Bilingual Behavioral Health Clinician

Bilingual Behavioral Health Clinician
Licensed Clinical Social Worker/ Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor 

Under the supervision of the Senior Director of Clinical and Educational Initiatives and the Lead Behavioral Health Clinician the Behavioral Health Clinician (BHC) is expected to assess client needs, counsel and refer clients, and develop client plans based on best practices. This position will be required to speak, read, and write in Spanish to assist in serving our Spanish speaking population.  

Essential Functions:
Provide short-term and/or crisis reproductive health counseling on a referral basis for patients at PPIL centers. 

Prepare relevant case records, documents, reports and correspondence in a timely and organized manner. 

Consult, refer cases, and work actively with other agencies and community groups to aid clients in accessing resources. 

Use an affirmative approach to validate LGBTQIA clients by creating an inclusive space. 

Understand the needs and challenges of the LGBTQIA community to provide patient culturally sensitive and patient centered care. 

Promote PPIL’s family planning, abortion services, and gender affirming services to health systems and community partners serving PPIL’s population. 

Understand, commit to, and practice a customer-centered inter-disciplinary team approach to health care delivery. 

Adhere to the code of ethics for the relevant discipline (e.g. NASW, ACA, APA,WPATH) and demonstrates a commitment to PPIL core values of respect, knowledge, responsibility, health, compassion and access; practice these values in relations with internal and external customers. 

Through these activities demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to PPIL core values of access, activism, care, confidentiality, diversity, excellence, integrity, respect, self-determination, and stewardship; practice these values in relations with internal and external customers. 

Understand and utilize Planned Parenthood's principles, practice guidelines and informed consent model for gender affirming care to provide appropriate counseling and care to transgender, gender non-conforming, gender questioning or gender non-binary individuals. ​ 

Consistent with an informed consent model for gender-affirming care, perform a comprehensive psycho-social intake for patients (and parents of adolescents) who are interested in gender affirming hormone therapy and provide support and services to patients receiving gender affirming hormone therapy, including counseling, case management, letters for gender affirming surgery, documentation for gender marker corrections on identity documents, letters for surgical, insurance documentation and referrals. 

Obtain prior approvals for medications, which may include, but are not limited to, gender affirming hormone therapy, birth control, and antiviral HIV prevention therapy when needed from an insurance payer or patient assistance programs. 

Assess for depression with the PHQ9 and perform SBIRT to assess substance use. 

Participate in quality assessment and quality improvement projects. Assist the lead clinician in review of annual behavioral health policies, mandated reporting, and policies around minors regarding counseling sessions and access. Participate in Peer chart audits.  


Other Responsibilities:
1.  Provide short-term and crisis counseling for individuals, couples, and/or families regarding all relevant issues related to reproductive health services at the health center. 

2.  Provide ongoing direction and consultation for staff involved in patient education. 

3.  Keep records in accordance with documentation standards. 

4.  Manage confidentiality of clients; work with law enforcement agencies when required; activate the community mental health system when required. 

5.  Collect counseling program planning data as directed. 

6.  Participate as part of the Consumer Services team on various projects requiring counseling expertise, i.e. staff training manuals, patient satisfaction survey, and patient education materials. 

7.  Attend monthly staff meetings. 

8. Engage in monthly supervision with lead clinician and behavioral health consultant to review and discuss case load and challenging cases.       

9.  Participates in relevant PPIL staff meetings. 

10. Provide support to PPIL staff by providing resources, referrals, engaging in organized group discussions, individual brief check-ins and limited (1-2) counseling sessions as a bridge to care.   

11.  Other duties as assigned. 

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, talk, and hear.  The employee frequently is required to use hands and fingers to handle, or feel and reach.  The employee is occasionally required to sit.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.   

Supervisor: Lead Clinician reporting up to Senior Director of Clinical and Educational Initiatives 

Status: Full time. Non-exempt from the overtime provisions of the wage and salary regulations. 

Qualifications: 

Knowledge of: 

1.  Principles, objectives and techniques of social work practice;

2.  Individual and group behavior, child and adolescent development, and family relationships;

3.  Medical-psycho-socio-economic factors affecting individuals and families;

4.  Community organization and resources;

5.  Rules and regulations affecting the delivery of service in health care agencies, including -- but not limited to -- patient confidentiality, DCFS (child abuse/neglect), domestic violence and duty to warn.

Ability to:

1.  Establish and maintain a productive relationship with clients who may be in a state of crisis;

2.  Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing;

3.  Work cooperatively with co-workers, other agencies and the public;

4.  Receive supervision;

5.  Interpret complex laws and regulations to clients and the public;

6.  Prepare and present written and oral presentations when required;

7.  Manage a caseload in a timely and effective manner;

8.  Utilize social work and counseling techniques as well as community resources;

9.  Interview and counsel effectively.             

Education and Experience: 

Possession of a Master's degree in Social Work or Counseling from an accredited college or university prior to appointment.  Licensed required as a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with preferred two or more years of experience. 

Personal & Professional Qualities:

Commitment to the operating goals of Planned Parenthood, and an interest in providing counseling and information to people choosing those services. An ability to communicate with clients, paid and volunteer staff, and the public in a sensitive, professional manner regarding sexuality and sexual health care concerns.  Well developed writing skills. Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including some evenings and weekends, and travel between sites as necessary. Bilingual ability to speak, read and write in Spanish is required. 

Planned Parenthood works affirmatively to include diversity among its workforce and does not discriminate in the selection of its staff based on factors including but not limited to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, income, marital status or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law.  We know that BIPOC and women identifying candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every requirement.  Please do not be deterred if your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting.  We encourage you to apply anyway!  You may be exactly who we are looking for!

https://jobs.lever.co/ppil/f665dcae-5b70-45ab-9f7c-c1e588107147