Behavioral Health Clinician, MSW

Are you ready to bring your clinical proficiencies to a world-class Medical Group known for the very highest clinical standards? Do you have a passion for the highest quality and patient satisfaction? Then please respond to this dynamic opportunity available with one of the best places to work in Southern California! We would be happy to hear from you.

The Cedars-Sinai Medical Network is committed to helping primary care and specialist physicians deliver care to all their patients, who benefit from convenient access to Physicians and coordination of care between them. As a part of Cedars-Sinai, our physicians and staff are partners in quality health care from a medical center that is consistently recognized as one of the finest hospitals in the country. For the 8th consecutive year, we have been named one of the top 20 Physician Groups in Southern California by Integrated Healthcare Associates (IHA).

The behavioral health specialist (BHS) is a core member of the collaborative care team. The team includes the patient’s healthcare clinician, psychiatric advisor, and the larger primary care or medical team. The BHS or equivalent experience provides evidence-based psychotherapy and coordinates patients’ psychological and physical well-being. They work with the patient’s medical provider and, when appropriate, other mental health providers for an assigned caseload. Developing patient care goals and treatment plans as agreed upon by the patient’s primary care team and psychiatric consultant is a responsibility of the BHS. The BHS is also available to primary care teams as a consultant for those patients with complex psychosocial needs.

Job duties:

• Support the mental and physical health care of patients on an assigned patient caseload. Closely coordinate care alongside the patient’s medical provider and, when appropriate, other mental health providers.


• Screen and assess patients for common mental health and substance abuse disorders. Facilitate patient engagement and follow-up care.


• Provide patient education about common mental health and substance abuse disorders and the available treatment options.


• Systematically track treatment response and monitor patients (in person, by video or by telephone) for changes in clinical symptoms and treatment side effects or complications.


• Support psychotropic medication management as prescribed by medical providers, focusing on treatment adherence monitoring, side effects, and effectiveness of treatment.


• Provide brief behavioral interventions using evidence-based techniques such as behavioral activation, problem-solving treatment, motivational interviewing, or other treatments as appropriate.


• Provide or facilitate in-clinic or outside referrals to evidence-based psychosocial treatments (e.g. problem-solving treatment or behavioral activation) as clinically indicated.


• Participate in regularly scheduled (usually weekly) caseload consultation with the psychiatric consultant and communicate resulting treatment recommendations to the patient’s medical provider. Consultations will focus on patients new to the caseload and those who are not improving as expected under the current treatment plan. Case reviews may be conducted by telephone, video, or in person.


• Track patient follow-up and clinical outcomes using a registry. Document in-person, video, and telephone encounters in the registry and use the system to identify and re-engage patients.


• Document patient progress and treatment recommendations in EHR and other required systems to be shared with medical providers, psychiatric consultant, and other treating providers.


• Facilitate treatment plan changes for patients showing less progress than encouraged. Do this in consultation with the medical provider and psychiatric consultant. These patients may need more intensive or specialized mental health care.


• Facilitate referrals for clinically indicated services outside of the organization (e.g., social services such as housing assistance, rehabilitation, mental health specialty care, substance abuse treatment).


• Develop and complete relapse prevention plan with patients who have achieved their treatment goals and are soon to be discharged from the caseload.


• ¨ Other duties as assigned

• Evaluates and implements social service programs for patients with psycho/social issues focusing on seniors, catastrophic and chronically ill patients.
• Develops social service documentation tool/templates in EMR for Social Work consults, family counseling and group sessions and IS reports for outcome measurements.
• Performs triage for patients within corresponding team(s) and assists in coordinating patient care delivery, including DPA/POSLT and documents pertinent information in the case management system.
• Implements transitions of care between inpatient and continued outpatient follow up and vice versa.
• Initiates team care conference to include patient, family and care providers.
• Evaluates daily caseload and assess achievement of long and short term goals; Modifies goals with providers and care team based upon patient outcomes.
• Compiles and presents statistics and reports relating to patient outcomes and document findings in the patients EMR.
• Follows up on communication to the referral source, IE, PCP, family member, case manager, home health personnel, community social worker, Health Plan, etc.
• Acts as the social services liaison for the department, particularly in the areas of: Advance Care Planning discussions, Complex discharge planning, Biopsychosocial assessments.
• Refers patients to agencies that provides supportive services optimizing patients health plan benefits.
• Assists in arranging community resources (i.e. meals on wheels, transportation services, adult day care, and info-line) and in the long term planning for patients transitioning to institutional setting.
• Provides alternatives for patients requiring specific services.
• Acts as the liaison to Population Health department in regard to chronic disease state management programs.
• Assists in the development and implementation of new policies and procedures for the department.
• Participates in advance care planning initiatives.

Education/Licenses

• Master's Degree in Social Work or closely related field required. 
• Active California registration as an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW) OR Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) OR Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC) preferred. 
• May consider Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) OR Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) OR Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) with active California registration in good standing. 

Experience

• 1 year of experience providing clinical or psychotherapy services
• Experience in an integrated ambulatory setting with behavioral health is preferred