Sentara Health is seeking to hire a qualified individual to join our team as a Behavioral Health Navigator.

Position Status: Full-time, Day Shift

Position Location: On-site in Harrisonburg, VA

Standard Working Hours: 8:00AM to 5:00PM

Overview

The Behavioral Health Navigator serves as a vital resource for patients experiencing psychological distress in a hospital setting to include the Emergency Department, Medical Floors, and Behavioral Health Unit. This role is dedicated to guiding patients through the often-complex behavioral health care system, ensuring they receive the appropriate support and treatment they need.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Conducting initial assessments to determine patients’ behavioral health needs and identifying appropriate treatment options.

  • Connecting patients with mental health providers, community resources, and support services.

  • Coordinating and scheduling follow-up appointments to ensure continuity of care.

  • Addressing potential barriers to treatment, such as financial constraints, lack of transportation, or insurance challenges, and working to resolve these obstacles.

  • Providing ongoing education and emotional support to patients and their families, helping them understand their treatment plans and available resources.

  • Collaborating closely with medical staff, social workers, case managers, and other healthcare professionals to facilitate comprehensive care.

  • Advocating for patients' mental health needs within the healthcare system and the community.

Through compassionate guidance and a patient-centered approach, the Behavioral Health Navigator plays a crucial role in improving access to mental health services, enhancing patient outcomes, and ensuring a seamless transition to appropriate care.

Education

  • Bachelor's degree in Social Work

Certification/Licensure

  • No specific certification or licensure requirements

Experience

  • 1 year of healthcare experience delivered in one of the following settings: Acute care, long-term care, home health, hospice, Skilled Nursing Facility, or community-based program services

  • Experience in Nursing, Social Work or Human Service Field

Sentara Health, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates more than 135 years in pursuit of its mission – “we improve health every day.” Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 34,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina including 10 hospitals with the prestigious Magnet® recognition, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than 1 million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety, and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named a Health Quality Innovator of the Year (2024), was recognized by Forbes as “America’s Best-In-State Employer” (2024), “Best Employer for Veterans” (2022, 2023), and “Best Employer for Women” (2020), and named to IBM Watson Health’s “Top 15 Health Systems” (2021, 2018).

Learn more

A woman smiling as a healthcare worker helps her with arm exercises in a bright, sunlit room.
A woman smiling as a healthcare worker helps her with arm exercises in a bright, sunlit room.
A woman smiling as a healthcare worker helps her with arm exercises in a bright, sunlit room.

Our Culture

At Sentara, our differences are our strengths. The unique backgrounds, skills, and experiences that each Sentara colleague brings to work make Sentara special and allow us to deliver excellent service and care to our patients, members, and communities.

Our Benefits

We are committed to consistently enhancing our training, advancement tracks, work-life benefits, and more. Our goal is to make you feel more excited to be here every day!

Two female doctors in lab coats smiling and chatting in a hospital hallway.
Two female doctors in lab coats smiling and chatting in a hospital hallway.
Two female doctors in lab coats smiling and chatting in a hospital hallway.
Two nurses in scrubs smiling and chatting during a break, one holding a coffee cup in a bright hospital setting.
Two nurses in scrubs smiling and chatting during a break, one holding a coffee cup in a bright hospital setting.

The Sentara Nursing Experience

Making a meaningful impact on health requires compassion, dedication, continuous learning, teamwork and collaboration. At Sentara, we also recognize that in valuing the professional and personal well-being of our nurses, we build a stronger, more supportive workplace for our nurses. And that’s making us healthier from the inside out. These principles unite our nurses across various roles and locations.

Two nurses in scrubs smiling and chatting during a break, one holding a coffee cup in a bright hospital setting.
Surgical assistant in scrubs and mask operates medical monitor in an operating room with other staff in the background.

The Sentara Clinical Experience

No matter where you choose to join us, in an inpatient or outpatient setting, you will be part of an interdisciplinary Clinical team passionate about quality care and patient safety. You will have access to the tools and technologies you need to succeed and the chance to learn and grow through training and educational programs so you can advance your career as a Clinical professional.

Smiling healthcare worker assists a male patient at a clinic front desk while another nurse works in the background.

The Sentara Support Services Experience

Each day, the Sentara Support Services team helps improve healthcare at more than 300 Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina sites. We perform various patient care activities, provide multiple services, and handle administrative functions that support our patients and their families. These vital functions include assisting the medical team in all aspects of medical care, such as treatments, procedures, and diagnostic and laboratory testing.

Smiling medical professionals in scrubs and a lab coat sitting at a table.

The Medical Group Experience

As part of Sentara Health, Sentara Medical Group providers have diverse opportunities across regions and inpatient and outpatient locations. For those providers based in one of 12 hospitals, we have close working relationships with the administration, ensuring a collegial and collaborative environment where all can come together around shared initiatives.

Guided by a dedicated board of providers, Sentara Medical Group not only offers leadership opportunities for its providers but also underscores the group’s crucial role in fulfilling Sentara’s overarching mission to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations, some of our most vulnerable communities. Our physicians and APPs enjoy opportunities for both personal and professional career growth through a network of resources aimed to cultivate an environment suitable for a lifelong career home.

Your Perspective Matters

Nurses are the heartbeat of our exceptional team. Our approach empowers nurses to actively participate in decision-making. Our nurses have a stake in shaping their workplace as well as their own career growth; one of the benefits of our focus on supporting and valuing team members. This framework encompasses our nursing mission, vision, values, philosophy, and the essential elements of our Professional Practice Model.

This image illustrates the Sentara Nursing Professional Practice Model. Read more about it on The Sentara Nurse Experience page.

Visual representation of the Sentara Nursing Professional Practice Model.

Our Award-Winning Care

Forbes 2024 America's Best-In-State Employers. Powered by Statista
Forbes 2023 The Best Employers for Veterans. Powered by Statista.
Virginia Values Veterans. Official V3 Certified Company
America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2025. Newsweek. Plant-A Insights Group
2024 Health Quality Innovator of the Year
2024 LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer. Human Rights Campaign. Healthcare Equality Index.
Magnet Recognized. American Nurses Credentialing Center.

We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer

Sentara Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the hiring, advancement, and fair treatment of every individual. Sentara and its affiliates do not discriminate against any individual or group of individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, medical condition, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristics.

Talent Network

Join our talent network to sign up for job alerts and be matched with great opportunities!

Upcoming Events

Explore our Events

We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer

Sentara Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the hiring, advancement, and fair treatment of every individual. Sentara and its affiliates do not discriminate against any individual or group of individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, medical condition, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristics.

');