How to Integrate a Behavior Specialist into Your Practice
As a healthcare provider, you strive to provide your patients with the best possible care. Right now, you feel like your practice is falling a bit short because you don’t have a behavior specialist on staff. You think this type of psychological counselor would be beneficial because many of your patients have disabilities or issues that hinder their daily functions.
Deciding to hire a behavior specialist is a major step. Now that you’re ready to move forward, you need to create a plan to integrate this new professional into your practice. Use this advice to do so in a manner that best serves your patients.
Find the Right Level of Integration
Your existing patient base — and the type of patients you want to attract in the future — should guide the level of integration your practice will have with a behavior specialist. For example, you could add the behavior specialist as another independent provider or you could opt to include them as part of a collaborative care team.
Regardless of the approach you choose, you’ll need to create a set of standards to introduce the idea of working with a behavior specialist to patients. Everyone will not need their services, so your current practitioners will require training to identify those who do and the correct way to intervene. When it comes to providing collaborative treatment, clearly define the responsibilities of each member of the care team, to ensure all bases are covered.
Set Goals for Existing Patients
The decision to add a behavior specialist to your team was made to improve patient outcomes. Therefore, before you start searching for the right professional to fill the position, it’s important to decide what you want them to accomplish. Consider the currently unmet needs of your patient base and the responsibilities you want the behavior therapist to take on.
While every patient will have their own unique set of objectives to cover with the behavior therapist, determining their general function will be monumentally helpful. If you’re able to identify what your patients need most from them, you’ll be in a great place to hire the right fit.
Choose the Best Person for Your Team
All behavior therapists are not created equal. Someone might have an Ivy League education and a seriously impressive list of credentials but still not be the right person for your team. It’s important to hire a professional whose personality and care philosophy aligns with your existing providers.
Patients choose your practice for a reason, so if you bring on a behavior specialist who is markedly different than the other providers — i.e., a no-nonsense bedside manner while everyone else is warm and friendly — this could turn people away. Therefore, it can be monumentally helpful to work with a staffing firm that specializes in behavioral health to help you find the best fit.
Ready to add a behavior specialist to your practice, but don’t know where to start? To learn more about how we can help you find top behavioral health talent, contact us today at (513) 651-9500 or by email at [email protected].