Mental Health Practitioner
Master's
Bethune-Cookman University
Job Title: Licensed Mental Health Practitioner
Division: Behavioral Health Services
Reporting Structure: Director of Behavioral Health Services
Position Summary
Bethune-Cookman University seeks a qualified, compassionate, and person-centered Licensed Mental Health Practitioner to join its Behavioral Health Services Department. This position provides comprehensive clinical mental health services designed to promote students' psychological well-being, emotional resilience, personal development, and academic success.
The Licensed Mental Health Practitioner is responsible for conducting clinical assessments, providing evidence-based individual and group psychotherapy, responding to behavioral health crises, developing individualized treatment plans, and coordinating appropriate referrals and supportive services.
Working within a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and student-centered framework, the practitioner collaborates with university departments, healthcare professionals, and community mental health providers to address the diverse psychological, social, developmental, and academic needs of students.
The position supports the University's commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment that promotes student retention, persistence, and overall wellness.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
1. Clinical Counseling and Psychotherapeutic Interventions
- Provide confidential, evidence-based individual and group psychotherapy to students experiencing emotional, behavioral, psychological, and adjustment-related concerns.
- Utilize clinically appropriate therapeutic interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), solution-focused interventions, trauma-informed approaches, and other evidence-based modalities.
- Address common college mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, stress, relationship difficulties, adjustment disorders, and emotional dysregulation.
- Facilitate therapeutic groups, psycho-educational workshops, and skill-building activities focused on stress management, emotional regulation, coping skills, resilience, and psychological wellness.
- Provide culturally responsive counseling that recognizes students' individual backgrounds, experiences, identities, and developmental needs.
2. Clinical Assessments and Diagnosis
- Conduct comprehensive bio-psychosocial and clinical mental health assessments to evaluate presenting concerns, psychosocial functioning, mental health history, and treatment needs.
- Administer, score, and interpret appropriate standardized screening and assessment instruments within professional scope and competency.
- Assess students for depression, anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, substance use concerns, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and other behavioral health risks.
- Formulate preliminary or formal clinical diagnoses, as appropriate, consistent with professional licensure, clinical competency, and current diagnostic standards.
- Determine appropriate levels of care and make recommendations for ongoing counseling, psychiatric evaluation, crisis services, or specialized treatment.
3. Treatment Planning, Documentation, and Case Management
- Develop individualized, measurable, and clinically appropriate treatment plans based on assessment findings and student-identified goals.
- Monitor treatment progress and modify therapeutic interventions and treatment plans as clinically indicated.
- Maintain timely, accurate, confidential, and comprehensive clinical documentation within the department's electronic medical record (EMR) or approved clinical documentation system.
- Provide case management and care coordination for students requiring additional behavioral health, psychiatric, medical, or community-based services.
- Collaborate with campus healthcare professionals, disability support services, student support personnel, and interdisciplinary teams while maintaining applicable confidentiality requirements.
- Ensure documentation and service delivery comply with applicable professional standards, institutional policies, and federal and state regulations.
4. Crisis Intervention and Emergency Behavioral Health Response
- Provide timely clinical intervention, risk assessment, crisis stabilization, and supportive counseling for students experiencing acute psychological distress or behavioral health emergencies.
- Conduct suicide and violence risk assessments using established clinical protocols and evidence-informed assessment frameworks, including SAFE-T when appropriate.
- Develop collaborative safety plans and coordinate appropriate follow-up services for students experiencing elevated behavioral health risks.
- Assess situations requiring emergency psychiatric evaluation or involuntary examination under applicable Florida Baker Act provisions.
- Coordinate emergency responses with campus safety personnel, emergency medical services, psychiatric receiving facilities, and community crisis providers as appropriate.
- Participate in departmental crisis response protocols, consultation, and follow-up procedures to support continuity of care.
5. Referrals, Linkage, and Continuity of Care
- Identify students requiring specialized psychiatric, psychological, substance use, or intensive outpatient treatment beyond the scope of university counseling services.
- Facilitate referrals to appropriate community mental health providers, psychiatric specialists, hospitals, and treatment programs.
- Coordinate warm handoffs and continuity-of-care services when clinically indicated and appropriately authorized.
- Collaborate with campus and community partners to support student access to comprehensive behavioral health resources.
- Assist students in navigating barriers to treatment, including access to services, insurance limitations, transportation, and continuity of care.
6. Prevention, Outreach, and Campus Collaboration
- Participate in campus-wide mental health promotion, prevention initiatives, and psycho-educational programming.
- Develop and facilitate workshops addressing stress management, test anxiety, emotional wellness, healthy relationships, coping strategies, suicide prevention, and resilience.
- Collaborate with academic departments, Student Affairs, Campus Health Services, Resource (Disability) Services, and other campus stakeholders to promote a supportive campus environment.
- Provide consultation and educational guidance to faculty and staff regarding recognizing students in distress and making appropriate behavioral health referrals.
- Support university initiatives designed to reduce mental health stigma, strengthen help-seeking behaviors, and improve student wellness and academic persistence.
7. Professional, Ethical, and Administrative Responsibilities
- Maintain professional licensure and fulfill continuing education requirements established by the State of Florida.
- Adhere to applicable ethical standards, confidentiality requirements, professional boundaries, and institutional policies.
- Participate in clinical supervision or consultation, case conferences, departmental meetings, professional development, and quality improvement activities.
- Maintain accurate service utilization records and contribute to departmental program evaluation and outcome reporting.
- Demonstrate professional judgment, cultural humility, ethical decision-making, and a commitment to trauma-informed clinical practice.
- Perform other related duties as assigned by the Director of Behavioral Health Services.
Minimum Qualifications and Requirements
Education
- Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, or a closely related clinical behavioral health field from an accredited institution.
Professional Licensure
- Current, active, and unrestricted State of Florida licensure as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).
Clinical Experience
- Minimum of two (2) years of post-degree clinical or supervised counseling experience.
- Demonstrated experience conducting clinical assessments, providing psychotherapy, developing treatment plans, and responding to behavioral health crises.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong working knowledge of evidence-based psychotherapy, mental health assessment, diagnostic formulation, and clinical treatment planning.
- Demonstrated competency in suicide risk assessment, crisis intervention, safety planning, and appropriate emergency referral procedures.
- Knowledge of trauma-informed care, culturally responsive treatment, and ethical clinical practices.
- Understanding of applicable confidentiality and privacy requirements, including HIPAA and FERPA as relevant to university counseling records.
- Ability to establish effective therapeutic relationships with students from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds.
- Strong clinical documentation, organizational, interpersonal communication, and case management skills.
- Ability to exercise sound professional judgment and work independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary university environment.
- Proficiency in electronic clinical documentation systems and standard office technology.
Work Environment and Expectations
The Licensed Mental Health Practitioner will work primarily within the University's Behavioral Health Services Department, providing in-person clinical services and participating in campus-based outreach and crisis response activities.
The position requires the ability to respond professionally to emotionally challenging situations, maintain appropriate clinical boundaries, protect confidential student information, and coordinate services across university and community settings.
Occasional schedule flexibility may be required to support campus programming, urgent clinical needs, or designated crisis response responsibilities.
This job description describes the general nature and scope of the position and is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of duties. Responsibilities may be modified based on departmental needs and University policies.
The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex, retaliation, marital status, religion or disability, or any other applicable local, state or federal regulation. Inquiries regarding provisions for persons with disabilities, equal employment opportunity and Title IX matters should be directed to the Office of Human Resources at 386-481-2049.
The university reserves the right to modify job descriptions at any time in its' attempts to improve the operations of the university