Isis Nelson
Summerville,SC
Summary
Results-oriented Behavioral Health Manager with superb leadership and communication skills. This writer has a proven record contributing to the development and execution of company-wide strategies, initiatives and programs focused on supporting a positive and inclusive work environment. Seeking to maintain a full-time position that offers professional challenges utilizing interpersonal skills, excellent time management and problem-solving skills. Authorized to work in the US for any employer.
Dynamic individual with hands-on experience in Adolescent Behavioral Health and talent for navigating challenges. Brings strong problem-solving skills and proactive approach to new tasks. Known for adaptability, creativity, and results-oriented mindset. Committed to making meaningful contributions and advancing organizational goals.
Equipped with strong problem-solving abilities, willingness to learn, and excellent communication skills. Poised to contribute to team success and achieve positive results. Ready to tackle new challenges and advance organizational objectives with dedication and enthusiasm.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Behavioral Health Care Manager
AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies
Charleston, SC
08.2023 - Current
- Under the supervision of the Director of Programs, the Program Manager will be responsible for daily management and operations of FHCN Behavioral Health Program
- The Program Manager provides administrative/clinical supervision to the program staff to ensure all services are delivered according to local, state and federal laws and in compliance with contractual requirements
- This writer is responsible for ensuring quality of care for all behavioral health participants, including but not limited to, medication management, and Behavioral Health therapy and case management.
- Guided, wrote and revised various health and safety management manuals.
- Created customized care plans, working with hospital staff and families to assess and meet individual needs.
- Implemented successful healthcare program through professionalism, quality of care, medical home model (value base) and patient satisfaction.
- Lead cross-functional teams to develop and implement behavioral health programs.
- Monitored compliance with regulatory standards, enhancing program effectiveness and quality of care delivery.
- Analyzed patient data to identify trends and inform strategic initiatives for improved service delivery.
- Engaged with community resources to enhance support networks for patients, improving access to necessary services.
- Advocated for policy changes based on patient needs, influencing organizational strategies to better address community health challenges.
- Streamlined service delivery by effectively managing caseloads, prioritizing urgent cases, and delegating tasks when appropriate.
- Boosted patient engagement by incorporating motivational interviewing techniques into therapeutic sessions, fostering greater insight and self-awareness among clients.
- Empowered families as active participants in their loved one''s recovery journey through psychoeducation workshops focused on understanding mental illness symptoms and coping strategies.
- Consulted with other staff members regarding treatment plans as deemed appropriate by team leader.
- Encouraged patients to discuss experiences in group and individual settings.
- Worked effectively in fast-paced environments.
- Skilled at working independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
- Worked well in a team setting, providing support and guidance.
- Passionate about learning and committed to continual improvement.
- Managed time efficiently in order to complete all tasks within deadlines.
- Adaptable and proficient in learning new concepts quickly and efficiently.
- Strengthened communication skills through regular interactions with others.
- Developed and maintained courteous and effective working relationships.
- Used strong analytical and problem-solving skills to develop effective solutions for challenging situations.
- Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects.
- Exercised leadership capabilities by successfully motivating and inspiring others.
- Gained strong leadership skills by managing projects from start to finish.
- Gained extensive knowledge in data entry, analysis and reporting.
Treatment Director
AMIKIDS Beaufort
Seabrook, SC
12.2021 - 07.2023
- AMIKIDS Beaufort (BMI) is a male residential program serving juvenile justice involved youth ages 14 to 18
- The program operates 24 hours per day with youth living in dormitories on campus in a remote location on Honey Bee Island in Seabrook
- Together, with the support of families and stakeholders, AMIKIDS provides comprehensive services to South Carolina teens through the AMIkids Personal Growth Model
- Coordinate and provide individual, group and family therapy as ordered by Family Court
- Coordinate treatment team meetings to discuss individual Care Plans, progress reviews and discharge plans to proactively reduce recidivism
- Provide administrative and clinical supervision to assigned HSP's, Oversee the medication and mental health needs of residents
- Oversee the medication administration, medical and mental health needs of residents
- Oversee advocacy and phase components of the program
- Coordinate, monitor, facilitate and provide feedback on the effectiveness of daily curriculum-based groups in Anger Replacement Therapy (ART) Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) substance abuse, and additional evidence based treatments
- Serve as a member of the program's administrative team and collaborate with program staff and treatment team members to maintain a therapeutic intermediate setting.
- Spearheaded and implemented new projects to expand scope of engagement.
- Organized and facilitated six department head meetings weekly, discussing current census, admissions and discharges and residents' Medicaid applications.
- Direct day-to-day administrative and operational functions for 64-bed facility, providing guidance and leadership to over 36 employees across more than six departments.
- Recruited, hired and trained all staff, providing direct supervision, ongoing staff development and continuing education to employees.
