Behavioral Health Associate Jobs in Springfield, MA

The Lead Behavioral Health Technician (LBHT) is a mental health employee that provide hands-on care to individuals with varying degrees of mental illnesses and/or developmental disabilities. LBHTs perform a vital, front-line function as they observe, treat, and interact with patients and families. This position serves as the eyes, ears, and hands of the diagnosing professional. Assist with performing personal grooming and other activities of daily living. The LBHT may also assist in educational, recreational, and therapeutic activities when deemed appropriate. LBHT is responsible for oversight of all behavioral health technicians and plans for patients who are considered high-risk.  

                                                 Minimum Education and Experience Required

• Associate Degree required along with six months of direct patient or client care; 
  or a High School diploma required along with 3 years of experience in Mental Health related field.  

                                                       License and/or Certification Required

• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) / CPR in adult, child & infant is required upon hire.
• Certification in the current de-escalation program within three months of hire.    
   

                                                          Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of:

• Understanding and follow Connecticut Children's policies and procedures. 
• Basic medical terminology, mathematics and measurements.
• Understanding of reasons for and techniques for managing aggressive behavior.
• Basic understanding of organization environment of care and infections control policies and procedures.

Skilled at:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and communications required 
• Stress Management/Composure
• Blocking and redirecting patient movements against the patient's weight 
• Physical interventions in response to aggressive and self-injurious behavior 
• Ability to move quickly and confidently to intervene in situations when protective holds and/or movements are deemed necessary 

Ability to:

• Maintain quality, safety an infection control standards
• Learn and follow established protocols to respond in emergency situations
• Learn and demonstrate competency in basic data entry, use of collaborative care and safety plans and documentation in the medical record. 
• Work across all levels of the organization.

• Function as a shift leader supporting teams in patient escalations, evaluating plans of care and managing unit mileu as applicable. 
• Take part in collecting data during intake/admission process for all admitted patients. This includes completing inventory and searching of personal belongings. 
• Participates in maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment. Communicates to the team observations of the environment and patient indicators that a patient is escalating or at increased risk for agitation / aggression or harm to self or others. 
• Work with resource nurses around developing plans for patients identified as at risk patients for crisis intervention 
• Works to maintain a safe and therapeutic environment while maintaining boundaries for patients, families and staff. 
• Supports visitation guidelines and policies as established by unit and hospital.  
• Identifies, reports and resolves potential / actual problems in the unit. 
• Demonstrates appropriate critical incident follow up skills by timely verbal reporting to care team and documentation in Electronic Health Record as appropriate. Completes other documentation, ie. Incident reports, seclusion and restraints as applicable. 
• Assist patients with Activities of Daily Living, obtain vital signs and weights. 
• Obtain and perform Point of Care testing on collected specimen (e.g.blood glucose, venipuncture, urine, pharyngeal swabs etc.)  
• Helps in application and removal of physical restraints when directed by the attending medical provider and or primary nurse. 
• Perform Audits on violent restraints to ensure the correct documentation is being completed.
• Conduct Restraint debriefs in redcap following restraint episodes in the hospital.
• Respond to all Crisis Intervention Response Teams Codes throughout the hospital and be the point person during the escalation. 
• Chart Audits for ASQ compliance on Medical Surgical Floors, Pediatric ICU, Intergrated Care Unit and the Emergency Department.
• Participate in related committees or groups.                             

                                                                 Supervisory Duties (if applicable)

•  In collaboration with department managers, oversee, educate, and guide Behavioral Health technicians and other support staff