Behavioral Health Support Specialist

La Clinica Del Valle•Medford, OR

About The Position

La Clinica is seeking a full-time Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS) at Birch Grove Health Center. The center provides primary care to people with significant mental health and substance use needs, who may need care coordination and support to remain engaged in healthcare. The BHSS helps patients work toward their goals, improve well-being, and access community resources that address barriers to those goals. The role is part of a primary care team and coordinates closely with clinicians, other care team members, and community mental health and substance use treatment partners. Work is carried out in a warm, therapeutic, respectful, and trauma-informed manner. La Clinica follows the primary care behavioral health integration model and supports early-career BHSS staff with help toward QMHA certification, monthly training and clinical support, and opportunities to shadow internal and external continuum-of-care providers. The role requires registration for or progress toward Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA) certification within three years of employment, with certification maintained while employed.

Requirements

High school diploma.
Excellent interpersonal communication and problem-solving skills.
Ability to intervene and promote reconciliation, compromise, and positive outcomes in difficult interactions.
Register for or work toward Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA) certification within three years of employment and maintain certification while employed.

Nice To Haves

Two to three years of experience in the social services field.
Certification in health coaching, maternal and child health, alcohol and drug counseling, or another healthcare-related area.
Experience working with health-related issues, significant psychosocial needs, substance abuse, and history of trauma.
Bachelor’s degree in health education, health promotion, psychology, or social work.
Basic knowledge of adult learning models.
Skill using electronic health records, such as EPIC or Wisdom, as applicable to the area of work.
Ability to de-escalate difficult situations.

Responsibilities

Support patients and the care team in identifying and advocating for referrals to behavioral health services, internally or externally.
Provide ongoing in-person or telephone follow-up to support patient-identified goals.
Identify when patients need more intensive case management and refer them to community partners when indicated.
Conduct health screenings and provide interventions, including screenings such as PHQ, SBIRT, and GAD.
Coach patients with a range of health conditions, with a focus on those with behavioral health needs.
Refer patients with behavioral health needs to Behavioral Health Clinicians (BHCs) for assessment and intervention, and follow care plans with supportive interventions identified by the BHC team.
Screen and provide intervention for people at risk for suicide or domestic violence; create safety plans and consult and collaborate with BHCs and primary care providers (PCPs) on interventions and referrals.
Assist PCPs and BHCs in delivering group visits, including collaborating on group facilitation and curriculum development.
Use motivational interviewing to assess patient readiness to change.
Engage patients using trauma-informed care practices.
Document clearly and concisely in EPIC within scope of practice and in accordance with organizational policies.
Participate in care team huddles, discipline-specific team meetings, and monthly case consultation meetings.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Voluntary accident, short-term disability, and critical illness insurance.
403(b) retirement savings plan with available company match.
Organization-paid standard life insurance.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA).
Wellness programs, including cooking, Zumba, yoga, and meditation.
Personal and professional development workshops.
Support toward obtaining QMHA certification.
Monthly training and clinical support.
Opportunities to shadow internal and external continuum-of-care service providers.