Behavioral Health MS - Counselor (Licensed)

Location: Bloomington, IN
Shift: Full-Time Days

Position Overview:

The Behavioral Health Counselor facilitates patient involvement in treatment and education within a supportive milieu. This role includes providing individual, group, and family counseling, conducting utilization review, discharge planning, and crisis intervention. The counselor collaborates effectively with the healthcare team to ensure patients receive timely, safe services, and families are connected with appropriate resources.

Key Responsibilities:

• Facilitate patient engagement in treatment and education through individual, group, and family counseling.

• Perform functions related to utilization review and discharge planning to promote safe and effective patient transitions.

• Communicate and collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to coordinate patient care episodes.

• Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs; model caring and professional practices to other caregivers.

• Assess psychosocial risk factors by evaluating prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping mechanisms.

• Counsel patients and families regarding emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness/disability.

• Access and mobilize family and community resources to meet patient needs.

• Conduct mental health assessments upon physician referral.

• Provide therapeutic interventions to support complex discharge planning and care coordination.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for cases involving child abuse/neglect, elder/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence.

• Act as liaison between Indiana University Health and local child and adult protective teams (APS/CPS).

• Maintain principles and techniques of crisis intervention and de-escalation.

• Provide intervention in guardianship (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, and mental health Level II placements.

• Offer specialized mental health services, including crisis intervention, addiction assessments, and community resource referrals.

• Support individuals in dangerous or potentially dangerous situations, providing leadership in clinical interventions.

• Utilize de-escalation techniques to support patients experiencing acute crises and prevent violence.

• Conduct effective interviews with victims, perpetrators, families, and other stakeholders.

• Provide intervention for end-of-life, guardianship, foster care, and adoption cases.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Education: Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related mental health field.

• Licensure: Current Indiana license in one of the following: LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LCAC, or HSPP.

• Experience: 3-5 years of relevant healthcare, mental health, or community-based experience preferred.

• Certifications:

  • Certification in Crisis Intervention required within 90 days of hire.

  • BLS certification required within 30 days of hire.

• Knowledge & Skills:

  • Evidence-based psychosocial assessment, short-term counseling, and crisis intervention (CBT, MI, DBT).

  • Understanding of disease processes and human behavior related to social and mental health needs.

  • Complex discharge planning skills for safe patient transitions.

  • Knowledge of state and county protective legal mandates.

  • Principles of growth, development, and end-of-life care.

  • Ability to identify decision-makers and facilitate goals-of-care conversations.

  • Experience adapting services to diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic populations.

  • Strong relationships with community and healthcare agencies, law enforcement, schools, probation, and protective services.

  • Basic proficiency in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Core Competencies:

• Excellent communication and active listening skills.

• Strong crisis management, de-escalation, and violence prevention skills.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

• Commitment to confidentiality and HIPAA compliance.

• Cultural sensitivity and professionalism.

Join our dedicated team in providing compassionate mental health support that makes a real difference.

To learn more about our benefits, visit: IU Health Benefits

Interested?
Apply today to become a Counselor – Behavioral Health MS Licensed at Indiana University Health in Bloomington!

• Indiana University Health has nearly 40,000 team members, including more than 3,600 physicians and 1,200 advanced practice providers, and we’re home to the largest nursing network in Indiana with more than 9,000 nursing team members at over 800 sites of care.
• IU Health is ranked No. 1 in Indiana by U.S. News & World Report, Riley Children's Health is ranked among the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
• A unique partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine – one of the nation’s largest medical schools – gives patients access to groundbreaking research and innovative treatments, and it offers team members access to the latest science and the very best training – advancing healthcare for all.
• With 15 hospitals, including seven with Magnet designation and eight with Pathways to Excellence designation, our team members are leading the way through excellence.
• At Indiana University Health, your personal and professional growth is a top priority. You will have access to many diverse opportunities to learn and develop in meaningful ways that matter most to you, such as advanced clinical training, leadership development, promotion opportunities and cross training development.
• Indiana University Health is invested in the lives of Hoosiers, leading the transformation of healthcare to make Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states.