Behavioral Health Coordinator Jobs in Rutherford, NJ

PURPOSE:

To support comprehensive behavioral health services across multiple Youth and Family Division programs. 

   POSITION OVERVIEW:

   The Youth and Families Division is seeking a compassionate, dynamic, and adaptable Licensed Behavioral Health Clinician (Floater) to provide high-quality, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed behavioral health services across multiple programs within the division. The floater clinician will play a pivotal role in ensuring continuity of care, supporting program needs, and providing clinical expertise wherever needed. This position offers a unique opportunity for a motivated professional to make a difference in the lives of youth and families through collaboration, flexibility, and clinical excellence.

The Floater Clinician will be strategically deployed to fill vacant clinical positions that are essential to the ongoing care and treatment of clients across the Youth & Family Division. This temporary assignment model ensures uninterrupted delivery of high-quality services, mitigates the impact of staffing gaps, and alleviates undue burden on existing team members. The clinician will remain in each role until a permanent staff member is onboarded or until reassigned to a higher-priority need within the division. This dynamic position offers experienced clinicians a unique opportunity to broaden their expertise across a diverse array of youth and family programs governed by regulatory bodies such as OMH, OCFS, ACS, DOH, DOE, HRA, and OTDA.  

Regular clinical supervision and opportunities for professional development are provided to support licensure maintenance and ongoing growth.

The floater clinician will be provided with the opportunity to be trained in various program models as well as evidenced based and informed clinical models. They will also have the opportunity of receiving supervision, training and mentorship from seasoned supervisors and leaders throughout the division and agency as a whole.

KEY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Direct Clinical Services: Provide individual, group, and family counseling to youth and families, using evidence-based interventions and best practice models aligned with the division’s philosophy.
• Assessment & Treatment Planning: Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments, develop and update individualized treatment plans, and coordinate care in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.
• Program Support: Float between various youth and family programs (e.g., outpatient, school-based, crisis intervention, prevention, residential, and community-based), stepping in to support staff absences, increased caseloads, or programmatic needs.
• Crisis Intervention: Provide timely crisis assessment and intervention for youth and families experiencing acute behavioral health challenges, including risk assessments, safety planning, and referral to higher levels of care as needed.
• Case Documentation: Maintain accurate and timely clinical documentation in compliance with agency, state, and federal regulations, including progress notes, assessments, treatment plans, and discharge summaries.
• Collaboration: Work collaboratively with internal teams, school personnel, medical providers, child welfare agencies, juvenile justice, and other stakeholders to ensure integrated care and coordinated service delivery.
• Family Engagement: Foster strong, supportive relationships with families and caregivers, providing psychoeducation, resources, and support to enhance family functioning and engagement in care.
• Professional Development: Participate in ongoing supervision, team meetings, training, and quality improvement initiatives. Seek and maintain knowledge of current evidence-based practices and updates in behavioral health.
• Compliance: Adhere to all legal, ethical, and professional standards, including HIPAA, confidentiality, and reporting requirements.
• Other Duties: Perform other related duties as assigned to support the mission and effectiveness of the Youth and Families Division.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Adaptability: Ability to quickly acclimate to new teams, settings, and clinical needs across the division.
• Empathy: Demonstrates genuine empathy and respect for individuals and families facing challenging circumstances.
• Problem-Solving: Approaches complex clinical and systemic issues creatively and collaboratively.
• Ethical Practice: Upholds the highest standards of professional conduct and confidentiality.
• Teamwork: Values collaboration and communication with colleagues and external partners.
• Initiative: Proactively seeks opportunities to contribute and support program goals.

EDUCATIONAL/TRAINING REQUIRED:

• Master’s degree in social work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related behavioral health field.
• Active licensure as an LMSW, LCSW, LMFT, LMHC, LCAT or equivalent in New York State.
• Minimum of two years’ post-master’s experience providing behavioral health services to youth and family populations.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED/LANGUAGE PREFERENCE:

• Demonstrated experience working with diverse populations and a commitment to cultural humility, equity, and inclusion.
• Solid understanding of child and adolescent development, family systems, and the impact of trauma.
• Ability to navigate electronic health records and maintain detailed documentation.
• Strong crisis intervention and risk assessment skills.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and time-management skills.
• Flexibility to move seamlessly among various programs and adapt to changing clinical environments.
• Reliable transportation, and ability to travel between program sites as needed. The floater position requires the ability to work in all five boroughs as needed/assigned.
• Must be able to successfully complete the required training related to program model requirements including, but not limited to, evidenced based models, trauma informed training, therapeutic crisis intervention as well as agency assigned annual trainings.
• CPR/First Aid certification or willingness to obtain within the first 90 days of employment.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish or other languages relevant to the community served).
• Must be fingerprinted by OCFS, OMH, DOE and SCR cleared.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• LCSW
• Experience with community-based, school-based, and/or residential behavioral health programs.
• Familiarity with systems of care, wraparound services, and multi-agency coordination.
• Additional certifications/trained in evidence-based models MST, DBT, CBT, and/or Youth ACT
• Trauma informed training and experience
• Bilingual a plus but not required (English/Spanish or other languages relevant to the community served).

COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED: 

• Intermediate computer proficiency and efficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Teams, Work, and Power Point).

VISUAL AND MANUAL DEXIERITY:

• Ability to read/input data and documents, including spreadsheets, reports, and Electronic Health Records in printed form and on computer screens.
• Able to input data into various agency and city/state electronic health records.
• Limited applications of manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
• Manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination to conduct significant data entry and record keeping required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• The floater clinician will work on-site within various program locations, including outpatient offices, schools, residential facilities, and home/community settings as well as virtually.
• Some telehealth services may be required based on program needs and circumstances.
• This role may involve exposure to emotionally intense situations and requires the ability to manage stress and maintain self-care.
• The clinician should expect variable work schedules, including occasional evenings or weekends, to meet client and program needs.
• Must be able to utilize public transportation.
• Must be able to walk multiple flights of stairs to access clients in walk-up buildings.
• To perform the essential functions of this job the candidate must be able to travel within New York City carrying equipment such as a notebook, forms, laptop, mobile hotspot, and cell phone weighing up to approximately ten pounds.