Behavioral Health Counselor Roles and Responsibilities
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COUNSELOR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Useful Traits Of Primary Care Behavioral Health Counselors
Behavioral health counselors must be able to function in the face-paced primary care environment. To be effective, they should: * be flexible enough to deal with noise, frequent interruptions, and constant changes in scheduling; * be able to offer brief, targeted interventions usually lasting less than 30 minutes; * be comfortable with short-term counseling, often lasting less than eight visits; * function well in a team-approach accept the fact that they are not in charge of the clients’ care; * be behaviorally, rather than personality, focused; * be able to perform consultations and give provider feedback “on the fly”; * be able to effectively communicate and interact with primary care providers.
Therapists used to more traditional, long-term, in-depth psychotherapy approaches may experience a “culture shock” in the primary care environment and may need to make significant adjustments in their therapeutic style and way of thinking to be effective in this milieu.
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Some Desirable Skill Sets For Behavioral Health Counselors
(based in part on Integrated Behavioral Health Care, A Guide to Effective Intervention by William O’Donohue, 2006): * proficiency in the identification and treatment of mental disorders; * ability to think in terms of population management, addressing a large clientele in the most efficient ways possible, using Approaches like stepped care and group psychotherapy; * knowledge of evidence-based behavioral assessments and interventions relevant to medical conditions, e.g., disease management; treatment adherence; and lifestyle change; * ability to make quick and accurate clinical assessments; * care-management skills and knowledge of local resources for outside referrals; * skill in targeted, brief psychotherapy and in running group sessions; *
Useful Traits Of Primary Care Behavioral Health Counselors
Behavioral health counselors must be able to function in the face-paced primary care environment. To be effective, they should: * be flexible enough to deal with noise, frequent interruptions, and constant changes in scheduling; * be able to offer brief, targeted interventions usually lasting less than 30 minutes; * be comfortable with short-term counseling, often lasting less than eight visits; * function well in a team-approach accept the fact that they are not in charge of the clients’ care; * be behaviorally, rather than personality, focused; * be able to perform consultations and give provider feedback “on the fly”; * be able to effectively communicate and interact with primary care providers.
Therapists used to more traditional, long-term, in-depth psychotherapy approaches may experience a “culture shock” in the primary care environment and may need to make significant adjustments in their therapeutic style and way of thinking to be effective in this milieu.
Back to top
Some Desirable Skill Sets For Behavioral Health Counselors
(based in part on Integrated Behavioral Health Care, A Guide to Effective Intervention by William O’Donohue, 2006): * proficiency in the identification and treatment of mental disorders; * ability to think in terms of population management, addressing a large clientele in the most efficient ways possible, using Approaches like stepped care and group psychotherapy; * knowledge of evidence-based behavioral assessments and interventions relevant to medical conditions, e.g., disease management; treatment adherence; and lifestyle change; * ability to make quick and accurate clinical assessments; * care-management skills and knowledge of local resources for outside referrals; * skill in targeted, brief psychotherapy and in running group sessions; *