Behavioral Health Counselor MS
About The Position
Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital is seeking a compassionate and skilled Master’s Level Counselor with experience in behavioral health to provide direct therapeutic services, discharge planning, and crisis intervention. This role involves face-to-face interactions with patients and families, collaboration with healthcare teams, and supporting patients through complex psychosocial challenges. The Behavioral Health Counselor will facilitate patient involvement in treatment and education within a supportive environment, conduct individual, group, and family counseling sessions, and perform all functions related to utilization review and discharge planning, ensuring safe and effective care transitions. They will collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to ensure timely delivery of services, resources, and education for patients and families, interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, modeling caring and professional practices to other caregivers. This role also involves assessing patients’ and families’ psychosocial risk factors by evaluating prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping abilities, counseling patients and families regarding emotional, social, and financial impacts of health conditions or disabilities, and accessing and mobilizing community and family resources to meet patient needs. The counselor will provide mental health assessments upon physician referral, serve as the point person for cases involving child abuse/neglect, elder abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence, and act as a liaison between IU Health and local protective services (APS/CPS). Additionally, they will provide crisis intervention and support during acute situations, including de-escalation techniques, support complex discharge planning and care coordination, and provide specialized mental health services, including crisis and addiction assessments, with appropriate referrals for psychiatric or community resources. This role also leads interventions in guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health placements.
Requirements
- Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related mental health field from an accredited institution required.
- 0-3 years relevant healthcare, mental health, or community-based experience preferred.
- Candidates must be license-eligible in Indiana as an LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, or LCAC.
- A minimum of a permanent LSW, LMHC-A, or LMFT-A is required upon hire.
- Candidates with a BSW must obtain an LBSW license.
- Evidence-based practices such as CBT, MI, DBT
- Knowledge of the disease process, human behavior, and social needs
- Crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques
- Legal mandates related to child and adult protective services (state and county)
- Ability to create a safe, therapeutic environment and instruct daily activities and programming
- Basic proficiency in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Strong relationship-building skills with community agencies, law enforcement, schools, and healthcare teams
- Connecting to IU Health’s mission, vision, and values by demonstrating purpose, excellence, compassion, and teamwork
- Building rapport and providing exemplary customer service
- Clear, concise, and professional communication—both oral and written
- Effectively addressing problems and delivering high-quality work on time
- Adapting to changing priorities and organizational needs
- Upholding confidentiality and HIPAA compliance, demonstrating ethical practice
Nice To Haves
- Crisis intervention certification may be required.
- BLS certification may be required.
Responsibilities
- Facilitate patient involvement in treatment and education within a supportive environment
- Conduct individual, group, and family counseling sessions
- Perform all functions related to utilization review and discharge planning, ensuring safe and effective care transitions
- Collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to ensure timely delivery of services, resources, and education for patients and families
- Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, modeling caring and professional practices to other caregivers
- Assess patients’ and families’ psychosocial risk factors by evaluating prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping abilities
- Counsel patients and families regarding emotional, social, and financial impacts of health conditions or disabilities
- Access and mobilize community and family resources to meet patient needs
- Provide mental health assessments upon physician referral
- Serve as the point person for cases involving child abuse/neglect, elder abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence
- Act as a liaison between IU Health and local protective services (APS/CPS)
- Provide crisis intervention and support during acute situations, including de-escalation techniques
- Support complex discharge planning and care coordination
- Provide specialized mental health services, including crisis and addiction assessments, with appropriate referrals for psychiatric or community resources
- Lead interventions in guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health placements
Benefits
- Reimbursement up to $500 a year for Continuing Education Credits
- Up to 5 days for Continuing Education Days (not PTO based)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
