The Behavioral Support Specialist, in conjunction with the Director of Care Management Specialized Services and the VP of Healthcare Management and Clinical Support, will work collaboratively to support the department and a wider group of organizations with the overall approach to Behavioral Health Services.
The Behavioral Support Specialist works collaboratively with Care Design NY (CDNY) Care Coordination/Health Home (CCO/HH) and Partners Health Plan (PHP) Managed Care Organization (MCO) care management teams to facilitate holistic and integrated care management services to the people we support. The Behavioral Support Specialist provides clinical expertise that supports access to services, quality interventions, and improved health outcomes. Such supports operate under a whole-person approach to provide care that integrates behavioral health, physical, developmental disability services, and other needed supports and social services. The whole-person approach to care addresses the clinical and non-clinical care needs of the individuals through effective partnerships with persons, their caregivers/families, community resources, and their physicians. Facilitates a strong, stable, person-centered approach to holistic service planning that ensures that social determinants of health are addressed within and across settings to achieve coordinated care.

At Partnership Solutions, our work is performed in support of, and on behalf of, Care Design NY (a Care Coordination / Health Home), and Partners Health Plan (a Managed Care Organization), dedicated to providing supports and services for persons with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. As their administrative arm, we share in a unified organizational culture and the work we do is in furtherance of our collective ability to achieve our shared organizational mission, vision, and values as stated below:

Purpose - Connecting people to their chosen supports to live a healthy and meaningful life.
Vision – We see a world that is accepting, inclusive, and promotes positive health for all individuals with intellectual and /or developmental Disabilities (I/DD).
Mission – Our mission is twofold: to provide compassionate, skilled person-centered care planning that includes a holistic approach to health and wellness, and to advocate for a disability inclusive world.
Values -

• Committed - We are committed to developing successful employees across the organization so members and families can receive high-quality supports.
• Compassionate - We are compassionate about creating open, honest relationships through collaboration, active listening, and showing empathy for others.
• Connected - We are connected to each other through a sense of belonging that enriches the work environment and shapes a positive experience for members and families.

All full-time positions come with generous benefits including $3000 tuition reimbursement per calendar year, and up to $250 of professional development courses! Click here to view the current benefits summary.

Travel is primarily local during the business day, although some out-of-area and overnight travel may be expected.

• Interpret assessment and screening tools to provide clinical consultative support to care managers and help identify opportunities to improve behavioral health outcomes for members. Provide teams with clinical and educational resources as needed. Assist care managers in coaching individuals/families and involved team members toward successful self-management of behavioral health and mental health needs.
• Clinically support care managers with assessing members’ and families’ unmet health and social needs. Work with care managers to engage individuals in identifying and addressing needs related to social determinants of health. Provide clinical support to improve health literacy.
• Educate all staff on the requirements for relevant behavioral health care aspects of the Core Health Home Services and FIDA plans
• Function as a clinical resource to care managers who need assistance with complex or problematic behavioral health care needs.
• Utilize clinical expertise to support care managers with coordinating and providing access to preventative and health promotion services, including prevention of behavioral challenges, mental illness, and substance use disorder.
• Facilitate access to appropriate behavioral health, mental health, and substance use services and interact with community supports such as behavioral/mental health, treatment programs, CSIDD programs, and hospitals.
• Utilize clinical expertise to support care managers advocating and providing information and community resources for the person and person’s circle of support.
• Clinically support care managers accessing supports and services designed to empower the individual by fostering skills to achieve desired personal relationships, community participation, dignity, and respect.
• Work with Healthcare Management, Care Management, and Quality and Data analytics teams to identify and analyze the systemic needs of CDNY and PHP members in behavioral health and assist with systemic actions and quality improvement.
• Monitor the outcomes from emergency room visits and hospitalizations for behavioral health challenges, mental health needs, and substance use to identify strategies to reduce further reoccurrences.
• Provide clinical guidance to care managers with finding resolutions to the person’s overall needs, including mental health, behavioral health challenges, substance use, legal issues, housing instability, and situations that could potentially put the person being supported at risk.
• Provide clinical support to care managers in discharge planning, and attend discharge conferences when appropriate to ensure discharge plans are in the individual's best interest and support their overall health needs.
• Consult with state agencies and community providers (OPWDD, CSIDD, OMH, OASAS, etc.) and participate in advisory meetings, provider meetings, forums, and other group discussions to facilitate connection to services and identify appropriate referral options.

• Master’s degree in social work, a clinical or treatment field of psychology, applied psychology, or school psychology, OR
  • A National Board certification in behavior (BCBA) and a master’s degree in behavior analysis or a field closely related to clinical psychology
  • Or A New York State license in mental health counseling
  • Or A New York State license master’s in social work
• Previous experience collaborating with people with intellectual/developmental disabilities is required.
• Strong communication skills, including verbal and written communication, and strong interpersonal and organizational skills are also required.
• 2+ years of clinical experience collaborating with individuals with mental illness and/or substance use, homelessness, and criminal justice involvement strongly preferred.
• CASAC certification is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with health-related computer applications is also required.

Care Design NY and Partnership Solutions provide equal employment opportunities to all. We celebrate the qualities that make each of us unique and greatly value how they enrich the work we do. As such, we welcome candidates of color, candidates who identify as gender diverse, neurodiverse candidates, and candidates of all ages with diverse lived experiences and perspectives to apply.