LCSW - Clinical Consultant Ithaca College

LCSW - Clinical Consultant Ithaca College

Cayuga Health and its affiliates are the region's leading healthcare system and most trusted providers of integrated health services, empowering our people in our mission to equitably improve the well-being of the communities we serve. Our commitment to providing extraordinary healthcare begins with our team of extraordinary professionals who are continuously discovering clinical innovations and enhancing access to the most up-to-date facilities, equipment, technologies, and research protocols. Cayuga Health's commitment to our employees includes competitive compensation, comprehensive employee benefits programs, and the opportunity to explore and build a career in healthcare through our many professional development programs. 

The Clinical Consultant & Care Specialist is a member of a fast-paced integrated college health medical care team. The Clinical Consultant reports to the Director of Student Health Services at Ithaca College and must be comfortable working independently. They will work closely with student health center providers as well as other campus departments including ICare, CAPS, and SAS to provide carefully coordinated shared-care of patients presenting with mental and behavioral health concerns common to the college health and general medical patient population using standardized tools and evidence-based practices to help meet defined patient care goals. College students will be the primary population served. Expansion to include care of staff, faculty and the community is forthcoming. The Clinical Consultant collaborates with the primary care team to offer brief assessment, management, and referral services for patients with behavioral health needs. The service is goal oriented, short term behavioral interventions. Students needing ongoing psychotherapy are referred elsewhere.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Receive warm handoffs from health center providers for behavioral health concerns requiring additional support in the medical environment.
• Remain accessible to the medical team for receiving warm handoffs from the primary team throughout working hours when not engaged in direct patient care.
• Provide brief assessment, diagnosis, and intervention for common mental and behavioral health concerns within the medical practice environment such as sleep disturbances, acute distress, and safety assessment / planning. Assist with ADHD evaluations.
• Integral team member in assessing and diagnosing ADHD in partnership with the medical provider.
• Screen and assess patients for common mental health and substance abuse disorders.
• Closely coordinate care with patients' medical providers and, when appropriate, other mental health providers.
• Facilitate patient engagement and follow-up care.
• Provide patient education about common mental health and substance abuse disorders and the available treatment options.
• Support psychotropic medication management as prescribed by medical providers, focusing on treatment adherence monitoring, side effects, and effectiveness of treatment.
• Provide brief behavioral interventions using evidence-based techniques such as behavioral activation, problem-solving treatment, motivational interviewing, or other treatments as appropriate.
• Provide or facilitate in-clinic or outside referrals to evidence-based psychosocial treatments (e.g. problem-solving treatment or behavioral activation) as clinically indicated.
• Facilitate referrals for clinically indicated services within and outside of the organization (e.g., social services such as mental health specialty care, substance abuse, or eating disorder treatment).
• Complete all required patient care documentation in accordance with professional standards and organizational requirements.
• Actively and proactively participate in quality-improvement initiatives and organizational working groups as assigned.
• Provide in-service training to staff.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Training and licensure in one of the following fields:
  • Licensed Clinical Social Work to include LCSW or LCSW-R
• Flexibility to adapt to fast-paced medical environments as a member of a dynamic care
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and communicate effectively in a team setting.
• Ability to maintain effective and professional relationships with patient and other members of the care team.
• Working knowledge of differential diagnosis of common mental health and/or substance abuse disorders, when appropriate.
• Experience with assessment and treatment planning for common mental health and/or substance use and eating disorders.
• Working knowledge of evidence-based psychosocial treatments and brief behavioral interventions for common mental and behavioral health disorders, when appropriate (e.g., motivational interviewing, problem-solving treatment, behavioral activation).
• Basic knowledge of psychopharmacology for common mental health disorders as appropriate for the primary care environment.
• Ability to effectively engage patients in a therapeutic relationship, when appropriate.
• Ability to work with patients by telephone / telehealth as well as in person.
• Familiarity with using electronic medical record systems.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Experience - 3-5 years preferred.
• Training and / or experience in medical settings preferred.
• Training and/or experience in behavioral medicine and health psychology interventions preferred.

Location and Travel Requirements:

• Onsite - Ithaca College

Pay Range Disclosure:

• $73,840 - $104,000 per year