Behavioral Health Consultant(Elk Ridge) - Kingman - Primary Care

El Rio Community Health Center•Kingman, AZ

About The Position

The Behavioral Health Consultant (BHC) provides assessment, intervention, consultation, and care coordination for health behaviors and psychosocial concerns that affect patients’ management of chronic medical illnesses and overall health. BHCs work collaboratively with behavioral health teams, primary care providers, and other members of the interdisciplinary medical team to promote coordinated, whole-person care for patients of all ages. Services may address life stressors; acute or chronic medical and mental health conditions; substance use problems; motivation and lifestyle barriers; and other behavioral health concerns. Interventions include brief, health behavior-focused consultations in a primary care setting, crisis triage, brief solution-focused therapy, and assessment and treatment planning for patients experiencing a mental health crisis. The BHC supports referrals and warm hand-offs, patient education and self-management, continuity of care, and safe transitions to crisis or higher-level services, including engagement of mobile crisis teams when needed. The role also maintains accurate and timely electronic health records and protects patient and organizational confidentiality. The BHC educates primary care and behavioral health teams, participates in meetings and ongoing training, and contributes to the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT). The position supports Elk Ridge Community Health’s mission to provide comprehensive, quality, affordable, and accessible health care. Employees must maintain a clean, safe, and hygienic work environment and comply with applicable Joint Commission certification standards. Reliable transportation is required to accommodate operational reassignments during the workday; employees who drive during work hours must have a valid driver’s license and comply with Arizona vehicle insurance requirements.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related field from an accredited university.
Three years of post-graduate experience working with behavioral health patients in a clinical setting, outpatient and/or inpatient.
Previous training in Crisis Intervention, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, and/or related intervention care models.
Current Arizona independent-level behavioral health license in good standing with the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health (LPC, LCSW, or Clinical Psychologist).
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification for health care providers.
Current, valid Level I fingerprint clearance card in good standing, or application for the card within seven working days after beginning employment.
Reliable transportation capable of meeting organizational operational reassignments during the workday.
Valid driver’s license and compliance with Arizona vehicle insurance requirements if driving during work hours.
Employees must undergo drug testing prior to employment and may be subject to post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty, and follow-up drug and alcohol testing in compliance with federal and state regulations.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related field from an accredited university.
Five years of post-graduate experience working with behavioral health patients in a clinical setting, outpatient and/or inpatient.
Three years of post-graduate experience working in an integrated medical setting.
Bilingual English/Spanish skills, including the ability to speak, read, and write in both languages.
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered if directly related to the job’s functions and responsibilities.

Responsibilities

Provide focused clinical services based on patients’ health and behavioral concerns, including consultation, health behavior assessment and intervention, and care coordination.
Provide accessible, interruptible services for referrals and warm hand-offs.
Promote education and self-management skills among patients with medical, mental health, behavioral health, and other health-related concerns.
Collaborate with primary care providers and interdisciplinary medical team members to support patients’ health behavior needs and integrated treatment planning.
Coordinate with Specialty Behavioral Health to staff cases, promote continuity of care, facilitate transitions to services, and support primary care teams managing mild behavioral health conditions.
Maintain accurate electronic patient records and complete clinical documentation clearly, thoroughly, accurately, and within required timeframes, following EHR, billing, coding, and documentation procedures.
Protect the confidentiality of patient records and information, proprietary information, and personnel information, and comply with HIPAA and confidentiality policies.
Educate primary care and behavioral health teams on behavioral health assessment and intervention, related conditions, safety and risk assessment, and utilization of behavioral health services.
Attend applicable behavioral health and medical provider meetings and participate in ongoing training as needed.
Coordinate patient navigation to crisis services and engage mobile crisis teams when needed to support safe transitions to higher levels of behavioral health care.
Participate in the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT), providing rapid intervention such as verbal de-escalation and therapeutic communication to support the safety and well-being of patients and staff.
Maintain a clean, safe, and hygienic work environment and comply with applicable policies, procedures, and Joint Commission certification requirements.
Maintain reliable transportation for operational reassignments during the workday; when driving during work hours, hold a valid driver’s license and comply with Arizona vehicle insurance requirements.