Overview
Position Title: Counselor – Behavioral Health (MS)
Department: Psych Holding Unit
Location: Riley Hospital, Indianapolis, IN
Shift: Full-Time Nights
Position Overview: The Counselor facilitates patient involvement in treatment and education within a multidisciplinary hospital setting. This role involves individual, group, and family counseling, discharge planning, utilization review, and crisis intervention. The counselor collaborates with healthcare teams, community agencies, and protective services to ensure patients receive safe, timely, and resource-rich care. The position also includes managing complex cases such as abuse, neglect, guardianship, and high-risk crises, with a focus on de-escalation and safety.
Key Responsibilities:
Facilitate patient involvement in treatment, education, and recovery through individual, group, and family counseling.
Conduct psychosocial assessments evaluating prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping strategies.
Provide mental health assessments upon physician referral and deliver therapeutic interventions, including crisis and community resource referrals.
Support complex discharge planning, including guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health placements.
Serve as the primary point person for cases involving child abuse/neglect, adult/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence.
Act as liaison between IU Health, protective teams, law enforcement, and community agencies.
Respond to dangerous or potentially dangerous situations with clinical intervention and de-escalation techniques.
Support patients in acute crises, utilizing de-escalation skills to prevent violence.
Support and lead decision-making and goals of care conversations to ensure excellent care.
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with hospital staff, law enforcement, social services, schools, probation, and community agencies.
Provide clinical supervision and opportunities for ongoing professional development.
Document all assessments and interventions accurately within the electronic medical record system.
Qualifications & Requirements:
Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related field.
Requires 0-3 years of relevant healthcare, mental health, or community-based experience.
License eligible in the state of Indiana as an LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, or LCAC. Must have a minimum of a permanent LSW, LMHC-A, or LMFT-A upon hire.
Certification in crisis intervention may be required.
BLS certification may be required.
Knowledge of psychosocial assessments, therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention techniques.
Understanding of disease processes and human behavior in relation to health-related social needs.
Knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practices (CBT, MI, DBT).
Knowledge of legal mandates for child and adult protective services at the state and county level.
Understanding of growth and development principles over the lifespan.
Ability to maintain principles and techniques of crisis intervention and de-escalation.
Ability to create a safe and therapeutic environment, including instructing patients in daily activities and programming.
Basic proficiency in Electronic Medical Records and MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships with community agencies, medical teams, law enforcement, schools, probation, and other stakeholders.
