Crisis Clinician - Crisis Center

Glens Falls Hospital•Glens Falls, NY

23h•Onsite

About The Position

The Crisis Clinician is an essential member of the interdisciplinary team, providing mental-health consultations and crisis care to patients seeking urgent treatment in the Emergency Department (ED). The role includes investigating treatment history, interviewing patients, gathering relevant information, and communicating with family members and other collateral contacts when appropriate. The clinician manages clinical information, including diagnostic impressions and recommended dispositions, and communicates findings to the ED physician and supervising psychiatrist. When not providing ED consultations or crisis care, the Crisis Clinician may assist with programming on the inpatient Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) and perform other assigned duties. Responsibilities may include supporting patients in the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), facilitating transitions and discharges, providing brief crisis counseling, and assisting with inpatient programming and discharge planning.

Requirements

Master’s degree in social work, or current New York State RN licensure with at least three years of psychiatric nursing experience.
At least one year of experience in a behavioral health setting.
New York State license as an LMSW, LCSW, LCSW-R, or RN.
Ability to conduct clinical patient interviews, including mental-status assessments.
Thorough knowledge of psychiatric diagnoses.
Skills and knowledge in therapeutic communication, short-term crisis-resolution counseling, and crisis de-escalation.
Familiarity with psychiatric medication.
Clear written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to interact with professionals across psychiatric and mental-health disciplines.
Ability to manage time effectively and handle multiple simultaneous demands.
Knowledge of insurance reimbursement issues and processes.
Ability to respond calmly in crisis situations.
Strong perceptual and reasoning skills for accurate assessment and disposition decisions.

Responsibilities

Respond to ED consultation requests within 60 minutes.
Review available prior clinical records.
Conduct emergency evaluations of referred patients in accordance with established policies and procedures.
Assess patients’ immediate psychiatric status and needs to support safe, appropriate disposition.
Assign provisional psychiatric diagnoses and develop proposed disposition plans.
Summarize and present case information to the supervising psychiatrist and ED physician.
Complete required documentation accurately and efficiently.
Obtain required insurance authorizations for inpatient admissions.
Interview and inform family members or other parties when appropriate to the case.
Support continuity of care for behavioral health patients in the ED and CSU.
Facilitate patient transitions from the ED to the BHU or another transfer facility.
Facilitate ED and CSU discharges and ensure appropriate referrals to community resources.
Provide brief intervention and supportive short-term counseling to help resolve patient crises.
Serve as a resource and assist with therapeutic activities for children held in the CSU pending transfer to inpatient facilities.
Contribute to inpatient BHU programming as directed by the Director of BHU.
Conduct patient and family interviews to gather psychosocial histories and support discharge planning.
Conduct therapy groups and facilitate Unit activities as assigned.
Participate in the Unit milieu as assigned.