Behavioral Health Specialist - Inpatient Psychiatry Waltham

Key Responsibilities Focuses on maintaining a physically and emotionally safe environment, supporting routine patient activities, assisting with structured programming, and promptly reporting safety concerns and observed behavioral changes to nursing staff. Position is 28 hours/week, 8 hour shifts, and schedule is either 1) day/evening rotation, occasional nights, every other weekend and rotating holidays; or 2) straight evenings, every other weekend and rotating holidays.

Position Summary
As a Behavioral Health Specialist in our 12-bed, secure Inpatient Psychiatric Unit at Waltham, you’ll have the opportunity to learn and grow as part of a multidisciplinary team supporting our patients.

Key Responsibilities

• Focuses on maintaining a physically and emotionally safe environment, supporting routine patient activities, assisting with structured programming, and promptly reporting safety concerns and observed behavioral changes to nursing staff.
• Closely monitors and maintains the safety of patients. Observes patient behaviors and conditions in accordance with established procedures and protocols.
• Identifies and reports changes in behavior that represent unsafe situations. Respectful redirection of unsafe behavior and limit setting as needed.
• Maintains a physically safe environment: Checks and screens items brought into unit.
• Conducts patient and environmental checks and identifies risk; reports identified risk to Registered Nurse.
• Aids with the implementation of safety measures, such as physical restraints, enhanced patient observation levels and elopement prevention, as warranted.
• Identifies patient behaviors that could lead to behavioral escalation;  and utilizes verbal and nonverbal techniques to de-escalate situations in a therapeutic and supportive manner.
• Support and assist patients with routine activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and eating.
• May collect, measure and record basic patient data, such as vital signs, intake, and output, and obtains specimens according to established procedures and schedules.
• Records medical data and care provided in patient medical record in accordance with established documentation standards.
• Assists in patient supervision and engagement during therapeutic group activities
• May facilitate psychoeducational groups with support from senior staff
• Assists in patient supervision and adherence to structured schedule throughout the day.
• Position is 28 hours/week, 8 hour shifts, and schedule is either 1) day/evening rotation, occasional nights, every other weekend and rotating holidays; or 2) straight evenings, every other weekend and rotating holidays.

Minimum Qualifications
Education:

• High School Diploma/GED required.  Associate’s Degree preferred.

Experience:

• Experience working with children/adolescents, facilitating group activities, working with patients with behavioral health challenges preferred.
• 1-2 Years of experience as a Behavioral Health, Mental Health Counselor or similar role in a similar setting preferred.
• Basic Life Support (BLS)  and de-escalation certification per facility protocol/procedure within 1 month of hire.