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Behavioral Health Planner / Design Expert

Austin, Texas, United States · Charlotte, North Carolina, United States · Dallas, Texas, United States · Nashville, Tennessee, United States · Omaha, Nebraska, United States · Orlando, Florida, United States · Phoenix, Arizona, United States · Portland, Oregon, United States

DLR Group is an integrated design firm with a promise to elevate the human experience through design. This fuels the work we do around the world and inspires our mission to improve the lives of our clients, our communities, and our planet. If this sparks your interest, you’re in the right place.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Behavioral Health Planner / Designer to join DLR Group's Justice + Civic national practice. In this role, you will lead the planning and design of facilities that promote healing, equity, and transformation through behavioral health-focused design solutions. DLR Group operates within a hybrid work model, supporting flexibility between office time and work from home. DLR Group has a network of 30+ studios across the United States. For this role, we encourage exceptional applicants across the ecosystem. 

About Justice + Civic at DLR Group 

As a nationally recognized expert in Justice + Civic facility planning and design, DLR Group serves municipal, county, state, and federal public-sector clients to deliver civic, public safety, and justice design solutions that achieve excellence in operations, sustainable design, resilience planning, space planning, building assessment, cost of ownership analysis, and project management. Behavioral health facility planning and design is a growing specialty in our portfolio. As stewards of the built environment, DLR Group's Justice + Civic practice elevates behavioral, environmental, and social betterment, resulting in healing, equity, and transformation for the individual and community.

What You Will Do:

  • Collaboratively work with integrated teams of architects, engineers and specialty consultants
  • Lead preliminary planning and design for behavioral health facilities within community, justice and civic environments
  • Create functional layouts integrating therapeutic design principles, de-escalation strategies, and security requirements
  • Develop evidence-based design solutions to support mental health treatment, recovery and reintegration
  • Design adult crisis, sobering, substance use and residential treatment centers
  • Ensure designs promote client and staff safety while maintaining a therapeutic environment
  • Apply sustainable design practices and WELL building standards to behavioral health spaces
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to integrate specialized security and safety features
  • Integrate trauma informed design strategies
  • Design spaces that balance clinical requirements with trauma-informed care principles
  • Conduct facility assessments and develop programming recommendations
  • Create detailed space planning documentation and design guidelines
  • Lead stakeholder engagement sessions and facilitate design workshops
  • Provide technical expertise on behavioral health design standards and best practices
  • Support cost estimation and phasing strategies for behavioral health implementations
  • Develop post-occupancy evaluation criteria for behavioral health spaces
  • Mentor team members on behavioral health design principles
  • Contribute to research initiatives and thought leadership in justice behavioral health design

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in architecture, planning, psychology, behavioral science, or related field
  • 5+ years of experience in behavioral health facility planning or related healthcare design
  • Strong understanding of mental health treatment modalities and substance use programs
  • Knowledgeable of Behavioral Health funding initiatives at state and local levels
  • Knowledge of trauma-informed design principles and evidence-based practice
  • Understanding of clinical workflows and operational requirements
  • Understanding of telehealth and technology supported treatment systems
  • Knowledge of behavioral healthcare design standards and building regulations
  • Experience with public sector projects and stakeholder engagement
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
  • Excellent written, verbal, and graphic communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master's degree in psychology, behavioral science, architecture, planning, or related field
  • Professional certification in healthcare planning or behavioral health
  • Experience in behavioral health facility planning,
  • AICP or other relevant certification
  • Proficiency in Revit, AutoCAD, MS Office Suite, and Adobe Creative Suite
  • Background in therapeutic environment design or clinical operations
  • Familiarity with Behavior Health system operations and procedures
  • Experience with secure facility design and planning
  • Knowledge of correctional healthcare standards and guidelines
  • Understanding of behavioral health economics and facility operations
  • Research experience in behavioral health environments
  • Publication history in relevant professional journals
  • Experience with grant writing and funding applications
  • Crisis prevention intervention (CPI) certification
  • Mental Health First Aid certification
  • Professional affiliation with behavioral health organizations

DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new builds, renovations, and adaptive reuse projects.

We are 100% employee-owned: every employee is literally invested in our clients’ success. At the core of our firm are interdisciplinary teams engaged in every step of project lifecycles. Our teams champion true collaboration, open information sharing, shared risk and reward, value-based decision making, and proficient use of technology to deliver exceptional design. We are pursuing the goals of the 2030 Challenge, the ME2040, and the SE2050, and are an initial signatory of the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.

Through our values – commitment, creativity, environmental stewardship, fun, integrity, ownership, sharing, teamwork – we elevate the human experience through design, together.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/M/F/Veteran/Disabled employer.

 

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