Behavioral Health Specialist

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Housing Works was founded in 1990; With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy. Housing Works established New York State’s first harm reduction-based, OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management, behavioral health, and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement, Housing Works operates 10 high-end thrift shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org
Housing Works fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment, among other lifesaving services.

Benefits:
We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion, based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books.
Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements. Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
This position is included in a bargaining unit of Housing Works’ New York City employees represented by a labor union known as the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (“RWDSU”). Accordingly, the RWDSU has the exclusive right to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment related to this position and this position may become covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (a “CBA”) between Housing Works and the RWDSU

Compensation: $65,000 - $70,000 commensurate to experience

Overview:

Behavioral Health Specialist is a key position in the implementation of a NYC Department of Health–funded PlaySure 2.0 program to promote HIV prevention, including through a “one-stop shop” model of service provision. Working with a cross-functional team of clinical and non-clinical staff—including the medical provider, nurse coordinator, navigators, outreach and peer engagement staff, social workers (substance use treatment and mental health care) and more—the Behavioral Health Specialist provides onsite support to clients who have been linked to Housing Works for HIV/STI testing, prevention, treatment, education, or related social services. The Behavioral Health Specialist will serve as the site lead for the PlaySure program and will be the liaison between PlaySure clients and behavioral health services, both internal and external. The BS supports Navigators and other staff in responding to clients’ mental health needs in the moment, ensuring that opportunities are not missed to meet clients where they’re at and potentially intervene in moments of crisis. The Behavioral Health Specialist is trained in trauma-informed care and will help educate site staff, regardless of role, on the importance of recognizing and being sensitive toward clients’ potential past experiences of trauma.

The Behavioral Health Specialist will provide therapeutic services that go beyond supportive services provided by PlaySure Navigators and hold a caseload of clients for short term intervention and referral for long term services. They may provide crisis intervention and referrals for treatment for depression per results in PHQ2 and PHQ9 screenings, as well as issues related to anxiety, substance use, grief, trauma, and the social determinants of health. They will play an active, collaborative role and will be responsible for providing Evidence-Based, Outcome-based Treatment to the assigned caseload. The Behavioral Health Specialist may also perform other duties in support of the agency's quality assurance and continuous quality improvement process.

The Behavioral Health Specialist will also be responsible for providing clinical supervision for Navigators and other program staff who work with clients seeking HIV prevention and related services, including mental health and trauma-informed care. Additionally, Behavioral Health Specialist serves as the site lead and champion for HIV prevention services, by collaborating with programs housed at the site and providing supervision to the peer and outreach staff. The Behavioral Health Specialist will receive clinical supervision from an in-kind LCSW employed by the agency.

Responsibilities:
· Utilize Psycho-education and Evidence Based approaches (for example, Motivational Interviewing) in providing patient education and referrals for clients need behavioral health or other referrals to support social determinant of health needs

· Manages the communication with and between team to support referral of clients to higher levels of care and/or other mental health services or referrals for other services; as appropriate.

· Participates in case conferences to advance the on-going coordination of clients’ care with internal/external providers.

· Provides “Self-Management” support/ option to clients who decline coordinated care services but are willing to engage in supported self-management goals.

· Generates timely, accurate, and content substantive progress notes with referral information and any short term interventions that were initiated.

· Provide supervision for outreach and peer staff including metric development and tracking and other administrative functions

· Participates in supervision, program and site meeting, and other internal and external meetings as needed. · Makes themselves available for on-going training and/or certifications as per requirements.

· Participates in program and agency CQI projects and data driven supervision which includes tracking data, staff productivity, and creating and presenting outreach data.

· Participate in Housing Works advocacy events (minimum 3 in person per year, 4 alternative format per year).

· Some travel required.

· Master’s degree in Social Work-Licensed or licensed within six months of hire as an LMSW in New York State

· Experience in the provision of crisis intervention, assessment, counseling, and/or psychotherapy utilizing various methods of treatment, including evidence-based practice including Problem Solving Treatment; Behavior Activation Treatment; and Motivational Interviewing.

Competencies:

· Knowledge of trauma informed practice

· Computer Literacy · Interpersonal Skills

· Knowledge of HIV, mental illness, substance use, homelessness and other chronic conditions

· Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)