disease Management
- Medication Adherence
- Weight Management
- Sleep Hygiene and counseling
- Psychosocial & Behavioral Aspects of prevention of Chronic Disease
Some Interventions that may be used include
- Psychoeducation
- Advocacy
- Relaxation Training and Skill Building
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Child based mindfulness Strategies
- Behavioral Structure/Behavioral Scheduling
- Goal Setting
- Problem Solving
- Exercise
- Solution Focused Strategies
- Facilitate consultation between PCP and Social Services staff for co-management of patients
- Facilitate initial connection between internal and/or community-based social service agencies (Mental Health), community-based benefits agencies, school etc. for management of patients
- Participation in Clinical Treatment Team to assist with treatment planning to provide comprehensive care for clients and families
- Participation in Administrative Treatment Team meetings to identify problems related to patient services and make recommendations for improvement
- Documentation of Services to include behavioral health services and documentation in EHR as appropriate
- May provide supervision to other Behavioral Health staff (when appropriate)
- Perform other duties as assigned
Additional Requirements
- Excellent working knowledge of pediatric behavioral health and/or school base social work and evidence-based treatment for medical and mental health conditions (particularly for Pedi/ populations)
- Ability to work through brief patient contacts as well as to make quick and accurate clinical assessment of mental and behavioral conditions.
- Should be comfortable with pace of primary care, working with interdisciplinary team and have strong communication skills.
- Good knowledge of child psychopathology and psychopharmacology
- Ability to design and implement clinical pathways and protocols for treatment of selected chronic conditions.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Must be licensed or currently seeking licensure, in Social Work (LCSW, LICSW), Mental Health Counseling (LMHC), Psychology (PhD, PsyD). Language and cultural diversity (Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish) preferred.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
A busy community health center located in a downtown business district. Occasional long hours may be required.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Physical demands requiring lifting of small pieces of equipment and/or boxes not to exceed 20 pounds. Mostly sedentary, with interoffice walking required. Visual acuity sufficient for frequent reading. Hearing acuity sufficient for holding conversations with or without audio devices.
At Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, we are dedicated to providing high quality health care that is delivered by Committed, Competent, Compassionate staff who respects the dignity, privacy, and equality of each patient and colleagues. Our team believes that Teamwork, Diversity, Respect, Customer service and Collaboration are essential for everyone to be successful in their role.