Behavioral Intake Counselor
About The Position
The Behavioral Intake Counselor (BIC) works on the County of San Diego’s 24/7 Access and Crisis Line (ACL), which provides free, confidential access to behavioral health services and crisis intervention for San Diego residents. The role connects people with mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. Counselors quickly establish an emotional connection with callers or chatters, identify their needs, conduct behavioral health screenings—including an adapted ASAM screening—recognize and follow up on risk factors, and link individuals to an appropriate type and level of care based on screening results and the individual’s preferences. This is a remote role available to candidates located anywhere within the U.S. The employee must be able and willing to work Pacific Time hours and maintain a dedicated home workspace. The scheduled workweek is five 8-hour shifts, Tuesday through Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. PST. The schedule is determined upon hire, requires evening and weekend work, and may change based on business needs. The counselor manages crisis-line calls and chats, conducts clinical screening and triage, provides behavioral health referrals, supports safety, and documents interactions in designated systems. The role also includes consulting with clinical colleagues, addressing technical or operational issues, meeting performance goals, and gaining experience training crisis-line staff in protocols, quality standards, and compliance requirements.
Requirements
- Master’s degree or doctorate in a human services or behavioral health field.
- At least 2 years of post-graduate behavioral clinical experience, such as psychosocial assessments, individual therapy, substance use disorder treatment, multidisciplinary case consultation, or case management.
- At least 1 year of crisis management experience.
- At least 1 year of experience working with diverse multi-ethnic and socioeconomic populations.
- At least 1 year of experience working with psychological disorders and addictions.
- Bilingual in Spanish and English.
- Must be willing and able to work Pacific Time hours.
- Must have a dedicated work-from-home space.
- Must adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.
- Must pass a drug test before beginning employment.
Nice To Haves
- At least 1 year of prior call center experience.
- Willingness and ability to access and enter accurate, relevant clinical information into the Medi-Cal beneficiary electronic health record (EHR).
Responsibilities
- Manage calls coming from the 988 Lifeline.
- Follow applicable laws and ethical requirements, including HIPAA, confidentiality exceptions, abuse reporting, and duty to warn.
- Answer calls and chats within standard service levels.
- Apply sound clinical judgment and consult with fellow clinical professionals when indicated.
- Triage calls and chats based on presenting mental health and/or substance use disorder symptoms.
- Conduct appropriate behavioral health screenings, including suicide, homicide when indicated, and adapted ASAM screenings.
- Provide customized behavioral health referrals.
- Conduct crisis work and ensure safety.
- Document each interaction succinctly and clinically in the designated database in accordance with Department of Health Clinical Service (DHCS) requirements.
- Access and enter accurate, relevant clinical information into the Medi-Cal beneficiary electronic health record (EHR).
- Meet individual performance goals.
- Problem-solve technical issues.
- Elevate operational issues or concerns to a supervisor or manager.
- Gain experience training crisis-line staff to support adherence to established protocols, quality benchmarks, and compliance requirements while strengthening personal crisis-line competency.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Benefits
- Paid time off accruing from the first pay period.
- 8 paid holidays.
- Medical plan options.
- Health Spending Account or Health Savings Account participation.
- Dental insurance.
- Vision insurance.
- Life and AD&D insurance.
- Short-term disability coverage.
- Long-term disability coverage.
- 401(k) savings plan.
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
- Education reimbursement.
- Employee discounts.
- Employee Assistance Program.
- Employee referral bonus program.
- Voluntary benefits, including pet insurance, legal insurance, and long-term care insurance.
- Performance rewards and incentive and recognition programs.
- Equity stock purchase and 401(k) contribution, subject to eligibility requirements.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
