Perinatal Behavioral Health Clinician

The Behavioral Health Clinician provides mental health assessment and treatment as well as brief intervention, support and referral for urgent mental health needs for Women's Healthcare Associates patients who are pregnant, up to 6 months postpartum or experiencing a pregnancy loss or termination. An episode of psychotherapy with the perinatal team occurs during pregnancy and into the postpartum period and most often involves two therapy visits per month for an average of around 10-14 visits though the model can be flexible based on patient needs and preferences.

We strive to be good stewards of scarce mental health resources by adhering to a defined model of care to help maintain access for our patient population. We require and provide training in basic principles of perinatal mental health, cultural competence and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and provide generous funds for accessing training in CBT, DBT, FACT and other effective modalities to serve our population.

The WHA Perinatal Behavioral Health Team is unique because we collaborate closely with patients and their healthcare providers and function as an essential part of the healthcare team. We are not just co-located in healthcare, we are collaborative with others on our team, our medical colleagues and our patients. We root ourselves firmly in trauma-informed and anti-oppressive frameworks. We value consultation, teamwork, authenticity and sustainability and build in mechanisms to facilitate this into our daily work. A full time (1.0 FTE) team member works 4 days per week (4 10's) and has 27 hours per week of patient contact, with the remainder of work time spent in meetings and administrative time. Options for working less than full time are available.

DUTIES:

• Conduct clinical assessments, assign DSM diagnoses when indicated, create and deploy strengths-based treatment plans to address a range of mental health issues during pregnancy and the postpartum period including the period after a pregnancy loss or termination.
• Utilize and interpret appropriate screening tools including the EPDS, PHQ-9, GAD 7, MDQ and others.
• Act as member of health care team assisting OB/Gyn health care providers in recognizing, understanding and caring for mental health issues that impact pregnancy and the postpartum period.
• Provide trauma-informed, anti-oppressive and evidence-based information to health care teams regarding topics related to mental health in order to improve patient care.
• Gain and maintain knowledge of community resources for pregnant and postpartum individuals and refer patients to resources as appropriate.
• Provide defined episodes of psychotherapy with a focus on brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy due to the evidence base for our population (training available).
• Address complex issues such as decision-making related to pregnancies, grief and loss and trauma, grief and loss related to pregnancy and childbirth.
• When needed provide brief interventions to support non OB or postpartum patients in tobacco cessation required for elective surgery or coping with anxiety that interferes with patients obtaining needed medical care in our clinics.
• Understand and appropriately apply correct billing codes, and engage in ongoing learning opportunities on best practices related to billing.
• Provide timely and succinct feedback to other clinicians regarding consultation findings and recommendations.
• Provide concise documentation and recommendations in the patient's medical record within twenty-four (24) hours of visit. Clinician should be comfortable with concurrent documentation and use of electronic health record (Epic). Epic training provided.
• Determine the appropriateness of the patient receiving behavioral health services within the clinic environment, assesses additional service needs and provides case management for external referrals when indicated.
• Participate in regular case consultations and one on one supervision opportunities and seeks opportunities to contribute to team culture. Most team interactions are via video meeting platforms and group "chats".
• Understand WHA's universal patient screening process (Well-Being Assessment) and support related organizational processes including direct patient outreach.
• Share knowledge with other team members, clinicians, and patients, both formally (office visits, consult responses) and informally (curbside consultations).
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in making recommendations for clients who abuse, misuse, or divert controlled substances.
• Provide training and consultation to clinic staff on a variety of behavioral health-related topics.
• Complete 27 hours of patient contact time weekly for 1.0 FTE/prorated based on FTE.
• May be responsible for case management.
• Provide crisis intervention.
• Support cross-coverage across WHA clinics when needed, typically by phone. Under some circumstances and with advance planning, BHC's may be asked to provide in-person coverage at non-assigned sites.
• Connect patients and their families to services which may include residential treatment, health services, mental health services, employment services, culturally appropriate advocacy, etc. Maintains awareness of community referral resources.

• LCSW, LPC, LMFT or Licensed Psychologist in the State of Oregon required, with training and experience with interpersonal psychotherapy, solution-focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, focused acceptance and commitment therapy and motivational interviewing; prefer minimum of two (2) years post-licensure work experience or significant pre-licensure experience in a related field.
• Current licensure as a LCSW, LPC, LMFT or Licensed Psychologist in the State of Washington required within three (3) months of date of hire. Washington license will be reimbursed by WHA.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct an assessment, including identifying precipitating events, gathering histories, completing diagnosis, and determining treatment plan.
• Experience using Epic electronic health record preferred.
• Experience working in an integrated care or other health care environment preferred
• Knowledge of and experience related to perinatal mental health preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of treatment methods for individual, family, and group therapy to address chemical dependency and / or behavioral and mental health problems.
• Knowledge of common psychotropic medications used in primary care.
• Functional knowledge of Microsoft Outlook and Word, and ability to master electronic health record system.
• Demonstrated understanding of cultural values and norms, acculturation, and generational issues within a culture, sensitivity, and understanding of specific barriers which may lead to lack of access and engagement.
• Skill in case management, time management, flexibility, problem solving, crisis intervention, and multitasking in a team care approach.