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Behavioral Health Therapist, NE

Southern Illinois Healthcare · Carbondale, IL · $28.80–$44.64 an hour · Full time

Posted Jul 13, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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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 a discharge plan you built for a patient with very few supports. What made it work or fall apart?

What they are checking: Whether they plan for real-world barriers like housing, transportation and insurance rather than paperwork alone.

Describe a time a patient relapsed after you'd worked hard on their plan. How did you respond?

What they are checking: Whether they see relapse as part of recovery and can keep working with a patient without blame or burnout.

What would you do

A patient admitted for a medical issue tells you they've relapsed but doesn't want treatment. How do you approach that conversation?

What they are checking: Whether they can use motivational, nonjudgmental approaches that respect autonomy while still opening a door to help.

How do you explain to a physician how a patient's home situation or substance use is going to affect their recovery from surgery?

What they are checking: Whether they can translate socio-emotional factors into practical terms that change the medical team's plan.

What substance use and mental health resources in southern Illinois would you reach for first, and how would you find out what has openings?

What they are checking: Whether they know or can quickly learn the local network that actually has capacity for patients.

You have five patients who all need discharge plans today and one bed management call already waiting. How do you prioritize?

What they are checking: Whether they can triage a heavy caseload by safety and discharge timing without letting documentation slip.

The role covers the overall operation of case management and social services in the department. How would you keep that work organized?

What they are checking: Whether they can handle the operational side of the department and not only individual patient sessions.

About the work

Walk me through how you'd assess whether a hospitalized patient with an alcohol use disorder is at the right level of care.

What they are checking: Whether they can judge medical and behavioral readiness for a lower level of care and act on that judgment.

What do stigma and cross addiction mean in your day-to-day work with patients?

What they are checking: Whether they understand how stigma blocks treatment and how one addiction can replace another during recovery.

How do you document discharge planning so another team member could pick it up tomorrow without calling you?

What they are checking: Whether their notes are complete and timely enough to support continuity of care in a busy hospital.

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The full job description

As published by Southern Illinois Healthcare.

Current SIH employees need to apply for positions through our internal job portal. Log in to Workday to apply through the Jobs Hub. Position Summary • Responsible for the overall operation of case management and social services activities within the department. Education • Master’s Degree in Social Work or Counseling Licenses and Certification • LCSW or LCPC in Illinois Experience and Skills • Technical Experience: 2 years of experience in providing individual, family and/or group therapy required. Experience in addiction disorders/cross addictions; excellent knowledge of the concepts of stigma, addiction, recovery, and relapse helpful • Excellent interpersonal skills • Excellent knowledge of available community resources Role Specific Responsibilities • Performs concurrent patient assessment related to appropriateness of the level of care, diagnosis, procedures performed, and intervenes to expedite the patient’s plan of care. • Provides consultations to medical staff and other members of the multi- disciplinary team regarding the impact of socio-emotional factors on the patient's illness and intervenes to expedite the plan of care. • Provides and documents discharge planning services in a professional, collaborative and timely manner to optimize meeting patients' post- hospital discharge care needs. • Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to assess, monitor, implement and evaluate patient care needs during the hospital stay in order to smoothly transition the patient to the next level of care. • Utilizes evidence-based practice standards to guide the evaluation of care, length of stay, medical necessity of services, and appropriate use of organizational and patient centered resources. Medically complex setting determinations may require consultation with the R.N. Case Manager. • Intervenes on behalf of patients with specific needs not limited to abuse, neglect, mental health issues, end of life issues, ethical concerns, legal matters, financial concerns, and challenges in family dynamics. • Facilitates and acts as a resource to other members of the healthcare team for functions to include but not limited to guardianship proceedings, adoption, advance directive planning, and emergency detentions. • Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with organizations in the community that facilitate provision of appropriate care during the hospital stay and facilitate efficient and effective planning for continued care for the patient: • Collaborates with necessary staff and post-discharge care providers to assure a safe and effective discharge plan; Facilitates care conferences with patient and/or family support structure to foster decision making that promotes patient advocacy. • Supports Service Excellence initiatives contributing to the organization becoming a top performer in quality care, patient safety and patient satisfaction strategies: Understands and applies techniques to support the provision of population based appropriate care utilizing Joint Commission standards, CMS Core Measure requirements, and other best practices • Acts as an expert resource to the interdisciplinary healthcare team, physicians and other leaders: •Participates in interdisciplinary team meetings in a collaborative manner resulting in achievement of best patient outcomes; Participates actively in departmental and hospital wide teams, committees, or other improvement initiatives. Compensation (Commensurate with experience): $28.8 To $44.64 To access our Benefits Guide/Plan Information, please click the link below: http://www.sih.net/careers/benefits

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