Behavioral Health Counselor


Job Details

The Licensed Behavior Health Clinician-Adult is an independent licensed clinical social worker, professional counselor, psychologist, or clinical nurse specialist that will be responsible for providing outpatient therapy services within the Department of Psychiatry and/or other areas within the health system as needed.

Essential Job functions:

  • Provides initial evaluations and direct outpatient clinical services for the Department of Psychiatry for adults.
  • Provides psychotherapy to patients in conjunction with care provided by department psychiatrists, physicians, psychologists, and nurse practitioners.
  • Develops clinical treatment plans with patient input, understanding and agreement toward clearly stated goals.
  • Utilizes the most current diagnostic and statistics manual for mental health disorders to provide accurate diagnosis.
  • Completes clinical documentation noting progress toward treatment goals following each patient encounter.
  • Maintains compliance with all VCUHS policies and procedures governing clinical care delivery and documentation.
  • Collaborates as part of an interdisciplinary team to meet the needs of the patients served.
  • Facilitates patient referrals to other departmental resources or to community resources as appropriate.
  • Performs other duties as assigned and/or participates in special projects in order to support the mission of VCUHS and the Department.
  • Provides assistance to team members.
  • Accepts alternate assignments, as required, graciously.


Patient Population:

Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide equitable care appropriate to the age of the patients served on their assigned unit.

Adults (18-64 years); Geriatrics (65 years and older)

Employment Qualifications:

Required Education:
Masters or Doctoral level education in the field of psychology, social work, counseling, or nursing from an accredited program

Preferred Education: N/A

Licensure/Certification Required:

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Professional Counselor, Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Social Worker or Clinical Nurse Specialist

Licensure/Certification Preferred: N/A

Minimum Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

Minimum of three (3) years post licensure experience providing initial psychiatric evaluations and psychotherapy in an outpatient setting

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

Must be able to independently evaluate patients, formulate an accurate differential diagnosis, develop, and implement an appropriate course of treatment.

Cultural Responsiveness:
Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing bias.

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred: N/A

Working Conditions:

Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads may occur.

Physical Requirements:

Physical Demands: Lifting/ Carrying (0-50 lbs.); Push/Pull (0-50 lbs.)

Work Position: Sitting, Walking, Standing

Additional Physical Requirements/ Hazards:

Physical Requirements:

Reach above shoulder

Mental/Sensory - Emotional:

Mental/Sensory: Strong Recall, Reasoning, Problem solving, Hearing, Speak clearly, Write legibly, Reading, Logical Thinking

Emotional: Fast-paced environment, Able to handle multiple priorities, Frequent and intense customer interactions, Noisy environment, Able to adapt to frequent change

EEO Employer/Disabled/Protected Veteran/41 CFR 60-1.4.





 VCU Health

 06/01/2024

 Richmond,VA