Associate Behavioral Health Counselor or Rehab Assistant

Sanford Health•Thief River Falls, MN

7d•$17 - $36

About The Position

The Associate Behavioral Health Counselor applies a broad understanding of human behavior and counseling theories while working with varied patient populations and presenting issues. The role is team-based: responsibility for patient well-being is shared among the treatment team, with overall responsibility resting with a clinical supervisor or admitting provider. Duties and settings may vary. The Associate Behavioral Health Counselor assesses patient needs, develops and implements individualized treatment plans and interventions, monitors progress, revises plans as appropriate, documents sessions, and shares progress updates with the interdisciplinary team. The role may include educating patient support members, referring patients for additional clinical services or specialist care, and staying current on emerging professional issues. In clinics other than primary care, the counselor conducts scheduled in-person counseling sessions to assess and improve emotional, mental, and behavioral health. Hospital assignments may involve psychiatric inpatient treatment—including treatment planning, individual and family counseling, and consultation with mental health professionals—or crisis intervention, assessment, and referral on specific hospital units. Community work may include coordinating and providing treatment for people with severe and persistent mental illness, supporting daily living, social, and self-regulation skills, and consulting with a multidisciplinary team to support treatment compliance. Residential work involves treatment for patients needing a higher level of care than outpatient therapy but not psychiatric inpatient treatment, including assessment and screening, individual and group counseling, treatment-program development and evaluation, and multidisciplinary coordination. The posting also lists Behavioral Health Rehab Assistant as an alternative role. That role must meet state-specific requirements; the Minnesota qualifications include a high school diploma or GED and one of several qualifying work, life-experience, or education criteria. A valid driver’s license is required for either role.

Requirements

Associate Behavioral Health Counselor: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in behavioral sciences or a related field preferred, and completion of a practicum or internship.
Associate Behavioral Health Counselor in Minnesota: Must follow Minnesota State statute defining Mental Health Practitioner.
Associate Behavioral Health Counselor: Either at least 4,000 hours of supervised experience delivering services to people with mental illness, substance use disorders or emotional disturbances, traumatic brain injury, or developmental disabilities; or at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours in behavioral sciences or related fields and at least 2,000 hours of supervised work experience delivering services to people in those populations.
Behavioral Health Rehab Assistant: Must meet state-specific requirements.
Behavioral Health Rehab Assistant in Minnesota: High school diploma or GED, and at least one of the following: agreement to work exclusively overnight shifts; 2,000 hours of work experience providing health and human services to individuals; three years of personal life experience with mental illness within the previous 10 years; three years of personal life experience as the primary caregiver to an adult with mental illness, traumatic brain injury, substance use disorder, or developmental disability; an Associate of Arts degree; or 15 semester or 23 quarter hours of post-secondary education in behavioral science or a related field.
A valid driver’s license is required.

Nice To Haves

For the Associate Behavioral Health Counselor role, a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in behavioral sciences or a related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

Assess patient needs and develop individualized treatment plans.
Implement treatment interventions specific to patient needs.
Continually assess patient progress and revise treatment plans and interventions accordingly.
Document treatment sessions.
Provide patient progress updates to the interdisciplinary team as needed.
Educate patient support members about patient issues and interventions, as applicable.
Refer patients for additional clinical services or specialists as needed.
Stay current on emerging issues in the profession.
Conduct scheduled face-to-face counseling sessions in applicable clinic settings.
In hospital settings, provide psychiatric inpatient treatment services or crisis intervention, assessment, and referral, depending on assignment.
In community settings, coordinate and provide treatment for patients with severe and persistent mental illness, including interventions supporting daily living, social, and self-regulation skills.
Consult with multidisciplinary teams to support treatment compliance and coordinate care.
In residential settings, conduct assessment and screening, individual and group counseling, treatment-program development, implementation and evaluation, and multidisciplinary consultation and coordination.