What Is the Job of an Intake Counselor?
An intake counselor is someone in charge of taking information from a patient or client before any treatment or services are given. They usually work for social services agencies, hospitals, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers or mental health facilities. Overall, they are the ones who are responsible for creating and maintaining paperwork and files, in addition to evaluating clients that are seeking services.
One of their main duties will be to fill out client paperwork and making sure that it is legible, accurate and above all complete. This will then be placed in a file and kept in a secure location. The information which is taken will be held in strict confidence, due to the fact they often contain medical information.
Intake counselors are often responsible for assessing clients and putting them in the most suitable program. Their assessment is done partly using a questionnaire or other form which needs to be filled by the client. It also involves an interview with the client, as an assessment. The scope of services provided will address all legal, medical and social issues. Intake counselors will also be responsible for dealing with or to link clients to programs and services externally. For instance, if a client is financially strained, a referral could be made to the likes of a food bank or other such service. And, a counselor could be responsible for fielding questions from the public about the types of services offered.
Depending on the agency, they could end their involvement after the assessment and the placement process is done. With some situations, their interaction with a client may be longer or span the whole time the client participates in a program. For instance, at a drug rehabilitation center, they could help to stabilize a client before any treatment starts, this could last up to 30 days or more. Call Dr. Mark Sehl NY Psychotherapist today at (212) 228-3467, we are based in the New York, NY area.