Pediatric Integrated Behavioral Health Clinician - Specializing in Gender-Affirming Care

POSITION SUMMARY:

Under the direction of the Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) service, the Pediatric Integrated Behavioral Health Clinician - Specializing in Gender-Affirming Care serves as a key member of the Pediatric and Adolescent Primary Care and Pediatric Medical Specialty Group (PSG) practices. Collaborating closely with BMC's Child and Adolescent Transgender Center for Health (CATCH), this clinician provides low-barrier, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed gender-affirming behavioral health services within Pediatrics. The Pediatric IBH Clinician provides targeted interventions, same-day "Warm-Handoff" assessments, multidisciplinary CATCH intakes, care coordination, and consultation to patients, caregivers, and their medical providers in Primary Care and PSG. Specializing in gender-affirming behavioral health care with an understanding of intersectional factors that may impact access to care, this clinician ensures that youth across Pediatric and Adolescent Primary Care and PSG have supportive services within their established medical teams and connecting patient to specialty services and community referrals as needed. This approach provides a flexible entry point for youth who may benefit from gender-affirming care in a familiar setting, enhancing engagement, comfort, and continuity of care. These services may include facilitating a referral for more wrap-around support, providing an overview of gender-affirming resources and interventions to reduce feelings of dysphoria, and as needed individual and familial clinical support and consultation.

This role requires ongoing collaboration between patients, their families and caregivers, school, and when applicable, community agencies such as the Department of Children and Families (DCF). This Pediatric IBH Clinician will join a vibrant team that is dedicated to destigmatizing behavioral health care, increasing access to quality health care, identifying gaps in care with proactive screening and outreach, promoting opportunities for cross-disciplinary trainings and proving holistic behavioral health care. This clinician will receive ongoing support through formal and informal avenues including but not limited to weekly multidisciplinary clinical case reviews, regular IBH and Psychiatry clinical trainings, and peer consultation within IBH, CATCH, and the GenderCare Center (GCC).

Position: Pediatric Integrated Behavioral Health Clinician - Specializing in Gender-Affirming Care Department: Social Services

Schedule: Full Time

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITES:

• Clinician will conduct psychosocial assessments, crisis intervention, safety planning as needed, formulate behavioral health diagnoses, and case conceptualizations, develop and implement targeted treatment plans including care coordination, and facilitate individual, family, and group interventions.
• Collaborate with providers within IBH, Psychiatry, Pediatric/Adolescent Primary Care and Medical Specialty Group practices, GCC, and CATCH to address the behavioral health and psychosocial needs of gender diverse youth and their families.
• Complete multidisciplinary intakes with CATCH medical providers.
• Provide parent education and family support including connection to community-based resources.
• Complete therapeutic clinical assessments and provide timely documentation of surgical readiness letters in accordance to updated best practices.
• Engage with families, caregivers, schools, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and other community stakeholders to support patients' mental health and well-being.
• Monitor patient outcomes and adjust treatment as needed, ensuring timely documentation which aligns with hospital policies and departmental guidelines.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITES:

• Attendance at IBH and Psychiatry meetings and in-service education offerings through the Department of Psychiatry.
• Attendance at Pediatric/Adolescent Primary Care and Medical Specialty Groups, CATCH, and GCC meetings under the direction of IBH Primary Care Supervisor.
• Obtaining continuing education as necessary to maintain licensure.
• Follows established hospital infection control and safety procedures.
• Practices professional discretion in determining the inclusion of patient information in medical records and other department clinical documentation, ensuring compliance with departmental, regulatory, and professional standards.
• Timely documentation of each patient encounter in the medical record or the Department clinical record concurrently according to Department policies.
• Utilizes hospital's behavioral standards as the basis of decision-making and facilitating the hospital's mission.
• Maintaining a complete understanding of emergency procedures.
• Perform other duties as requested and or as necessary (e.g. coverage of IBH "warm-hand off" same-day clinical support, at the discretion of the IBH clinical leadership).

GENERAL

• Implements BMC protocol when suspecting domestic violence, and abuse or neglect of a vulnerable individual (e.g., children, older adults, and those with a disability).
• Maintains patient confidentiality,
• Utilizes hospital values as basis for decision-making and facilitate hospital mission.
• Follows established hospital infection control and safety procedures.
• Models the ability to set professional boundaries.
• Performs other duties as assigned and or as necessary.
• Must adhere to all of BMC's RESPECT behavioral standards.

(The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job. The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

Requires Master's Degree from an accredited school of Social Work or school of Mental Health Counseling or related field as determined by the Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions or National Certified Counselor (NCC) preparing for licensure as an LMHC

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:

Requires a Massachusetts license as a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), or Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). For LCSW, can be obtained within 6 months of employment. For Pre-LMHC, can be National Certified Counselor (NCC) preparing for licensure as an LMHC or Masters in Mental Health Counseling, or related field as determined by the Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions

EXPERIENCE:

Required

• Direct clinical experience with pediatric/adolescent populations including individual therapy. Preference for applicants with experience delivering group therapy and family-systems based interventions.
• Experience providing trauma-informed and evidenced-based clinical intervention, preference for the knowledge and experience of gender-affirming behavioral health interventions.
• Experience developing personalized treatment plans, safety and risk assessments, and care-coordination.

Preferred

• Previous experience in Integrated Behavioral Health, Primary Care, or general Medical Settings is preferred.
• Experience working with gender-diverse youth, adolescents, and their families is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with/ within school systems and community agencies such as the Department of Children and Families is preferred.
• Experience treating substance use, self-injurious behavior, disordered eating, and body dysmorphia is preferred.
• Experience working with caregivers, families, and appointed guardians is a plus.
• Experience working clinically across the lifespan is preferred.
• Experience working with diverse groups with respect to the following: country of origin, race, ethnicity, gender, language, disability, socioeconomic status, spiritual beliefs, etc.

• LGBTQIA+ identified individuals, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), those with lived experience, and individuals from historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

Required

• Knowledge of inclusive gender identity development theories to inform clinical practice, consultation, psychoeducation, and advocacy efforts. An understanding of how intersectional influences-such as race, ethnicity, language, country of origin, socioeconomic status, religious/spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, and disability-shape an individual's experience and understanding of their gender identity and expression is strongly preferred.
• Advanced interpersonal skills necessary to collaborate effectively with healthcare professionals and to develop and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with patients, families, and community stakeholders.
• Ability to connect patients with internal and community-based medical and mental health resources and to address social determinants of health.
• Requires knowledge of Social Work / Mental Health Counseling processes, as well as familiarity with community resources, agencies, and social determinants of health related to wellness, illness, and disability.
• Cultural sensitivity, humility, and responsiveness to foster a safe therapeutic space for patients with diverse identities and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to engage in introspection regarding implicit and explicit biases, with a commitment to ongoing learning through reflection, supervision, and peer consultation.
• Competent in telehealth tools, EHR systems, and digital documentation practices, as well as general computer literacy (MS Word, Excel, Outlook, web browsers).
• Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.
• Creativity, sense of humor, and flexibility are highly valued.

Preferred

• Ability to create outreach and educational materials (e.g., flyers, resource guides) for patients and their families, medical providers, and community stakeholders to improve access to gender-affirming services within the Pediatric/Adolescent Primary Care and Medical Specialty Group practices.
• Ability to gather and record clinical intervention and care coordination outcomes data, with support from IBH clinical leadership to assess outcomes, identify areas for improvement, and inform patient engagement strategies and clinical practice adjustments.
• Bicultural/Bilingual competency is preferred (e.g., ability to conduct clinical assessment and intervention in a language other than English).

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans