What does a behavioral health technician do?
A behavioral health technician participates in treating patients with behavioral problems caused by mental health issues. They are primarily responsible for monitoring the behavior of the patient, following the guidelines of treatment from a mental health professional, and regularly reporting any progress or problems. Moreover, a behavioral health technician must also carry out administrative tasks, which include producing reports and assessments, answering inquiries and correspondence, maintaining schedules, and keeping records. Furthermore, it is essential to give emotional support to a patient, providing them with a safe and healthy environment at all times.
Behavioral health technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real behavioral health technician resumes:
- Monitor and manage preventative behavior with 2-3 MHA'S team and carry out a constructive routine with patients.
- Provide health monitoring, crisis intervention, supervision, and facilitation of group educational/structure activities for consumers (rehabilitation patients).
- Train in CPI to handle physically dangerous crisis situations.
- Display sensitivity, integrity, compassion and respect towards patients and family members.
- Obtain patients' medical history and vital signs; complete EKG's and blood work.
- Prepare for HIPAA reviews, ensuring require brochures and pamphlets are available to patients in all clinics.
- Monitor, assist, and transport clients to group counseling sessions, local AA meetings, and community outings.
- Escort patients in a safe and orderly manner to assign unit and give reports to unit nurse and MHT.
- Transport the patients to their doctor's appointment, AA meetings, church, school, and to run personal errands.
- Preform front end duties such as answering phones, faxing/coping records and assisting with triage by checking in patients as needed.
- Certify in first aid, CPR and a.
- Participate in LPS hearings in hospital.
- Monitor, assess, intervene, document pt.
- Provide patients with bedpans, help with baths, shampoos and shower
- Maintain and compose daily assignment sheets; serve as a lead MHA.
Behavioral health technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Behavioral Health Technicians are proficient in Patients, Behavioral Health, and Crisis Intervention. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Observational skills, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Behavioral Health Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 19%
Provide health monitoring, crisis intervention, supervision, and facilitation of group educational/structured activities for consumers (rehabilitation patients).
- Behavioral Health, 17%
Provide oversight in the clinical setting, mentoring and leadership of Behavioral Health Technicians including implementation of behavior management techniques.
- Crisis Intervention, 6%
Developed interventions for adolescents experiencing acute psychiatric difficulties and conducted crisis intervention and behavior modification techniques in acute situations.
- Social Work, 6%
Coordinated with Social Worker about treatment goals, including legal obligations
- CPR, 5%
Trained in Prevention and Management of Aggressive Behavior, CPR, and First Aid.
- Vital Signs, 4%
Conducted periodic assessments of patient's vital signs and physical signs and symptoms of drug/alcohol withdrawal according to monitoring protocol.
"patients," "behavioral health," and "crisis intervention" are among the most common skills that behavioral health technicians use at work. You can find even more behavioral health technician responsibilities below, including:
Compassion. The most essential soft skill for a behavioral health technician to carry out their responsibilities is compassion. This skill is important for the role because "psychiatric technicians and aides spend much of their time interacting with patients who have mental, emotional, or developmental conditions." Additionally, a behavioral health technician resume shows how their duties depend on compassion: "graduate (certified 2nd responder) cpi trained first-aid/cpr compassion & empathy fingerprint clearance card very good at de-escalating crisis situations"
Observational skills. Many behavioral health technician duties rely on observational skills. "psychiatric technicians and aides must watch patients closely and be sensitive to changes in behavior," so a behavioral health technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways behavioral health technician responsibilities rely on observational skills: "conduct a variety of patient safety monitoring activities such as observational checks. "
Patience. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of behavioral health technicians is patience. This skill is critical to many everyday behavioral health technician duties, as "working with people who have mental, emotional, or developmental conditions may be challenging." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "engaged in crisis intervention if necessary to maintain safety for other patience and staff. "
Physical stamina. behavioral health technician responsibilities often require "physical stamina." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "psychiatric technicians and aides must lift, move, and sometimes restrain patients." This resume example shows what behavioral health technicians do with physical stamina on a typical day: "trained in cpi to handle physically dangerous crisis situations. "
Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in behavioral health technician job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what behavioral health technicians do. Behavioral health technician responsibilities rely on this skill because "psychiatric technicians and aides may want to develop a rapport with patients in order to properly care for them." You can also see how behavioral health technician duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "apply exemplary counseling, interpersonal skills and critical thinking skills to provide highly effective crisis intervention and management services. "
