Covenant Health·Louisville, Tennessee
The role involves performing behavioral assessments and coordinating care for patients to determine the appropriate level of psychiatric treatment. Responsibilities include reviewing referrals, conducting brief crisis counseling, and acting as a liaison with protective services.
Overview Behavioral Health Intake Coordinator, Admitting and Registration Full Time, 72 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shift Peninsula Overview: Peninsula Behavioral Health, a division of Parkwest Medical Center and part of Covenant Health, is a leading provider of mental health services in East Tennessee. With decades of experience, Peninsula offers compassionate, evidence-based care for children, adolescents, and adults through inpatient and outpatient programs across multiple counties. From psychiatric treatment and therapy to specialized senior care, Peninsula is committed to helping individuals overcome mental health challenges and live healthy, productive lives. To learn more about Peninsula Behavioral Health and our units, visit Peninsula Behavioral Health Opportunities.
Provides professional behavioral assessment, care coordination, and brief counseling services to designated patient population. The general practice of behavioral intake coordination may include reviewing referrals for care, determining level of care needed/appropriateness for various levels of care, coordinating with referral sources, brief crisis intervention counseling, evaluation/assessment, supportive counseling, information and referral, problem solving, client and referral agency education, and advocacy.
Assesses referrals for appropriate levels of care including admission to inpatient psychiatric hospital and outpatient services. This may involve coordinating with referral sources for additional needed information, speaking with people referred directly, or speaking to collateral contacts if more information is needed to determine appropriate disposition. Assists with other intake coordination needs as they arise, this could include assisting with safety planning for patient determined to not meet inpatient criteria, coordinating with consult team for assessments or treatment needs, coordinating with medical providers for needed records, or coordinating with referral sources for needed information. Completes required documentation and appropriate updates to various systems for care coordination. Must be able to clinically assess referral information to determine if patients meet inpatient hospitalization criteria and are appropriate for inpatient admission. If they do not, must be able to determine appropriate level of care and facilitate referrals if our programs can meet this level of care. Connects patients/family/significant other with community resources to aid in their treatment and recovery if appropriate. Acts as facility liaison with adult and children protective services as indicated. Cooperates with hospital staff and physicians and keeps them informed of progress with patients. Exhibits the skills of empathy, communication, organization, critical thinking, active listening, and patience. Demonstrates flexibility to support evolving scheduling needs, including potential periodic on-call responsibilities as operational requirements change. Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested. Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree (BSW) from accredited social work program or in a behavioral health related field. Minimum Experience: None Licensure Requirement: None
A Bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) or a related behavioral health field is required. No minimum prior experience is specified for this entry-level position.
Market context
Behavioral-health roles in Tennessee are often tied to schools, community programs, and outpatient settings serving children and adolescents, so employers usually look for candidates with direct youth mental-health experience. This type of role can be competitive because the posting asks for a specific degree-and-experience mix, plus prior work with children and adolescents; the listed requirements and benefits are AI-summarized from the original job description to save you research time. Before applying, match your resume to the exact experience path and highlight any youth-focused interventions, crisis support, or family engagement work.
