Behavioral Health Associate

About the Role

The Behavioral Health Associate serves as an integral part of the multidisciplinary treatment team. This role is responsible for monitoring and reporting client behaviors, providing continuous client care, supervision, interaction, and role modeling. It also involves assisting in client data collection, recording, and maintenance, and responding in crisis situations and medical emergencies.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensures the well-being of clients and provides a safe, positive, supportive, and structured environment.
• Maintains constant awareness and supervision of clients.
• Conducts safety checks at intervals in accordance with individualized supervision guidelines.
• Checks clients for contraband and manages client valuables and belongings.
• Interacts routinely with clients, observes behaviors, and communicates significant observations to a supervisor.
• Promotes interest in recreational activities.
• Engages with clients in activities and interactions designed to encourage achievement of treatment goals.
• Facilitates client educational-rehabilitative groups covering topics such as social skills, coping skills, anger management, and independent living skills.
• May take and record vital signs and communicate significant changes in a client’s condition to the charge nurse.
• Documents in client records timely, accurately, and appropriately.
• Applies de-escalation techniques to help manage client emotions, behavior, and participation in treatment.
• Assists with unit cleaning, organization of new admit charts, discharge process, and filing.
• Initiates client/employee incident reports.
• Provides transfer or transportation for clients or coordinates transportation with appropriate staff members.
• Provides verbal report/briefing to the oncoming shift.
• Serves as a resource for new clients, introducing them to other clients and staff, explaining programs, and encouraging participation.
• Orients clients to the activities program, explaining the benefits of activities.
• Maintains awareness of a client's needs and individual goals, motivating clients towards beneficial activities.
• Observes client interest levels and behaviors.
• Assists with activity planning by offering new activity ideas and diverse therapeutic recreation program concepts.
• Organizes and sets up equipment used in recreational activities.
• Provides clients with activity resources and supplies as needed.
• Enforces safety rules to prevent injury and modifies activities to suit the needs of specific groups.
• Helps to develop and maintain departmental resources, sharing responsibility for monitoring equipment and supplies.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• CPR certification required.
• De-escalation certification required.
• Training available upon hire and offered by facility.
• First aid may be required based on state or facility requirements.

Qualifications

• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Six months or more experience working with the specific population of the facility preferred.
• Knowledge of common psychiatric disorders and/or dual diagnosis and various treatment modalities of the population served preferred.

CNA's welcome to apply.

No specific certifications required (beyond CPR and de-escalation).