Crisis Center - LEAD PSYCHIATRIST - Salary: $288,000-339,000

Claratel Behavioral Health • Decatur, GA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

Claratel Behavioral Health (formerly known as DeKalb Community Service Board) is an innovative, community-based behavioral health and developmental disabilities services organization located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. As a public, not-for-profit organization, Claratel BH operates more than 20 locations in DeKalb County with a diverse workforce of more than 500 direct-care and support staff. The DeKalb Regional Crisis Center provides crisis intervention and stabilization services for adults. The Center offers three levels of care: the Crisis Services Center unit for walk-ins, transfers, and involuntary referrals; the Temporary Observation Unit for 12-24 hour monitoring; and the Crisis Stabilization Unit for longer stabilization or substance withdrawal management (usually 5-7 days), including crisis counseling, medication, and discharge planning.

Requirements

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO).
• Active and unrestricted license to practice in the State of Georgia.
• Board certification in Psychiatry.
• Active DEA license with ability to prescribe controlled substances.
• At least 3 years of post-graduate psychiatric experience.
• Experience in a supervisory or leadership role.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in crisis care, inpatient psychiatry, or community behavioral health programs.
• Familiarity with electronic health records (EHR) and healthcare quality standards (e.g., CARF, DBHDD, Carelon).
• Experience providing clinical supervision to APRNs or PAs or interdisciplinary teams.
• Experience with performance improvement, clinical audits, or accreditation processes.

Responsibilities

• Provides psychiatric and medical supervision for the Crisis Center, including Crisis Stabilization, Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES), and Withdrawal Management.
• Maintains an active caseload of approximately 12 clients on the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU).
• Delivers direct psychiatric care to adults (18+), including comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, crisis intervention, therapy, medication management, withdrawal management, and general medical care on the unit.
• Acts as the delegated physician of record for APRNs, offering clinical supervision, consultation, and support for independent practice as permitted.
• Provides mentorship and clinical teaching to medical students and psychiatry residents rotating through the center.
• Provides medical supervision of other MDs, PAs, and APRNs across PES and CSU units.
• Oversees and ensures implementation of safe, evidence-based protocols related to medication administration, clinical documentation, withdrawal management, and other critical workflows.
• Completes routine chart audits to ensure compliance with clinical standards and credentialing agency requirements.
• Provides consultation and assists in the development, implementation, and monitoring of behavioral health medical policies and procedures.
• Performs clinical quality care reviews of medical staff and uses findings to improve performance and outcomes.
• Reviews referrals to the Crisis Center to ensure medical appropriateness and safe admission decisions.
• Provides clinical oversight to APRNs and/or PAs, promoting professional development and consistent, high-quality service delivery.
• Offers ongoing training, supervision, and support for medical staff, with a focus on quality care, trauma-informed practice, and safety.
• Creates training opportunities to ensure staff adhere to best practices and maintain clinical excellence.
• Acts as liaison between medical staff and executive leadership to ensure alignment with agency goals.
• Collaborates with the Director of Crisis Services and the Agency’s Medical Director to optimize medical and psychiatric care across crisis programs.
• Supports program development and continuous quality improvement efforts, using data to identify trends, monitor key metrics, and implement strategic changes.
• Leads or participates in initiatives aimed at improving service access, care integration, patient safety, and documentation quality.
• Coordinates audits, incident reviews, and clinical case reviews to ensure adherence to regulatory standards and agency policies.
• Strengthens and maintains professional relationships with community partners, including local hospitals, primary care providers, behavioral health clinics, and academic institutions.
• Represents DRCC in community forums or collaborative planning sessions related to behavioral health service delivery.
• Promotes the Crisis Center as a teaching site and builds affiliations with medical schools and residency programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree