Director of Behavioral Health - Correctional Medicine

University of Illinois Chicago•Rockford, IL

About The Position

The Director of Behavioral Health is responsible for ensuring optimal and timely care for detainees at the Winnebago County Justice Center (WCJC). The role performs behavioral health assessments to determine detainees’ mental health functioning, evaluates mental health and substance use disorders, and provides individual and group counseling. It also leads and administers the behavioral health team, including supervision, coordination, scheduling, and onboarding support. The position oversees county data collection, monitoring, and reporting, and works under the supervision of the Chief Psychiatrist.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited school or university in social or behavioral science.
Unrestricted State of Illinois licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, or Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, required by the start date.

Nice To Haves

Experience providing clinical supervision.
Demonstrated leadership experience.
Previous correctional healthcare experience or experience working with underserved or justice-involved patient populations.
Experience related to substance use and co-occurring disorders.

Responsibilities

Supervise and provide written performance evaluations for the behavioral health team; manage day-to-day work assignments and schedules; and mentor and support new hires during onboarding.
Assess detainees’ behavioral health, diagnose behavioral health and substance use disorders, and refer them to treatment services at WCJC and post-discharge.
Develop comprehensive behavioral health treatment plans addressing mental health, substance use disorder, and social service needs.
Provide individual and group counseling sessions and education to detainees.
Educate and train WCJC staff about the behavioral health needs of the detainee population.
Provide social service recommendations to corrections and criminal justice professionals regarding detainee cases.
Coordinate with the judicial system to optimize detainee care and outcomes.
Enter patient encounters, group visits, and assessments into electronic medical records.
Provide timely reports for monthly departmental meetings and other reports required by WCJC.
Attend administrative, leadership, team, and multidisciplinary meetings.
Monitor the quality of care provided by the behavioral health team.
Perform other related duties as assigned.