The behavioral health care manager is a core member of the collaborative care team, including the patient’s medical provider and psychiatric consultant, as well as the larger primary care team or medical team. The behavioral health care manager is responsible for supporting and coordinating the mental and physical health care of patients on an assigned patient caseload with the patient’s medical provider and, when appropriate, other mental health providers.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support patients' mental and physical health, coordinating closely with their medical and mental health providers.
• Screen and assess patients for mental health and substance abuse disorders, ensuring engagement and follow-up care.
• Educate patients on common mental health and substance abuse disorders and available treatment options.
• Track treatment response, monitoring clinical symptoms and treatment side effects or complications.
• Support psychotropic medication management, focusing on adherence, side effects, and treatment effectiveness.
• Provide brief behavioral interventions using evidence-based techniques.
• Facilitate referrals to evidence-based psychosocial treatments as needed, both within and outside the clinic.
• Participate in weekly caseload consultations with a psychiatric consultant, sharing treatment recommendations with medical providers.
• Track patient follow-up and outcomes using a registry or clinical management system.
• Document patient progress and treatment plans in EHRs for sharing with medical and psychiatric providers.
• Facilitate treatment plan adjustments for patients not improving as expected, in collaboration with medical and psychiatric consultants.
• Arrange referrals for services like housing assistance, vocational rehabilitation, and substance abuse treatment.
• Develop relapse prevention plans with patients nearing discharge from the caseload who have achieved treatment goals.
• Proficient in English and Spanish

Licensure Requirements(Texas):

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker(LCSW)
• Licensed Master Social Worker(LMSW)
• Social Worker

Other Requirements:

• Effective team collaboration and communication skills.
• Maintains professional relationships with patients and care team members.
• Experience in screening for mental health and/or substance abuse disorders.
• Knowledge of differential diagnosis for mental health and/or substance abuse disorders as needed.
• Skill in establishing therapeutic relationships with patients as appropriate.
• Ability to interact with patients both in person and via telephone.
• Experience in assessing and planning treatment for mental health and/or substance use disorders.
• Familiarity with evidence-based psychosocial treatments and brief behavioral interventions for mental health disorders.
• Basic understanding of psychopharmacology for mental health disorders within the appropriate scope of practice.
• Proficiency in evidence-based counseling techniques.