5 Characteristics of a Successful Behavioral Health Director

Five Traits Every Behavioral Health Director Needs

Ability to Analyze and Interpret Information
Orientation to Detail
Communicate, Form and Maintain Professional Relationships
Comfortable As a Leader
Adept At Technology

A person who wants to work as a manager or administrator in behavioral health may want to know about the five characteristics of a successful behavioral health director. A behavioral health director is responsible for managing and implementing programs in a clinic, hospital or other inpatient or outpatient setting for people with behavioral or mental health disorders. Knowing about the top characteristics that predict success in behavioral health management could help a person decide if this is the right career path for their set of skills.

1. Ability to Analyze and Interpret Information

Successful behavioral health directors should be able to analyze information. This includes evaluating data for treatment efficacy and effectiveness. It also includes reviewing staff performance data. When facilities are inspected, the director should be able to review inspection reports and decide on changes to make for improvements. The directors should also be able to interpret new laws and guidelines for behavioral health centers.

2. Orientation to Detail

A director of a behavioral health center or program needs to have a solid orientation to detail. They are responsible for the staffing of a large agency. This means making sure that all shifts are filled and backups are available. It also means that the hiring process goes smoothly because job openings are posted in a timely manner. These activities involve coordination with the human resources department. Directors of behavioral health must also maintain orientation to detail for the purposes of billing and following any new policies or procedures put into place by governmental authorities or the facility’s CEO.

3. Communicate, Form and Maintain Professional Relationships

Behavioral health directors need to be good at communicating. They should be able to deliver information to others in a way that the audience can understand. This includes conveying information to their medical and non-medical staff. It also includes sharing information with the media, community, patients, and their families. A successful behavioral health director should also be good at forming and maintaining professional relationships. The director will need to work with a diverse array of people from different backgrounds and experiences.

4. Comfortable As a Leader

Anyone who wants to be a director or manager in behavioral health should feel comfortable taking on a leadership role within the organization and the community. As a director, the person would be responsible for many administrative duties, and they would need to make sound decisions based on data and ethics. They also need to demonstrate leadership in order to motivate their staff. Their ability to supervise a large staff of technicians, counselors, nurses, doctors, social workers, therapists, and others is essential to the well-being of the patients who receive services at the behavioral health center or department.

5. Adept At Technology

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, another characteristic of a medical and health services manager or director is strong technical skills. The use of technology in healthcare is heavy, and a director of behavioral health will need to be adept at navigating the software that is used for patient care, billing, performance, and effectiveness. Behavioral health directors should also be skilled at using coding and classification software and maintaining electronic medical records.

A person who wants to be a successful behavioral health director should have all of these personal characteristics. Some of them can be practiced or honed, such as being adept at the newest technology for use in healthcare, while others typically come naturally, such as feeling comfortable with leading others. Each of these five characteristics of a successful behavioral health director is essential to this occupation, but they are not the only five character traits that a person will need in order to do well in this type of job.

Related Rankings: