Behavioral Health Counselor MS
Legal
Bloomington, IN, USA
Posted on Jun 26, 2026
Position Title: Behavioral Health Counselor MS
Department: Behavioral Health – OP Peds
Location: IUHMG S-350 S Landmark, Bloomington, IN
Address:
4935 W Arlington Rd. – Children’s Therapy Clinic
727 W 2nd Street – Hunter School Building
Shift: Full-Time Day; Monday – Friday, On-Site, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (40 hours/week)
Position Overview: The Behavioral Health Counselor facilitates patient involvement in treatment and education within a multidisciplinary hospital setting. This role involves conducting individual, group, and family counseling, discharge planning, utilization review, and crisis intervention. The counselor collaborates with healthcare teams, community agencies, and protective services to ensure patients receive safe, timely, and resource-rich care. The position also entails managing complex cases such as abuse, neglect, guardianship, and high-risk crises, employing de-escalation and safety techniques as needed.
Key Responsibilities:
Facilitate patient participation in treatment, education, and recovery through individual, group, and family counseling sessions.
Conduct psychosocial assessments evaluating prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping strategies.
Provide mental health assessments upon physician referral and deliver therapeutic interventions, including crisis management and community resource referrals.
Support complex discharge planning, including guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health placements.
Serve as the primary point of contact for cases involving child abuse/neglect, adult/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence.
Act as a liaison between IU Health, protective teams, law enforcement, and community agencies.
Respond to dangerous or potentially dangerous situations with clinical intervention and de-escalation techniques.
Support patients in acute crises, utilizing de-escalation skills to prevent violence and ensure safety.
Lead and support decision-making and goals of care conversations to promote patient-centered care.
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with community organizations, law enforcement, schools, probation, and other agencies.
Provide clinical supervision and support ongoing professional development.
Document all assessments and interventions accurately within the electronic medical record system.
Qualifications & Requirements:
Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related field.
0-3 years of relevant healthcare, mental health, or community-based experience.
License-eligible in Indiana as an LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, or LCAC; must have a minimum of a permanent LSW, LMHC-A, or LMFT-A upon hire.
Certification in crisis intervention (may be required).
BLS certification (may be required).
Knowledge of psychosocial assessment, therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention techniques.
Understanding of disease processes and human behavior related to health and social needs.
Knowledge and application of evidence-based practices (CBT, MI, DBT).
Familiarity with legal mandates for child and adult protective services at the state and county levels.
Understanding of growth and development principles across the lifespan.
Ability to maintain principles and techniques of crisis intervention and de-escalation.
Ability to create a safe, therapeutic environment and instruct patients in daily activities and programming.
Basic proficiency in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Strong ability to develop and sustain collaborative relationships with community agencies, medical teams, law enforcement, and protective services.
Additional Notes:
No on-call, holiday, or weekend rotations.
Open to new graduates not yet licensed.
Collaborative environment with growth opportunities, including clinical supervision hours for licensure advancement.
Opportunity to work with multi-disciplinary teams, while creating care plans and providing therapy.
To learn more about our benefits, visit: IU Health Benefits
Interested?
Apply today to be part of our team and help us deliver exceptional care.
Apply today to be part of our team and help us deliver exceptional care.
- 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.
Indiana University Health is Indiana’s most comprehensive health system, with 15 hospitals and nearly 40,000 team members serving Hoosiers across the state. We’re looking for team members who are inspired by challenging and meaningful work for the good of every patient. People who are compassionate and serve with a purpose. People who aspire to excellence every day.