Duke University Health System (DUHS) Job Descriptions
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BEHAVIORAL HEALTH THERAPIST
Job Title: BEHAVIORAL HEALTH THERAPIST
Job Code: 5656
FLSA: E
Job Level: F2
Revised Date: 03/01/2025
Supervisory Responsibility: No
General Description of the Job Class
Provide psychosocial assessments, diagnosis, and psychotherapy treatment. It is an expectation to maintain a patient panel as outlined by departmental or team leadership with at least 80% of time dedicated to direct patient care. Scope of role, working schedule, and location may adjust with business need.
Duties and Responsibilities of this Level
- Provide psychosocial assessments of patients and families to identify emotional, social, and environmental strengths and problems related to their diagnosis, illness, treatment, and/or life situation.
- Formulate, develop, and implement a comprehensive psychosocial treatment plan utilizing appropriate treatments and interventions.
- Interventions may include crisis intervention, individual, marital, family and/or group therapies.
- Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance use problems in patients.
- May participate in on-call or after-hours coverage.
- Provide consultative services to health care team members within scope of care definitions as needed.
- Maintain a working knowledge of relevant medical/legal issues that impact patient care.
- Provide education to patients and loved ones around issues related to adaptation to the patient's diagnosis, illness, treatment and/or life situation.
- Participate in multi-disciplinary healthcare teams and provide leadership in representing clinical perspective.
- May provide teaching and training for staff and faculty.
- Contribute to the academic mission of the health system by participating in academic activities.
- Maintain working knowledge of and liaison with community agencies and resources.
- Knowledge of health system resources to access and provide for patient care needs.
- Document assessment, plan, interactions, and interventions according to departmental, hospital and/or health system guidelines and standards.
- Maintain records in accordance with department, hospital, medical center and/or health system policies.
- Attend and participate in staff, committee, department, and other administrative meetings.
- Participate in department and/or health system continuous quality improvement.
- Keep current with license requirements and seek to increase further enhancement of job-related knowledge.
- Adhere to onsite and/or hybrid availability for work policies as outlined by direct supervisor.
Required Qualifications at this Level
Education
Master's degree in human services/sciences from an accredited school.
Doctorate degree in human services will be acknowledged.
Experience
Two years of outpatient psychotherapy experience as a fully licensed, autonomous clinician. Experience working as a licensed therapist in a medical setting and/or in a team-based community program is preferred.
Degrees, Licensure, and/or Certification
Current licensure as a licensed LCSW, LMFT, and/or LCMHC
LCAS is preferred as a secondary license.
Outpatient Behavioral Health Therapist
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Adherence to the practice standards and ethical guidelines of licensing board.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- A solid knowledge of clinical practice.
- Excellent assessment, interviewing, and counseling skills with expertise in mental health and substance use areas.
- Excellent working knowledge of psychopathology.
- Familiarity with range of therapeutic interventions.
- Must recognize when to escalate care/refer for further medical assessment.
- Ability to work effectively and autonomously in a self-directed role.
- Flexibility in accepting diverse work assignments and managing stress related to change.
- Proficient in utilizing an Electronic Health Record (i.e. Epic experience preferred).
- Ability to resolve/manage conflict.
- Ability to help implement departmental, hospital and/or DUHS initiatives.
Distinguishing Characteristics of this Level
N/A
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions
Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.
