Associate Therapist (ACSW, AMFT, or APCC)

For more than 55 years, Family Health Centers of San Diego’s (FHCSD) mission has been to provide caring, affordable, high-quality health care and supportive services to everyone, with a special commitment to uninsured, low-income and medically underserved persons.

FHCSD is one of the top 10 largest federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in the country. We operate more than 90 sites across San Diego County, including 29 primary care clinics, 23 behavioral health facilities, 10 physical rehabilitation clinics, nine dental clinics, five vision clinics, four outpatient substance use treatment programs, three mobile medical units, two mobile counseling centers, two urgent care centers, and a pharmacy.

Our staff provides care to over 227,000 patients each year, of whom 91% are low-income and 29% are uninsured. FHCSD provides care to all. Services include, but are not limited to adult care, chronic disease management, pediatrics, comprehensive women’s care including obstetrics, dental, vision, case management, physical rehabilitation, speech therapy for children, vaccinations, infectious diseases, behavioral health, substance use counseling and a host of specialty services including cardiology, podiatry, endocrinology, dermatology, among others. FHCSD also offers supportive services to those who are unsheltered and in need of intensive case management.

The breadth of our clinic locations, services and programs has grown over the last five decades, making us the largest community clinic provider of health care to the uninsured in the county and one of the top 10 largest community clinic organizations in the nation. We are also the largest health care safety-net provider, largest school-based health care provider and the largest mental health provider in the San Diego region.

Job Roles

• Complete all required documentation accurately, in a timely manner, and thoroughly in accordance with department standards; in addition, documentation complies with patients' insurance requirements.
• Perform initial and on-going assessments for assigned patients.
• Participate in development of patients' individualized care plans, in a timely and thorough manner.
• Provide treatment to assigned patients within scope of practice, meeting program/department productivity and quality standards.
• Proactively utilize clinical supervision and/or peer consultation.
• Demonstrate awareness of transference and counter-transference issues and address them as they arise.
• Address co-occurring disorders, factoring them into patient's treatment plan.
• Demonstrate clinical skills and judgment necessary to implement the treatment plan.
• Work effectively as a member of the multi-disciplinary treatment team.
• Communicate with providers, physicians, case managers, scheduling staff, referring providers, and with outside agencies and authorities, in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Connect patients to internal/external resources as appropriate, and accurately document referrals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education/Certifications/Licenses/Registrations

• Master’s Degree in Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Child Development or closely related field required.
• Current California registration as a Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor.
• The following Certifications are required:
• Current American Heart Association healthcare provider CPR (BLS), or Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support, or Advance Resuscitation Training required.
• Possession of First Aid/CPR certificate issued by an authorized agency.
• If work assignment is located at FHCSD Counseling Center OR Non-Behavioral Health Center, the above CPR and First Aid certifications are not required.
• Traveling between sites and other locations is occasionally required. Must have a valid California driver’s license, an automobile, and proof of minimum levels of car insurance as required under California law, although limits of $100,000 are recommended. An acceptable driving record is also required. California law requires all drivers to obtain a valid California driver’s license within ten days of establishing residency. Reasonable accommodation may be provided on a case-by-case basis. Mileage and other reimbursement governed by policy.

Experience/Specialized skills (including Language)

• Ability to maintain good interpersonal interactions with clients and co-workers as a member of a multidisciplinary community health team with a diverse multi-cultural population.
• Ability to provide support, structure, empathy, sound judgment, and insight into human behavior and family relations.
• Ability to work well in both a team-based environment and independently.
• Bilingual in Spanish/English or other language may be required depending on assignment.
• Clinical skills appropriate to scope of practice and clinical judgment necessary to implement the treatment plan.
• Demonstrated ability to be culturally sensitive and respect diversity.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to include the ability to communicate effectively with patients and family members who may speak English as a second language.
• Knowledge of behavior modification theories.
• Knowledge of current counseling theories and best practices, to include the ability to translate best practices into meaningful, culturally appropriate resources.
• Basic computer literacy ability to comply with department needs and expectations (i.e., electronic medical record documentation, obtaining background information and reports on patients, following up on appointments, etc.).

We are excited to share that the salary range for this position is:

Information on our extensive benefits package can be found here: FHCSD Wellness – Employee Hub (gobenefits.net)

FHCSD provides Equal Employment Opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.