Director, Risk Management Performance Improvement
Palmetto Behavioral Health
Summerville, SC
04.2017 - 11.2021
- Risk Management-Performance Improvement, Reports Directly to CEO
- Responsible for coordinating facility-wide quality improvement activities for the purpose of monitoring standards and to improve care, and for administering and managing the facility's Risk Management Program
- This includes JCAHO preparation and all regulatory compliance monitoring
- Regulatory Compliance: Understands regulatory requirements of all agencies that review areas of responsibilities, Maintains areas of responsibilities in survey ready status at all times
- Program Development: Plans, develops and implements new programs or policies that promote the organizations both internally and externally
- Strategic Planning and Goal Setting: Gather pertinent information related to departmental and organizations needs
- After my careful review of business and fiscal trends
- I choose a course of action, defines goals and objectives and evaluates results and determine changes as needed
- Performance Management: Accomplishes results through staff by communicating job expectations, planning, and monitoring and appraising staff performance, coaching, counseling and discipline employees
- I use polices and standards to enforce expectations and desired productivity
- Communication: Communicates effectively, both verbally and writing and with all customer groups including physicians, outside referral sources, managers and staff departmentally and interdepartmentally in order to achieve departmental and organizational goals
- Accomplishes required written and statistical reports by deadlines and is able to present and use data for required monthly meetings, reports and decision making
- Coordinates, implements and evaluates the Facility's internal risk management and performance improvement plans; annually
- Maintains an effective Facility incident reporting system
- Investigates and analyzes the frequency& causes of general categories and specific types of adverse incidents
- Receives & confidentially stores all incident reports
- Provides annual and new hire risk management/performance improvement training as well as individualized and group training as needed
- Provides confidential, detailed investigative reports Level III or Level IV incident
- Forwards copies of reports to CEO, Corporate Risk Manage, and Corporate Claims Department
- Maintains all documents and evidence items in a safe, secure measures
- Provides quarterly/annual reports to the Facility's Governing Board summarizing incidents complaints,survey activity,and Facility performance measures
- Participate in daily operation meetings ,Pharmacy y& Therapeutics Committee, EOC/Safety Committee, Medical Executive Staff,Governing Board (consultative) meetings; Chairs Patient Safety Council and RM/ PI Committee
- Attends additional meetings as requested by Chief Executive Officer.
- Worked closely with organizational leadership and board of directors to guide operational strategy.
- Evaluated company documentation to verify alignment with regulatory requirements.
- Evaluated scripts to identify creative strategies and resource needs.
- Established departmental performance goals and provided feedback for underperforming areas.
- Provided constructive feedback to achieve daily and long-term goals.
- Implemented evidence-based practices, improving treatment outcomes across multiple programs.
- Facilitated staff training sessions, promoting professional development and continuous improvement.
- Analyzed program performance metrics to drive data-informed decision making and program adjustments.
- Enhanced compliance with regulatory standards through implementation of best practices and quality assurance protocols.
- Directed interdisciplinary teams in delivering high-quality behavioral health services, fostering a collaborative environment.
- Enhanced team collaboration through regular communication, goal setting, and performance evaluations.
- Proactively identified potential risks and implemented mitigation strategies to minimize negative impacts on projects or business operations.
- Navigated company through periods of significant change, maintaining focus on long-term strategic goals.
- Established team priorities, maintained schedules and monitored performance.
- Evaluated employee performance and conveyed constructive feedback to improve skills.
- Defined clear targets and objectives and communicated to other team members.
- Cultivated positive rapport with fellow employees to boost company morale and promote employee retention.
- Improved staffing during busy periods by creating employee schedules and monitoring call-outs.
Recovery Care Coordinator
Mancon LLC
Virginia Beach, VA
06.2011 - 04.2017
- Advocated for Wounded and ILL Service members
- Provided case management services to those in need of mental, emotional and financial stability, returning from Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan serving during Operation Iraq Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn
- Coordinate conferences, meetings, or special events, such as promotional ceremonies
- Overseen, coordinated, monitored the medical and non medical services across the continuum of care
- Served as liaison between Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration
- Provided a continuum care of services.
- Monitored, tracked and conveyed important patient information to healthcare staff to help optimize treatment planning and care delivery.
- Conferred with supervisor to discuss patient condition and medical care.
- Determined specific needs and provided most appropriate level of services for patient well-being.
- Recognized and reported abnormalities or changes in patients' health status to case manager.
