Therapist, Associate

Description

Therapist assesses and counsels individuals and families regarding psychological or emotional problems and develops and implements therapeutic treatment plan, in various settings, in accordance with the client’s needs, applicable contracts, laws and standards of practice.

Essential Duties:

· Acquires, maintains, and demonstrates knowledge of Continuum of Care, Integrated Core Practice Model, evidence-based practices, and trauma informed care in providing therapy to individuals and families.

· Ensures client-centered service planning including effective advocacy, cross team collaboration, and client empowerment.

· Communicates relevant information and coordinates with staff and outside agencies to establish and meet clients’ treatment goals.

· Provides crisis intervention consultation to all members of the team.

· Assesses, implements, and coordinates the client’s family plan, conducting outreach and engagement with team members and outside agencies, as needed.

· Promotes wellbeing in a safe and supportive environment by providing client social and emotional support in addition to problem solving and conflict resolution.

· Provides services in the field settings such as client home, community, or other approved venues. May provide services in residential setting, as needed.

· Complies with HIPAA and agency confidentiality standards to safeguard client information.

· Completes all required documentation of services and visits accurately and within established timeframes.

· Transports clients, and family if required, to appointments and scheduled activities, as needed.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

MA, MS, MSW, PCC, PsyD, or PhD in a related field of human services from an accredited school and be licensed, or working towards license and eligible to treat individuals, couples and families.

Proficiency in threshold language required of positions primarily assigned to mono-lingual clients.

Additional Requirements:

· Must possess and maintain a valid, unrestricted California driver’s license.

· Must be able to successfully complete and maintain required licenses, certifications and required, ongoing training.

· Must be computer-literate and be able to understand and effectively use electronic health record/billing systems.

Core Competencies: Examples listed in each category are NOT an all-inclusive list of specific tasks, which may vary by shift, program, and assignment.

1. Analytical/Assessment Skills.

Analytical/Assessment Skills focus on identifying and understanding data, turning data into information for action, assessing needs and assets to address needs, developing assessments, and using evidence for decision making.

· Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issues; determining its significance; collecting data; using tools to disclose meaningful patterns; using logic and intuition to arrive at decisions.

· Identifies a set of features, parameters or considerations to take into account in analyzing a situation or making decisions.

· Makes a systematic comparison of two or more alternatives and carefully weighs the priority of things to be done.

2. Program Planning Skills.

Program Planning Skills focus on determining needed policies and programs; advocating for policies and programs; planning, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs; developing and implementing strategies for continuous quality improvement; and developing and implementing continual improvement plans.

· With team, develops a work plan with tasks, timeframes, milestones, resources and dependencies.

· Ensures quality standards are met, stressing accountability and continuous improvement.

· Acts to align department’s goals with the strategic direction of the organization.

· Assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.

· Keeps supervisor informed of progress, issues and potential problems.

3. Communication Skills.

Communication Skills focus on assessing and addressing client’s needs; soliciting and using input from team members and outside agencies; communicating data and information; facilitating communications; and communicating the roles of your staff as members of a team, aligned with the agency’s mission.

· Organizes written and verbal ideas clearly and, within the organizational guidelines, tailors communications to effectively reach the intended audience.

· Demonstrates a willingness to share ideas and perspectives and encourages others to do the same.

· Listens effectively and summarizes understanding of what questions or comments to verify understanding and prevent miscommunication.

4. Systems Thinking Skills.

Systems Thinking Skills focus on incorporating ethical standards into the organization; creating opportunities for collaboration internally within agency, among public health, and other organizations; mentoring personnel; adjusting practice to address changing needs and environment; ensuring continuous quality improvement; and managing organizational change.

· Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.

· Facilitates team through the problem-solving, crisis intervention and creative-thinking processes leading to the development and implementation of new approaches, systems, structures, and methods.

· Collaborates with community partners to improve client outcomes by connecting people to resources.

5. Cultural Competency Skills.

Cultural Competency Skills focus on understanding and responding to diverse needs, assessing organizational cultural diversity and competence, assessing effects of policies and programs on different populations, and taking action to support a diverse workforce.

· Demonstrates sensitivity to and respect for ages, social role, culture, race, gender, gender identity and expression, language, spirituality, sexual orientation, ethnicity, social class, economic status, immigration status, veteran status and disability.

· Promotes the importance of and emphasizes sensitivity to cultural competency throughout the agency service system.

· Demonstrates the importance of gathering information and showing sensitivity to the person receiving behavioral health services and the family, and their self-identified view of their culture and social world, utilizing strength-based solution-focused interventions.

6. Time Management and Organization.

Time Management and Organizational skills encompass the ability to take responsibility for one’s performance by spending time appropriately distributed to ensure that both internal and external client needs are met. Organizes and prioritizes assignments to ensure that newly emerging, urgent issues are resolved, while not losing sight of longer-term goals.

· Understands what is required and establishes/implements an effective course of action (e.g., establishes appropriate deadlines and meets them).

· Reprioritizes work efforts based on changing situations and emerging issues (e.g., in response to organizational, systems, and/or market changes).

· Establishes and maintains systems, clinical files and documentation and submits in a timely manner.

· Shifts attention quickly to respond to the unexpected while, simultaneously, makes progress on planned activities.

Clinical Job-Specific Program Competencies:

1. Screening & Assessment

· Conduct psychosocial and other assessments as required, depending on the program, location, and/or contract.

· Routinely conduct brief, evidence-based and developmentally sensitive screens for risk of and/or use of substances.

