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Camber Children's Mental Health

Q&A with Miquel, Behavioral Health Technician

Behavioral Health Technician

Youth receiving psychiatric residential treatment at KVC Prairie Ridge Hospital participate in therapy, group therapy and activities that teach them healthy skills for processing trauma and managing difficult emotions. Miquel is a Behavioral Health Technician and Counselor who provides daily support to youth at the hospital. We sat down with Miquel to discuss the incredible work he does to help children and teens in care.

How does your role as a Behavioral Health Technician help children and teens at KVC Hospitals? 

Miguel Behavioral Health TechnicianAs a Behavioral Health Technician, I supervise the children on a daily basis and lead them through drills and activities that teach them how to regulate their emotions. I try to get to know each child on a personal level because it helps me determine how I can better help them establish and meet their treatment goals. It’s a rewarding experience when a child can safely return home and succeed there with the new skills they have learned, and helping youth achieve this is what I want to do for a career.

 

What do you wish people knew about your role and its impact on kids?

I wish other people knew the lengths that we go to to connect with each youth in order to help them. When a child is going through a crisis, it’s challenging to get them to understand that we really are here to help them. We aren’t just another person telling them to listen to us and do what we say. We are here to keep them safe and help them find healing.

What’s the most rewarding part about your job?

Working with all of the kids is really rewarding. I like working with children with autism and seeing clients be able to safely discharge from treatment that have been here for a very long time.

Behavioral Health Technician

Tree dedication ceremony

Last week, a girl was able to safely discharge after being in care for a long time. She’s going back to her home community and continuing in school. We don’t always do big celebrations when someone leaves our care, but she needed our support for two years and we all got to know her and love her. We were so proud of the work she did to overcome her challenges that we had a ceremony and a tree dedication for her. There were so many KVC staff that came to her ceremony and showed how much of an impact she had on all of us. That’s our goal. To help every child and teen learn skills so that they can safely return home and succeed.

Any advice for people interested in becoming a BHT?

I think anyone that wants to become a BHT should know that even though it’s quite the workload, its all worth it because of the positive impact you make in the kids’ lives.


Miquel is just one of the many caring employees who work at KVC Hospitals. We’re always in need of compassionate people to join our team. If you are interested in a career in social work, browse the open positions on our careers page.