Summary of duties and responsibilities:  The Behavioral Health Specialist, as part of the primary care treatment team, identifies triages and manages patients with medical and behavioral health problems within the primary care setting. In addition, the Behavioral Health Specialist will provide skill training through psycho-education and patient education strategies and will develop specific behavioral change plans for patients and behavioral health protocols for target populations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

·         Assist primary health care providers in recognizing and treating mental disorders and psychosocial problems.

·         Assess the clinical status of patients referred by primary care providers through brief consultative contacts.

·         Work with primary care team to treat and manage patients with chronic emotional and/or health problems efficiently and effectively.

·         Assist in the detection of at-risk patients and development of plans to prevent further psychological or physical deterioration.

·         Assist in preventing relapse or morbidity in conditions that tend to recur over time.

·         Evaluate patient care plans with primary care team.

·         Monitor the site’s behavioral health program, identifying problems related to patient services and Making recommendations for improvement.

·         Attend and participate in meetings and quality improvement activities as required.

·         Serve as a member of committees as requested.

·         Participate in evaluation of peers and support staff.