The three companies that hire the most behavioral health technicians are:
- WellBridge Group145 behavioral health technicians jobs
- Advanced Recovery Systems68 behavioral health technicians jobs
- Ascension Michigan44 behavioral health technicians jobs
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Compare different behavioral health technicians
Behavioral health technician vs. Therapist
A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, behavioral health technician responsibilities require skills like "behavioral health," "cpr," "vital signs," and "substance abuse." Meanwhile a typical therapist has skills in areas such as "mental health," "patient care," "therapeutic services," and "therapy services." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Therapists earn the highest salaries when working in the government industry, with an average yearly salary of $55,972. On the other hand, behavioral health technicians are paid more in the non profits industry with an average salary of $36,944.The education levels that therapists earn slightly differ from behavioral health technicians. In particular, therapists are 34.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a behavioral health technician. Additionally, they're 1.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Behavioral health technician vs. In home therapist
An in-home therapist provides case management, counseling, resource system development, support system development, and crisis intervention services for family members and children. They provide goal-oriented and structured therapy on referral issues for families that help recover from neglect, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, or physical abuse. Also, they provide time-limited, goal-oriented, and structured therapy in the families' natural environment for families that need help to recover from neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and physical abuse.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, behavioral health technician responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "behavioral health," "cpr," "vital signs," and "bht." Meanwhile, an in home therapist has duties that require skills in areas such as "community agencies," "group therapy," "mental health," and "foster care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In home therapists may earn a higher salary than behavioral health technicians, but in home therapists earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $52,546. On the other hand, behavioral health technicians receive higher pay in the non profits industry, where they earn an average salary of $36,944.Average education levels between the two professions vary. In home therapists tend to reach higher levels of education than behavioral health technicians. In fact, they're 34.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for behavioral health technicians in the next 3-5 years?
Debra Persinger Ph.D.
Executive Director, FSMTB - Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards
-Employees will need to be adaptable - to learn and accommodate the rapid introduction of new and better technological efficiency tools.
-Controls will increase. Much like parental controls to monitor online activity, company restrictions will be implemented to prevent inappropriate online behaviors, accidental sharing, and training on basic etiquette and interpersonal communications.
-Technology that supports work and life activities - order groceries online, stress reduction apps - will demand.
-Time away from the screen will be necessary. Seems counterintuitive for a technology question. For example, I'm predicting that paper books will make a comeback - nobody wants to look at another screen for pleasure reading after working online all day.
Behavioral health technician vs. Clinical therapist
A Clinical Therapist works with patients to help identify, examine, and treat mental health and emotional issues or disorders. They counsel individuals or groups regarding psychological or emotional problems, as well as observe clients to detect indications of abnormal physical or mental behavior.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a behavioral health technician is likely to be skilled in "behavioral health," "cpr," "vital signs," and "substance abuse," while a typical clinical therapist is skilled in "mental health," "discharge planning," "psychosocial assessments," and "clinical services."
Clinical therapists make a very good living in the government industry with an average annual salary of $54,686. On the other hand, behavioral health technicians are paid the highest salary in the non profits industry, with average annual pay of $36,944.Most clinical therapists achieve a higher degree level compared to behavioral health technicians. For example, they're 43.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Behavioral health technician vs. Counselor/art therapist
A counselor/art therapist is responsible for conducting art sessions as part of patients' therapy treatments, letting them express their human nature and emotions through artistic discovery. Counselors/art therapists guide the patients throughout their recovery process, identifying their needs and conditions by analyzing their crafts. A counselor/art therapist coordinates with other medical professionals to deliver quality care services for the patients, monitor their progress, record observations, and instructing patients in art activities to discover their maximum potential.
Types of behavioral health technician
Updated January 8, 2025
