The Boston Healthy Start Initiative (BHSI) is a federally funded initiative to decrease infant mortality, improve other perinatal health outcomes, and promote improved family health for Black women in Boston and their infants and children up to 18 months of age.

BHSI provides funding, training, best practices, and other support to 5 neighborhood-based clinical sites that offer case management and health education to women and young families. It also convenes the Community Action Network (CAN), a community coalition that brings together BHSI clients, community residents and professionals to develop and implement policy and system approaches to addressing racial inequities in birth outcomes.

BHSI operates within BPHC’s Healthy Start Systems Division, which also includes the Healthy Baby Healthy Child (HBHC) home visiting program and related initiatives that together address inequities in birth outcomes and improved perinatal and family health for Boston residents.

The Behavioral Health Clinician is a newly funded position to support Black maternal health and decrease maternal morbidity/mortality within the BHSI and Healthy Start Systems program context. The primary focus will be women’s mental health and emotional wellness, including post-partum depression.

The Clinician will report clinically to a LMHC program manager within Healthy Start Systems and will receive administrative and programmatic supervision from the BHSI Associate Director.

DUTIES

• Assess referred clients, including those who screen positive for depression.
• Provide a range of clinical social work/behavioral health services to clients and families, utilizing individual, family and group modalities and practicing within the guidelines of professional social work ethics and standards.
• Refer clients to longer-term behavioral health supports and other resources as appropriate.
• Provides case management. Consults, collaborates, and communicates with a wide range of social, governmental, and legal agencies, courts, schools, clinics, other hospitals, physicians, and other sources. Serves as a family advocate with a variety of systems both internally and externally as required.
• Provide technical assistance to BHSI partner sites in addressing maternal mental health, including coaching and support for family partners (case managers) in supporting women’s mental health.
• Coordinate and assist in delivering 2x/year trainings and additional quarterly updates to BHSI staff, family partners and supervisors on the early warning signs of maternal morbidity and mortality risk.
• Provide community and provider education and advocacy regarding maternal mental health and its connection to overall maternal health and wellness.
• Support Community Action Network functioning as assigned.
• Maintain client and program records according to procedures.
• Contribute to developing program reports, grant applications, and other documents.
• May supervise social work interns, parent consultants, and volunteers as required.
• Support ongoing assessment and planning to assure that BHSI is current with needs, gaps, and best practices in perinatal health.
• Participate in program evaluation.
• Represent BHSI at internal and external meetings.
• Serve as a spokesperson for the program as assigned.
• Perform other duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in social work, mental health counseling, or related counseling field required.
• At least two years clinical counseling experience, with preference for experience in maternal behavioral health and trauma.
• Prefer licensure as LSCW, LICSW or LMHC.
• Diagnostic and analytical skills required to assess client needs, develop associated treatment modalities, and provide effective counseling.
• Knowledge of pregnancy, maternal and infant outcomes, and their risk factors
• Knowledge of current social work theory and practice, the ability to apply treatment and case management methods, and familiarity with community issues and resources.
• Understanding of organizational theory and practice in large systems and the knowledge of social and health care policies and systems.
• Team building and collaboration skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice with specific experience in racial equity initiatives preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and experience presenting to groups.
• Leadership and group facilitation skills
• Experience delivering services within urban communities, particularly with racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse populations, and within low income populations preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments.
• Ability to work well with diverse people in diverse settings in a manner that builds trust and supports increased collaboration and partnership.
• Ability to work individually and as part of a team.
• Knowledge of and commitment to the principles of public health.
• Knowledge of Boston neighborhoods and healthcare systems, particularly in maternal and behavioral health, preferred.
• Available for out-of-state travel one or two times annually, as required by the funding agency.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Mass driver’s license.
• Bilingual-bicultural-Haitian Creole and English desirable.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This position is grant-funded.
• City of Boston Residency Required.
• A Criminal Offenders Records Information request must be completed for this position. However, a record is not an automatic bar to employment but is reviewed in relation to the job applied for.
• This position requires direct client/patient contact and because of such direct contact, certain immunizations will be recommended and/or required prior to commencement of employment duties.
• Any position that requires an advanced degree will be subject to education verification.
• The Boston Public Health Commission is an EEO Employer and all applicants meeting the minimum requirements are eligible to apply.