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 stay engaged in healthcare. The BHSS assists patients in achieving their goals and improving their overall well-being by offering guidance, follow-up, and help accessing community resources that address barriers to their goals. The BHSS is part of a primary care team and works closely with primary care providers, nurses, medical assistants, Behavioral Health Clinicians, and other team members. The role also coordinates and collaborates with embedded mental health and substance use treatment organizations and other community partners to foster patient wellness and satisfaction in a warm, therapeutic, and respectful manner. La Clinica supports early-career BHSS team members through assistance toward QMHA certification, monthly training and clinical support, and opportunities to shadow internal and external continuum-of-care service providers.

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 field.
Experience working with health-related issues, significant psychosocial needs, substance abuse, and a 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 internal or external behavioral health services.
Provide ongoing in-person or telephone follow-up to support patient-identified goals.
Identify when patients may need more intensive case management and refer them to community partners when indicated.
Screen patients and provide interventions using health screening tools such as PHQ, SBIRT, and GAD.
Coach patients with a variety of health conditions, with a targeted focus on patients with behavioral health needs.
Refer patients with behavioral health needs to Behavioral Health Clinicians for assessment and intervention, and follow care plans by providing 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 PCPs on interventions and referrals.
Assist PCPs and BHCs in delivering group visits and collaborate 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 alignment 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.