Career Center

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Behavioral Health lead is an integral part of the Bridge Clinic, a transitional outpatient clinic for addiction care at MGH. This position is a critical member of a collaborative care team that includes a resource specialist, recovery coach, physicians, nurse practitioners, psychologists, nurses, and patient service coordinators. This position will both provide direct clinical care and associated care coordination (85% time) and serve as the in a leadership role as the Bridge Clinic’s Behavioral Health Lead (15% time). The primary clinical responsibilities will be to provide psychosocial assessment, treatment planning, and brief treatment, for Bridge Clinic patients, particularly those with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. This role will also have the responsibility to assist with care coordination for patients with severe dual diagnosis conditions.   Specifically, this role will provide brief SUD counseling with expertise in assessment, motivational intervention, CBT, and psychoeducation. In addition, this role will develop and support transition plans for these patients within all levels of the addiction treatment care and mental health continuum. As Behavioral Health Lead, this role will direct the clinic’s behavioral health services to develop, assess and refine a model that successfully provides integrated, low barrier access to care.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Behavioral Health Lead
  • Provide leadership for the team of Behavioral Health clinicians, including social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists operating in the Bridge Clinic.
  • In consultation with Psychiatrist and Medical Director, provide guidance on care for patients with complex behavioral health issues to other Bridge Clinic staff, including providers and administrative staff.
  • Provide guidance on specific behavioral health treatment models and workflows for caring for Bridge Clinic patients.
  • Meet with behavioral health providers in the clinic (ie: psychiatrist and psychologists) at a regular interval to understand and address any challenges to effectively providing services in the clinic.
  • Lead behavioral health team clinical rounds.
  • Participate in the development of workflows and process improvement efforts, with a primary focus on behavioral health roles and services in the Bridge Clinic.
• Intake Coordination:
  • Assess patients who are referred to Bridge Clinic from inpatient, ED, and community settings with complex mental health and addiction needs to aid with evaluation, treatment planning, and linkage to most appropriate care placement.
  • Assist in providing brief assessment for urgent or unscheduled walk-in patients to ascertain specific mental health care needs, in collaboration with nurses or provider, and assist with linkage to care as needed.
• Clinical Care:
  • Provide crisis intervention as needed for patients who present for care.
  • Provide trauma informed, short-term, outpatient individual and/or group counseling, utilizing psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to assist patients with treatment readiness, recovery stabilization and wellness goals.
  • Provide clinical support to complex patients on transition planning as they may need clinically informed transfer of care with focus on motivational interviewing and trauma-based perspective.
• Care Coordination:
  • Work with the Bridge Clinic leadership team to develop best practices for patient referrals to behavioral health services in the clinic.
  • Cultivate relationships with external behavioral health services to successfully transition patients in need of ongoing care when appropriate
  • In collaboration with Resource Specialist, act as initial point person to communicate with outside treaters (e.g hospitals, CSS) about care coordination for active Bridge patients with dual diagnosis either verbally or electronically, as well as those transitioning to community programs.
  • Ensure that all new patients to Bridge Clinic are introduced to the model of the clinic and begin working on a transition plan when medically appropriate.
  • Work collaboratively with patients and Bridge Clinic staff to assist with patients’ transition to long term community-based addiction treatment as appropriate. Ensure integration of care and effective utilization of resources through review of documentation, discussion with providers, and collaboration with patients.
  • Support patients’ transfer to all levels of care and interactions with other systems (DCF, probation, incarceration etc.) through the provision of clinical information and documentation to other facilities and systems. This may include drafting letter of engagement and preparing information to fax, copying portions of the medical record, obtaining releases of information, and engaging in collateral contact.
  • Collaborate with team medical and clinical leadership as appropriate to optimize co-occurring mental health and SUD care, including connection to further supports as clinically indicated
  • Complete follow up outreach to patients or treatment organizations as needed to ensure a successful transition to the treatment organization in the disposition plan.

The position requires a high degree of flexibility, independence, and willingness to participate in multiple activities that provide support to both patients and caregivers.

The position requires strong communication skills and the ability to converse comfortably with patients and their caregivers, as well as with clinical and administrative staff, and to communicate with care team effectively via documentation in medical records   

• PhD, PsyD, or EdD in Psychology or Masters in Social Work required
• Massachusetts license required
• At least 2-3 years of work experience in the mental health care field, especially with substance use disorders required
• Excellent interpersonal, collaborative, customer service and advocacy skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organizational and time management skills; ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent judgment and ability to work independently in a unique position
• Flexibility and resourcefulness as well as strong assessment and problem-solving skills
• Strong computer skills
• Familiarity with addiction treatment, systems of care, and community resources
• Ability to advocate/negotiate systems for/with patients