Youth Care Navigator

Job Summary:

As an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team, the Youth Care Navigator works collaboratively with the treatment team. Identifies the immediate and ongoing barriers to accessing mental health and substance use treatment. Provides care navigation for children, youth, and their families with behavioral health and/or substance use problems, to help them access and utilize the most effective supports and services available. The Youth Care Navigator will work to improve the emotional and behavioral outcomes for these children and youth, to enhance their functional outcomes, and to reduce the risk of more serious behavioral health problems, school expulsions, out-of-home placements, higher levels of care, and juvenile justice system involvement. Under direction from the Senior Manager and Care Coordination Supervisor, the Youth Care Navigator addresses specific skill and resource deficits and build competencies including but not limited to: age appropriate life skills, conflict resolution skills, and self-advocacy skills. The Youth Care Navigator participates in collaborative meetings with internal and external resources to ensure continuity in care and link clients and their families with the resources/skills necessary to promote stability. Works in various settings, to include but not limited to: office, home, or community-based environments.

Essential Functions:

• Acts as the primary point of contact for families seeking BH and/or SUD treatment and recovery services through the MSO.
• Assists youth and their families to access appropriate treatment and navigate and coordinate care.
• Acts as a central point of contact for BH/SUD treatment providers and other professionals, including school districts, to coordinate treatment through the MSO.
• Assists schools to access pediatric providers to refer children and youth for BH/SUD problems.
• Promotes evidence based and best practices for children and youth with BH and/or SUD problems.
• Coordinates funding with Medicaid and other payers.
• Determines regional training needs (content and frequency for effective training) and develop training materials on effective means to address youth substance use and provide psychoeducation to school professionals, including administrators, school counselors, school-based health clinic staff, and others as needed;
• Provides behavioral health and other supportive resources to families, treatment providers, and schools.
• Completes functional needs assessment to assess both resource barriers as well as skill deficits impacting treatment stability and overall wellness.
• Ability to enhance engagement throughout the client experience with the organization.
• Collaborates with clients, internal and external partners as well as families or other supports involved with clients for the purposes of coordinating care.
• Actively evaluates the clients progress and provides feedback to the client and/or clients family and treatment team.
• Population served involves persons who are eighteen (18) years of age or younger and persons twenty-one (21) years of age or younger, but older than eighteen (18) years of age who are receiving special education services pursuant Part 1 of Article 20 of Title 22 and their families who have BH and/or SUD problems.
• Maintains accurate, concise, and timely documentation of services provided.
• Operation of personal vehicle may be required to drive between offices or community sites depending on program assigned. Transport of clients may be required utilizing Diversus Health vehicles.

The Environment at Diversus Health is fluid. Roles and responsibilities may be altered to accommodate changing business conditions and objectives. Employees may be asked to perform duties that are outside of the specific work that is listed. This position may require you to work standard hours, as well as flexible hours before and after standard hours, and overtime in excess of 40 hours in a work week.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Bachelors Degree in Psychology, Sociology, Social Work or related field required.
• Spanish speaker preferred.
• One year of professional work experience or volunteer experience in the behavioral health field, preferred.
• Working knowledge of basic coping skills and community resources
• General understanding of behavioral health and/or substance use services.
• Ability to take initiative, organize work effectively and use critical thinking to independently problem solve.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Possesses the ability to easily build rapport with clients and other team members.
• Proficient computer skills, to include Microsoft Suite, with the ability to type 25+ words per minute for the input and output of client information, using electronic health records.
• Embodies a commitment to:
  • Passion: a commitment to being present in the moment to create excitement and allow individuals to utilize their passion in daily functions. Help individuals connect their daily responsibilities with Diversus Healths larger mission
    • Humility: Level setting with all parties and advocates for all voices within Diversus Health
    • Corporate Citizenship: continued commitment to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of our workforce and their families, as well as of the local community and society at large.
    • Value in diversity: ability to recognize the value in differing perspectives, culture, etc., and leveraging those diverse components to develop experiences aligned with our internal and external communities
  • Innovation: thinking differently than the status quo to explore opportunities that provide a competitive advantage.
    • FUN: Contribute to, and be part of, an environment where individuals feel joy, comfort and connected to the organizations larger initiatives, while simultaneously experiencing a sense of cultural acceptance and belonging
    • Integration: cross functional implementation of theory, principles, and best practices from across the behavioral health industry in order to improve execution of strategies and deliver high quality experiences
  • Excellence: unwavering commitment to work that reflects the standard our colleagues and persons expect and deserve.
    • Transparency: communication, steward of resources, and the mistakes one makes (Fail/Fail Fast/Fail Fast Forward), while giving credit where it is due.
    • Safety: speaks to interconnectedness of all facets (departments and personnel) of the organization

Diversus Health does not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of age 40 and over, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or any other applicable status protected by state or local law.