Behavioral Health Therapist-Triage Team

Mahec • Asheville, NC

4d • $63,800 - $84,500 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Behavioral Health Triage Therapist serves as a key member of the Triage and Evaluation Team within the outpatient Psychiatry Services department. This team is responsible for ensuring timely, efficient, and clinically appropriate access to behavioral health care for patients across the lifespan. The Triage Therapist focuses on conducting comprehensive initial evaluations, identifying urgent needs, and facilitating warm handoffs to internal or external services. The role includes brief clinical support and stabilization as needed, with a smaller ongoing therapy caseload. This position supports our commitment to rapid access, integrated care, and seamless coordination between triage, psychiatry, and therapy teams. Services are delivered both in-person and via telehealth, with flexibility for remote work based on patient demand, clinical priorities, and departmental capacity. This role description is a general description of the essential job functions. It is not intended to describe all the duties the Behavioral Health Triage Therapist may perform.

Requirements

• Communication Skills Effectively and respectably communicate with other individuals, whether it be a colleague, patient, or patient’s family member and appropriately enumerate information in a manner easily understood by all parties. We do this to foster a culture of understanding between all parties, especially in complex and difficult situations, to ultimately provide the best care possible to our patients and their families.
• Decision Making Ability to make the most appropriate decision in a given situation and then taking the next steps to ensure appropriate and timely completion. This requires conflict resolution skills, critical thinking skills, confidence in your ability to make the right decision in most situations. This also includes ability to prioritize your workday appropriately to ensure the most important tasks are completed on time.
• HealthCare Knowledge Having the drive to keep yourself abreast and up to date on the new breakthroughs in your area of expertise and communicating them to the rest of the team, as appropriate. This also includes keeping up with your licensure and yearly training requirements within your area expertise along with MAHEC’s organizational training. Finally, the ability to apply the depth of knowledge maintained and gained through this process in real life scenarios as appropriate.
• Interpersonal Skills Showing the ability to meet difficult situations with grace, professionalism, and understanding. Within your area of expertise, showing respect and showing empathy where appropriate with your colleagues, patients, and their family at all times, even when it's most difficult to do so. This is done, in part, by effective listening, being your authentic self, showing responsibility and dependability, and being patient with others.
• Excellent skills in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and database applications required.
• Master’s in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy or Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
• Current North Carolina License to practice independently including Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) or Doctoral level Psychologist (PhD or PsyD)
• Current BLS certification required.
• Regular attendance on-site is an essential function of this position.
• Typical business hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (or flexed to best meet the needs of the clients and/or the Division); 40 hours per workweek; weekend, holiday, or evening coverage is occasionally required.
• Work hours will need to be flexible in order to respond to special work assignments, or evening activities, as requested by the team leader.

Nice To Haves

• Spanish speaking skills preferred.
• Two (2) years relevant experience or comparable combined experience and/or education preferred.
• Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a frontline clinician on the Triage and Evaluation Team , conducting timely diagnostic evaluations and risk assessments for individuals seeking behavioral health services.
• Identify clinical acuity and match patients to the most appropriate level of care, including internal therapy, psychiatry, community resources, or crisis intervention services.
• Provide short-term, solution-focused support or follow-up sessions for patients awaiting placement into ongoing care.
• Maintain a smaller caseload of short-term therapy patients, primarily focused on stabilization, safety planning, and bridging care.
• Monitor and evaluate patient progress and outcomes, updating treatment plans in collaboration with the care team.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members—including therapists, psychiatrists, primary care providers, and care managers—to coordinate treatment planning and access to services.
• Participate in regular triage meetings to support patient flow, staffing prioritization, and access tracking across the department.
• Facilitate warm handoffs and referrals to internal and external providers, ensuring patient needs are clearly communicated and transitions are patient-centered.
• Meet productivity expectations appropriate for triage roles, balancing evaluation volume with clinical support and care coordination.
• Complete timely, accurate documentation in accordance with clinical, regulatory, and organizational standards.
• Provide care that is safe, ethical, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and aligned with evidence-based models.
• Serve in a rotating on-call schedule as assigned.
• May be asked to engage in teaching or mentoring activities with medical residents on a case-by-case basis.
• Participate in departmental meetings, supervision, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Support the mission and values of integrated, team-based care.
• Maintain licensure, training requirements, and adherence to ethical standards as set forth by relevant professional boards.

Benefits

• MAHEC offers an annual continuing education allowance for Therapists that includes paid time off specifically to pursue your professional development, as well as covers the cost and provides supervision services for Associate Licensed Therapists.
• Eligible for full Total Rewards including great healthcare coverage, up to 30 paid days off your first year with us, pet insurance, and more!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees