Adult Mental Health Counselor

Baystate Health•Springfield, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Baystate Health, a nationally recognized leader in healthcare quality and safety, is seeking a Counselor to join their APTU unit. The unit consists of unit counselors, a psychiatrist, a physician assistant, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric social workers and master's prepared specialists, occupational and recreational therapists. Under the direction of the Registered Nurse, the incumbent performs a wide variety of duties involving patient management, therapeutic interaction, and physical care of patients admitted to the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. The incumbent is expected to adhere to System and department compliance policies and all applicable laws and regulations. This description covers the essential functions of the position, and the incumbent is expected to perform other similar and related duties as assigned. Management reserves the right to change or add to the job responsibilities at any time.

Requirements

High School Diploma
1 year of healthcare experience
Physical/Psych Mgmt Training Certified Crisis Prevention Intervention/CPI
CPR through American Heart Association BLS Provider
department-specified de-escalation training within 30 days of hire

Nice To Haves

Associates or Bachelors in Psychology of related field preferred

Responsibilities

Participates in a Multidisciplinary Team approach to patient care. Is familiar with admission and progress notes of team members to develop a better understanding of patients. Collaborates with the team in evaluating patients, planning therapy, and developing treatment goals. Reports observations of patients’ status to the team and provides input in the preparation and updating of the treatment plans. Assists team members in providing care to patients and follows through with team decisions. Welcomes new staff and assists in orienting them to the department.
Provides a safe environment. Conducts daily sharps checks on patients upon arrival and when indicated by the Team. Intervenes appropriately during crises by providing support and patient escorts and authorizes restraint and seclusions. Maintains safety by monitoring groups, time-aways, and restraint and seclusions. Observes potential safety hazards on the unit and report hazards immediately to supervisors. Maintains safety by adhering to behavior management principles including Collaborative Problem Solving techniques.
Documents patient mental status, social behavior, and progress toward identifying goals daily. Documents the ongoing assessment of patients by completing monitoring and rounds sheets. Documents restraints and seclusions per policies. Documents all necessary information in EMR as dictated by policy and procedure.
Provides a therapeutic milieu. Assesses patient mental status social and symptomatic behavior and progress towards identified goals daily. Counsels patients with empathy and respect to assist them to formulate treatment goals. Refers patients’ physical problems to RN for assessment and intervention. Collaborates with the team to initiate and implement a plan of care to meet the ADL needs of patients who are unable to perform these tasks themselves. Identifies patient knowledge deficits and implements appropriate teaching in collaboration with the team. Assists in the development and implementation of special approaches and provide 1:1 intervention when indicated. Adheres to defined boundaries and guidelines regarding self-disclosure with patients. Co-facilitates group therapy and demonstrates a willingness to fill in as needed. Develops plans and implements psycho-educational groups and demonstrates a willingness to fill in as needed.
Demonstrates accountability for personal and professional growth. Demonstrates support for the philosophy of the program and adhering to policies, procedures, and standards. Attends all mandatory in-services on an annual basis. Collaborates with supervisors to identify their own professional goals and seeks experience to accomplish these goals. Assists with the identification of program in-service needs.
Demonstrates effective use of behavior management principles and Collaborative Problem Solving techniques. Develops and implements special programming. Assists co-workers in daily activities and replaces them as needed.
Demonstrates competency for one-to-one observation of patients based on department and unit-specific needs.
Must complete department-specified de-escalation training within 30 days of hire.

Benefits

Excellent Compensation
High-quality, low-cost medical, dental and vision insurance
Generous PTO
Continuing education support and reimbursement
First Time Home Buyers Financial Packages
Farm Share Memberships
403b retirement company match & annual company contribution increase based on years of service
Free money coach advice from a certified professional
Wellbeing programs that include but are not limited to mental, physical, and financial health
Adoption assistance
Pet, home, auto and personal insurance
Life insurance
Work-life integration
Reimbursement for a variety of wellbeing activities, included but limited to gym membership and equipment, personal trainer, massage and so much more!