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This position has closed. Northwestern Medicine removed this listing from their careers page on Oct 1, 2026. The interview prep below is still useful, and there are similar open roles at the bottom of this page.

Behavioral Health Counselor-Inpatient Part-time 6pm to 630am

Northwestern Medicine · Woodstock, IL · Part time · Health Care Provider

Posted Sep 17, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 30, 2026

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about working on an inpatient behavioral health unit.

What they are checking: The posting is inpatient behavioral health counseling within a multidisciplinary team.

Twenty-four hours a week on twelve hour nights, six to half past six, every other weekend, at Woodstock. How does that fit your life?

What they are checking: The posting states the whole pattern precisely.

What do you do after a shift that was hard?

What they are checking: Behavioral health work costs something, and having a way to carry it matters.

What would you do

A patient is escalating at three in the morning. Walk me through what you do.

What they are checking: The posting names intervening, stabilizing and managing acute crisis situations, and overnight is when it happens.

How do you de-escalate while keeping a patient's dignity intact?

What they are checking: The core skill, and how they describe it says whether they have done it.

What is thinner overnight on a behavioral health unit, and how do you work around it?

What they are checking: The posting is twelve hour nights, where medical and psychiatric backup is limited.

About the work

Walk me through screening and evaluating a request for service.

What they are checking: The posting names screening and evaluating requests for service.

How do you assess someone's strengths rather than only their problems?

What they are checking: The posting names assessing client needs, strengths, goals and resources.

How do you contribute to an individual plan in a team meeting?

What they are checking: The posting names working with an interdisciplinary team to review cases and develop plans.

How would you run a skills training group on an inpatient unit?

What they are checking: The posting names skills training groups and social rehabilitation among the services.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Northwestern Medicine from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Northwestern Medicine.

This position works 12-hour shifts, working 24-hours per week with a every other weekend rotation. The Behavioral Health Counselor reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. As a member of a multidisciplinary team, assists in providing patient assessments and treatment as directed. Under supervision, provides supportive counseling, case management, and community support services. Assesses patient and patient's family needs, develops treatment plans, provides and evaluates patient care, and assists with discharge planning. Responsibilities: • Screen and evaluate requests for service. • Collect and report social history for assigned cases. • Intervene, stabilize, and manage acute crisis situations. • Assess and evaluate client needs, strengths, goals and resources. • Develop individual plans with clients utilizing available assessment tools. • Work with an interdisciplinary team in reviewing cases and developing individual plans. • Implement individual plans through rehabilitation services such as case management, advocacy, outreach, skills training groups, social rehabilitation, community support and support counseling. • Provide linkage case management, participate in treatment planning and discharge planning. • Consult with other center staff regarding problem assessment and treatment/intervention planning. • Consult with other service agencies around case-specific and programmatic issues. • Refer and link clients to other human services programs. • Serve as a liaison to other agencies as needed. • Train other providers and non-providers in areas relating to service specialties. Minimum Requirements: Education: • Bachelor’s in Behavioral Health Licensure: • All NM, Ben Gordon Center (WR849) employees, at point of hire and annually, are required to have a valid State of Illinois driver’s license, current auto liability insurance, and an annual driving abstract Certification: • CPR - Basic Life Support Behavioral Attributes: • Advance verbal and written communication skills Preferred: • One year of experience interacting with clients in an outpatient setting Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. Background Check Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information NorthwesternMedicine Career Page https://jobs.nm.org/benefits Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings. If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception : New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.