· Routinely conduct brief, evidence-based and developmentally sensitive screens for cognitive impairment, common mental health problems, and behaviors.

· Detect signs of abuse, neglect, domestic violence, commercial sexual exploitation, and other complex trauma.

· Routinely conduct brief screens for risk related to self-harm, harm to others, impairments, and environmental safety.

· Assess safety of home and neighborhood environment.

2. Care Planning & Coordination

· Understand the important safety, permanency, and well-being in care planning.

· Schedule, conduct and document home visits according to program and/or regulatory requirements.

· Support and encourage the involvement of the youth (in an age-appropriate manner), the youth’s family and natural supports where possible.

· Create and periodically update integrated care plans in consultation with team members, client, and client’s natural supports.

· Identify and refer client and client’s family to community-based resources as needed to improve quality of life, family safety and stability, and client well-being.

3. Intervention

· Ensure that services are delivered in a trauma-informed manner.

· Provide case consultation to team members.

· Respond and assist with crisis intervention and stabilization, either in person or by phone, as the situation warrants.

· Assist with psychiatric holds and hospitalizations as needed.

· Assist client in identifying strengths and interests.

4. Collaboration & Teamwork

· Recognize and respect the role of the client, his/her family and support network, and colleagues.

· Recognize the limits of one’s own knowledge, skills and abilities, seeking assistance from other team members and supervisors as necessary to ensure quality of care.

· Serve as an effective, engaged member of an interdisciplinary team.

· Facilitate collaborative care by actively sharing relevant information as needed to ensure care while being mindful of the rules of confidentiality and HIPAA.

· Demonstrate engagement, adaptability and flexibility in the process of working with others.

5. Interpersonal Communication

· Rapidly establish rapport and maintain effective relationships with diverse

individuals including client and client’s family/support system; advocates, and colleagues.

· Actively listen, demonstrated by quickly grasping presenting problems and needs of client.

· Clearly convey relevant information in a non-judgmental manner using person- centered terms that are free of jargon and developmentally appropriate for the client.

· Convey necessary information to team members accurately and expeditiously to insure appropriate care of client.

6. Cultural Competence and Adaptation

· Understand and exhibit cultural humility in all aspects of service to the client and family.

· Adapt services to the language, cultural norms, and individual preferences of clients and families.

· Develop collaborative relationships with allied providers (legal services, educators, medical professionals) to share knowledge of and support for culturally-sensitive services.

· When working with a youth or family member not native to our language/culture, seek out knowledge to ensure respectful engagement with that client.

· Recognize that the legal status of the client may be a stressor and make the individual feel vulnerable and distrustful.

· Share knowledge and insights with the team so that all might benefit.

7. Trauma-Informed Care

· Understand the impact on trauma on brain development and behavior and incorporate that understanding in all aspects of treatment.

· Maximize the child’s sense of safety.

· Assist children and youth in reducing overwhelming emotion.

· Help children and youth make new meaning of their trauma history and current experiences.

· Promote and support positive and stable relationships in the life of the child/youth.

· Provide support and guidance to the youth’s family, caregivers, and natural supports.

· Manage personal and professional stress.

8. Practice-Based Learning & Quality Improvement

· Deliver evidence-based integrated approaches to treatment.

· Actively participate in case review, team meetings, and other opportunities to share and learn from all team members.

· Attend all learning opportunities and, where possible, effectively incorporate new knowledge into daily practice.

· Actively participate in departmental and agency-wide quality improvement activities.

· Demonstrate commitment to continuous learning, skills improvement, and ability to adapt to changes in standards of practice in the field.

9. Informatics

· Document treatment goals, treatment episodes, assessments, and interventions timely and accurately.

· Use available electronic billing records and health records as applicable.

· Safeguard client privacy and confidentiality with respect to Protected Health Information.

· Comply with all directives regarding record storage, record transportation, and other data management procedures intended to comply with HIPAA.

· Participate in all assigned special projects, surveys, and other data collection efforts as approved by the agency.

10. Teaching & Mentoring

· Coordinate and oversee collateral and supportive activities of under graduate and/or graduate-level practicum students, as assigned.

· Provide guidance, share knowledge, and assist in the growth and learning experience of each assigned student.

· Observe, mentor, and provide feedback regarding performance.

Physical Requirements:

For the safety and security of our clients, must maintain proficiency in First Aid/CPR. To facilitate appointments and activities, staff must be able to safely drive vehicles, which may include during heavy and prolonged traffic (more than one hour each way), while transporting one or more youth and their family. All field-based personnel must be able to conduct home and community visits in a variety of settings, including multi-level apartment buildings without elevator access.

· Frequent carrying, up to 25 pounds.

· Frequent bending, stooping, twisting, turning, and squatting.

· Frequent pushing/pulling up to 10 pounds and 25 feet.

· Regularly lifting floor to waist and floor above shoulders.

· Regularly sitting, 1 to 5 hours per day.

· Regularly standing, 1 to 5 hours per day.

· Regular use of fine motor skills for such activities as writing, notetaking, craft-making.

· Normal or corrected vision needed for driving, supervision of youth, and documentation.

· Normal or corrected hearing to insure proper supervision and campus safety.

· Normal sense of smell to detect client hygiene issues, infant hygiene needs, and environment safety issues.

Work Environment:

Community settings, both local (such as school and recreation) and community-based to facilitate transports, court, and family visits. Low to moderate noise level.

In-Home settings: houses or apartments, often upper story with no elevator; may not have heating/air conditioning, cramped quarters with limited privacy; community and home risk factors may be present.