Behavior Specialist Consultant

Job Description

Job Description

Position Title: Behavior Services Consultant (BSC)

Reports to: Clinical Administrative Manager/Clinical Coordinator (as assigned)

Department:

Administration Adoption Behavior Health HBDS IPS PEP Foster Care TIPS AERC

FLSA Status: Exempt

Non-exempt

Fee-For-Service

Location: 100 W. Coulter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144

The Juvenile Justice Center of Philadelphia (JJC) is a non-profit, multi-service organization that serves the needs of disadvantaged children, youth and families. Our mission is to maintain families through supportive services, to prevent children and youth from being placed in care, and also to ready families for reunification with their children.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Behavior Consultant (BSC) performs assessments of a child’s, youth’s or young adult’s needs and development of an individualized treatment plan (ITP) that includes the interventions that will be used to meet the identified needs. The BSC also coordinates and consults with other service providers regarding behavior plans and interventions and discussion with the child’s, youth’s or young adult’s treatment team about the behavioral interventions that should be used and when they should be used. BSC services can be used to address behaviors in the school, home, or any other place where a child, youth or young adult needs behavior support (i.e.- across settings) and to learn strategies to better succeed.

• Collaborate with other members of the treatment team in order to design and direct the implementation of an individualized treatment plan (ITP) to be implemented across settings of the child.
• Develop a trusting partnership with family members and other team members.
• Ensure clinical interventions are properly formulated in order to design, implement, monitor and adjust the behavioral interventions for the child to ensure progress can be made over time and in accordance with the ITP.
• Observe child in the home/school/community setting as part of the initial assessment in preparation for designing the individualized treatment plan and implementation of the written order. Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) will also be needed (if properly trained with certificate).
• Design data collection tools to be used by Behavior Health Technician (BHT) and/or other team members to accurately assess effectiveness of established therapeutic interventions.
• Develop Individualized Treatment Plans (ITP) to instruct other members of the therapeutic team (including teacher, teacher’s aides, other school personnel, family, BHT, MT and/or other designated individuals providing direct service or supports to the child) in their roles and responsibilities in implementing the established interventions.
• Complete and submit accurate and timely documentation which includes but is not limited to: Individualized Treatment Plans (ITP), Encounter Forms, Progress Notes, Progress Summaries, Addendums, Crisis/Safety Plans, FBAs, Assessments, Structured Tools, Incident Reports, ITM summaries, Discharge Summaries, etc. by assigned deadlines.
• Provide individual mentoring and supervision of all assigned BHT staff
• Conduct Functional Behavior Assessments (if properly trained with certificate) –FBA for BSC-ASD/BC-A requires a professional license plus FBA certification from DPW or a professional license plus BCBA. For non ASD FBA’s – the FBA certification is sufficient.

• Supervision Requirements:
  • BSC clinicians who provide services must receive at least one hour of individual face-to-face supervision per month which includes oversight of the following: The interventions being implemented, the child’s, youth’s, or young adult’s progress towards the goals of the ITP, consideration of adjustments needed to the ITP and the staff person’s skill in implementing the interventions in the ITP.
  • If the individual who provides BSC services supervises BHT treatment team members, the BSC must receive the following supervision in addition to the above: One hour of face-to-face supervision per month which must include a discussion of the BHT services being provided.
  • On-Site Supervision Requirement: BSC clinicians who provide services must receive 30 minutes of direct observation of the services being provided every 6 months.
• BSC's must complete at least 40 hours of training within the first year and 20 hours each year thereafter. These training hours must be Department-approved and related to the specific job functions and in accordance with their individual training plan. The training hours will also include mandatory agency and/or funder or state requirements.
• Valid Act 34, Act 151 and Act 114 clearances.

EDUCATION/CREDENTIALS/EXPERIENCE

As taken from Annex A, Title 55: Human Services, Part III: Medical Assistance Manual, Chapter 1155: Intensive Behavior Health Services General Provisions, individuals who provide individual services through BSC must meet one of the following:

• Be licensed in this Commonwealth as a behavior specialist.
• Have a certification as a BCBA or other graduate-level certification in behavior analysis that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or the American National Standards Institute.
• Have a graduate degree in ABA from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or have an equivalent degree from a foreign college or university that has been evaluated by the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. The Department will accept a general equivalency report from the listed evaluator agencies to verify a foreign degree or its equivalency.
• Have a minimum of 1 year of full-time experience in providing mental health direct services to children, youth or young adults and a graduate degree in psychology, social work, education, or counseling from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or an equivalent degree from a foreign college or university that has been evaluated by the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. The Department will accept a general equivalency report from the listed evaluator agencies to verify a foreign degree or its equivalency.
• Completed a clinical or mental health direct service practicum and have a graduate degree in psychology, social work, education, counseling or a related field from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or have an equivalent degree from a foreign college or university that has been evaluated by the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. The Department will accept a general equivalency report from the listed evaluator agencies to verify a foreign degree or its equivalency.

Additionally, in order to provide behavior consultation to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for the treatment of ASD, the BSC shall be licensed in this Commonwealth as a psychologist, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, clinical social worker, social worker, behavior specialist, certified registered nurse practitioner or a professional with a scope of practice that includes overseeing the provision of ABA services.

SKILLS :

• Ability to write and complete timely and clinical sound reports.

• Ability to handle and maintain confidential information.

• Ability to handle multiple priorities, tasks, projects, and assignments.

• Ability to communicate with coworkers, administration, clients, vendors, and others in a courteous and professional manner always.

• Ability to present oneself in a professional appearance and manner at all times.

• Ability to work independently as well as with management and staff teams.

• Proficient in MS Office and/or other Windows based or common office applications; familiarity with Electronic Medical Records (EMR) a plus.

• Ability to effectively communicate in a verbal and/or written manner.

• Ability to read and interpret clinical documents.

• A valid driver’s license with access to an automobile, preferred.

PHY SICAL DEMANDS/ WORK ENVIRONMENT :

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• Ability to stand, to walk, and to negotiate steps/stairs several times a day. While performing the essential duties of this job, the individual is regularly required to use hands to finger; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear.

• Be able to occasionally lift up to 20 lbs.

Contributing to the team

• Participates in meetings (including evaluations/written orders, medication appointments and ISPT’s) for collaboration purposes to monitor progress and resiliency of clients to prepare for discharge.
• Models traits of a responsible team member, executing job responsibilities, open communication, good follow through; supports team members to do the same.
• Responds promptly to the concerns and interests of the child, parents/guardians, funding entities and other JJC staff and administration whether in person, via email or phone.

Administrative activities

• Ensures an active internet connection, as email and online documentation are the main forms of communication between the field staff and the Behavioral Health Administration.
• Ensures compliance with all JJC’s policies and procedures, including confidentiality and reporting suspected abuse in accordance with CPSL, 23 Pa.C.S. § § 6301—6385, and JJC policies and procedures.