Mental Health Practitioner Intake & Referral

St. Charles Health System•Bend, OR

14d•$41 - $61

About The Position

The Mental Health Practitioner Intake and Referral assesses patients’ needs for acute crisis treatment, determines the appropriate level of care, and refers patients to appropriate services. The position also provides counseling, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for patients experiencing social, behavioral, or mental health issues. It does not directly manage other caregivers. The role coordinates psychiatric intake and referrals, conducts crisis and psychosocial assessments, provides individual, group, and family-based therapies, and supports patients and families through treatment, discharge planning, and after-care. The practitioner works with interdisciplinary teams, community agencies, hospitals, insurers, and other support systems, while maintaining confidentiality, regulatory compliance, safe care, and professional standards. The position may also perform additional duties of similar complexity as assigned.

Requirements

PhD, PsyD, or master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a related behavioral health field.
Current unrestricted Oregon licensure as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, LCSW, LMFT, or LPC, or ability to obtain state board licensure as a Registered Associate or CSWA within three years of hire.
Ability to travel to business functions, trainings, meetings, and all SCHS worksites.
One year of experience in the behavioral health field; inpatient behavioral health internship experience may be considered.
Ability to wear the personal protective equipment required to perform the job safely.
Ability to use a clear, audible speaking voice and hear normal speech level continually; sitting and keyboard operation frequently; and occasional standing, walking, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, stair climbing, overhead reaching, handling or moving items weighing 1–10 pounds, grasping, squeezing, driving, and hearing whispered speech.
Maintain patient and family confidentiality and comply with professional ethics, applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.

Nice To Haves

Current unrestricted Oregon licensure as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, LCSW, LMFT, or LPC.
Membership in the National Association of Social Workers or another national association.
Bilingual Spanish and English communication.
Experience in a behavioral health inpatient or residential setting.
Postgraduate clinical experience providing therapeutic services in an outpatient or inpatient setting.
Experience with payer-established level-of-care criteria.
Registrar and third-party payer experience.

Responsibilities

Coordinate screening, admission, assessment, and referral of patients seeking psychiatric inpatient beds.
Determine level of care, make treatment recommendations, and conduct crisis assessments and safety planning.
Refer patients who do not meet inpatient criteria to appropriate outpatient services.
Coordinate referrals to outside agencies and hospitals for youth and adults requiring hospitalization.
Complete initial insurance pre-certifications and treatment authorizations.
Communicate and exchange clinical information with patients, families, support networks, referral sources, facilities, and insurance companies.
Provide technical assistance with discharge planning and facilitate multidisciplinary care plans for patients with complex behavioral health needs.
Support patient and family learning throughout care and reinforce follow-up with community agencies.
Assess patients’ social, economic, emotional, family, and substance-use circumstances.
Provide psychosocial diagnostic, preventative, and therapeutic services for behavioral problems, personality adjustment, and interpersonal dysfunction.
Provide individual, group, and family therapies using evidence-based approaches such as DBT, ACT, CBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing, or other approved modalities.
Complete psychosocial, economic, and risk assessments and individualized, measurable treatment plans in compliance with department and state standards.
Assess risk of harm to self or others and inability to care for oneself; coordinate with the treatment team and County to determine legal status under state civil commitment laws.
Provide crisis intervention to patients in immediate crisis and recently discharged patients as needed.
Provide psychoeducation and case-management support to patients and families.
Maintain knowledge of applicable state and federal regulations for inpatient psychiatric admission, care, discharge, and civil commitment procedures.
Coordinate after-care with outpatient providers, including therapy appointments, warm handoffs, medication management, and medical follow-up.
Attend unit meetings and trainings as scheduled.
Contribute to a healing care environment and intentional relationships that improve the care experience.
Document patient care in compliance with hospital policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
Provide a therapeutic presence by responding compassionately to patient needs, explaining one’s role, respecting names and pronouns, listening actively, and communicating appropriately.
Support continuous improvement and Lean principles, and help maintain a safe environment for caregivers, patients, and guests.
Protect privacy and confidentiality, comply with applicable laws and policies, uphold ethical standards, and cooperate with organizational investigations.
Deliver timely, efficient, accurate customer service and patient care.
Perform additional duties of similar complexity as required or assigned.
For the PAT/PES unit: conduct crisis, risk, psychosocial, treatment-planning, and safety-planning assessments under OHA and Joint Commission standards; round daily on PES patients and patients on medical units for intervention, assessment, treatment, and coordination of care; and follow up on risk assessments and safety plans for patients with moderate-to-high risk scores.
For Sage View: work with the attending psychiatrist to develop working diagnoses and treatment goals, including coordinating and leading morning multidisciplinary treatment team meetings.