Clinical Counselor II
Charleston Center
Charleston, SC
03.2004 - 06.2011
- Provided counseling and educated those in need of gaining knowledge in the areas of addiction, emotional, mental and physical stabilization through therapeutic counseling services
- Counseled clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes
- Conducted chemical dependency program orientation sessions
- Provided intensive clinical counseling services (in-home) with identified client and families
- Participated in case conferences or staff meetings
- Reviewed and evaluate clients' progress in relation to measurable goals described in treatment and care plans
- Assessed individuals' degree of drug dependency by collecting and analyzing urine samples
- Intervened as an advocate for clients or patients to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations
- Modified treatment plans to comply with changes in client status
- Provided clients or family members with information about addiction issues and about available services or programs, making appropriate referrals when necessary
- Coordinated clinical activities with Adult, Juvenile and Mental Health courts, Probation/Parole officers, Sherriff Al Cannon Detention Center
- In addition to various community resources, or other post-treatment agencies
- Counseled family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting clients or patients
- Developed, implement, or evaluate public education, prevention, or health promotion programs, working in collaboration with organizations, institutions, or communities
- Trained or supervise student interns or new staff members
- Supervised or direct other workers providing services to clients or patients
- Followed progress of discharged patients to determine effectiveness of treatments.
- Provided psychotherapy incorporating cognitive- behavioral, client-centered and play-therapy to treat wide range of psychological problems in patients.
- Conducted psychological assessments for adults and children to help address variety of clinical concerns and performed educational testing to inform courts of intelligence and personality assessment results.
- Linked clients to other programs and community agencies to enhance treatment processes.
- Managed caseload of 20 patients with substance dependence and co-occurring Axis I and Axis II disorders.
- Collaborated with 12-person multidisciplinary treatment team to discuss treatment plans, progress and discharge decisions.
- Scheduled, organized and delivered comprehensive presentations on effective treatment of depression, anxiety, anger and cognitive-behavioral skills to manage negative emotions.
- Maintained confidential records related to individual patient treatment using EHR.
- Offered individual outpatient therapy to adult clients with wide range of psychological problems.
- Mitigated injuries and de-escalated life-threatening events through effective crisis intervention and coordination of emergency services.
- Wrote reports on clients and maintained required paperwork.
- Implemented variety of evidence-based counseling methods to achieve therapy goals.
Applied Behavior Therapist
Charleston County School District
Charleston, SC
06.2001 - 03.2004
- Wrote and implemented behavior objectives to young school age children with Autism
- Developed or implemented strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities
- Met with parents or guardians to discuss their children's progress, advise them on using community resources, or teach skills for dealing with students' impairments
- Observed and evaluated students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health
- Organized and displayed students' work in a manner appropriate for their perceptual skills
- Organized and supervised games or other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, or social development
- Conferenced with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual education plans (IEPs)
- Confer with parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or administrators to resolve students' behavioral or academic problems
- Coordinated placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes
- Employed special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory
- Established and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students
- Prepared reports on students and activities as required by administration
- Presented information in audio-visual or interactive formats, using computers, televisions, audio-visual aids, or other equipment, materials, or technologies
- Provided assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms
- Teaches socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
- Maintained neutrality when supporting patients despite difficult behavior.
- Acquired baseline data and implemented approved programs using behavioral technology appropriately, neutrally and consistently.
- Established and provided discipline-specific instruction to students, families, caregivers and staff.
- Developed and implemented treatment plans to improve gross and fine motor coordination, movement and functioning of upper extremities.
- Established and provided discipline-specific instruction to students, families, caregivers and staff.
Education
Master of Science - Community Psychology
Springfield College
Springfield, MA06.2006
Bachelor of Science - Social Work
Benedict College
Columbia, SC05.2001
Skills
- Crisis Response Intervention
- Handle With Care
- Behavioral Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- BLS Instructor Certification
- Corrective Actions Development
- Performance management
- Mental Health First Aid Training Adolescent
- First Aid Instructor Basic Life Support Instructor
- Risk management
- Milieu Management
- Verbal Deescalation
- Debriefing
- Incident Investigation
- Continuous Process Improvement
- SOX Reporting
Certification
- First Aid Certification
- BC/BE
- Human Services-Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP) August 2003 to November 2028 Professionals who are trained and qualified to provide specialized clinical or therapeutic services within the field of human services.
- CPR First Aide Instructor February 2023 to February 2025 A CPR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) instructor teaches people how to use CPR in emergency situations.
- Substance Abuse Counseling Certification
- Heartsaver Certification
- BLS Instructor Certification
- Certified Medical Assistant
- BLS Certification
Timeline
Behavioral Health Care Manager
AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies
08.2023 - Current
Treatment Director
AMIKIDS Beaufort
12.2021 - 07.2023
Director, Risk Management Performance Improvement
Palmetto Behavioral Health
04.2017 - 11.2021
Recovery Care Coordinator
Mancon LLC
06.2011 - 04.2017
Clinical Counselor II
Charleston Center
03.2004 - 06.2011
Applied Behavior Therapist
Charleston County School District
06.2001 - 03.2004
Master of Science - Community Psychology
Springfield College
Bachelor of Science - Social Work
Benedict College