Teresa Smith

Provide weekly group and individual supervision on behavioral health and discharge planning cases for newly hired social work staff.

Serve as a consultant and/or mentor for care management staff on behavioral health and discharge planning cases in two hospitals.

Assume the role of supervising student interns who are interested in a career in behavioral health or hospital case management.

• Gather information from mental and physical health and educational records to make recommendations and determine appropriate disposition plans from the emergency department or the acute care setting.
• Provide crisis intervention, guidance and supportive counseling to clients.
• Used evidence-based practices such as motivational interviewing to create individualized service plans for clients.
• Administered mental health screenings to clients to determine criteria for mental illness.
• Identified community resources to support clients.
• Coordinate with social, public and welfare agencies to obtain and provide client information.
• Provide crisis intervention, guidance, and supportive counseling to clients in crisis situations.
• Administer mental health screenings to clients to determine criteria for mental illness in terms of disposition.
• Educate potential participants on available services and processes to engage in program.
• Assist patients in accessing services and benefits by providing education and information about community resources, successfully assisting them in acquiring needed aid.
• Cultivate positive, trusting relationships with patients and community providers to promote effective coordination of resources.
• Use evidence-based practices such as motivational interviewing to create individualized treatmentand discharge plans for patients.

• Presented clinical documentation and observations to interdisciplinary team.
• Formulated treatment plan strategies with multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive and continuous care plan.
• Helped clients develop new coping mechanisms and techniques to drive behavior modification.
• Provided court testimony in cases of patients requiring longer stabilization time at Western State Hospital attesting to their diagnosis and why a least restrictive placement was not appropriate.
• Formulated least restrictive alternatives to continued hospitalization and presented these cases to the court.