Licensed Mental Health Clinician

Job Description

Job Description

Location: Mobile, AL
Department: Clinical Services
Program: Residential Substance Use Disorder and Co-Occurring Mental Health Treatment
Reports To: Clinical Director
FLSA Status: Exempt
Employment Status: Full-Time
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, generally 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; flexibility required based on patient care needs, including occasional evenings, weekends, holidays, crisis response, and participation in on-call coverage as assigned.
About Vets Recover
Vets Recover is committed to providing compassionate, evidence-based behavioral healthcare for Veterans, Service Members, First Responders, and other adults experiencing substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. Through residential treatment, withdrawal management, and recovery-focused programming, we empower individuals to build healthier lives while honoring dignity, resilience, and service.
Position Summary
The Licensed Mental Health Clinician is responsible for providing comprehensive behavioral health services to adults receiving residential substance use disorder treatment and withdrawal management services. Working as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team, the clinician provides assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, individual therapy, group therapy, family education, crisis intervention, discharge planning, and care coordination to support each patient's recovery journey.
The clinician serves as a primary therapist for an assigned caseload and is responsible for delivering evidence-based, person-centered, and trauma-informed care while maintaining timely, accurate, and compliant clinical documentation. The position collaborates closely with physicians, psychiatric providers, nursing staff, case managers, peer support specialists, admissions staff, and other members of the treatment team to ensure coordinated, high-quality patient care.
When assigned and authorized by applicable licensure and board requirements, this position also provides clinical supervision, consultation, and mentorship to designated clinical staff, provisionally licensed clinicians, interns, or trainees.
The ideal candidate demonstrates strong clinical judgment, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to ethical practice, recovery-oriented care, and continuous quality improvement.

Essential Clinical Responsibilities
Clinical Assessment & Treatment

• Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments, mental health evaluations, substance use assessments, trauma screenings, risk assessments, and other clinical evaluations necessary to determine patient needs and support individualized treatment planning.
• Develop accurate diagnostic impressions consistent with current diagnostic standards and the clinician's scope of practice.
• Apply clinical judgment and ASAM Criteria to support level-of-care recommendations, continued stay reviews, treatment progression, transfers, and discharge planning.
• Develop individualized, measurable, person-centered treatment plans that address each patient's strengths, clinical needs, recovery goals, barriers to treatment, and discharge objectives.
• Review and update treatment plans throughout the patient's episode of care to reflect clinical progress and changing treatment needs.

Therapeutic Services

• Serve as the primary therapist for an assigned caseload.
• Provide individual, group, and family therapy using evidence-based and trauma-informed treatment approaches.
• Facilitate psychoeducational, relapse prevention, recovery skills, coping skills, and process groups that promote emotional wellness and sustained recovery.
• Utilize interventions appropriate to patient needs, including Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), relapse prevention strategies, trauma-informed interventions, solution-focused approaches, and other evidence-based clinical modalities.
• Assist patients in identifying strengths, developing coping strategies, improving emotional regulation, and building sustainable recovery supports.

Crisis Intervention & Risk Management

• Assess and respond appropriately to behavioral health crises, including suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, self-harm risk, relapse risk, emotional dysregulation, and other safety concerns.
• Develop safety plans and collaborate with the interdisciplinary treatment team to ensure patient safety.
• Respond to clinical emergencies within the scope of licensure and organizational policy while maintaining professionalism and sound clinical judgment.

Interdisciplinary Care Coordination

• Collaborate with physicians, psychiatric providers, nursing staff, case managers, peer support specialists, recovery support staff, admissions personnel, and community providers to ensure coordinated patient care.
• Participate actively in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, case consultations, discharge planning meetings, and utilization review discussions.
• Coordinate referrals and transitions to appropriate levels of care, community resources, outpatient providers, recovery supports, and aftercare services.

Documentation & Clinical Compliance

• Complete clinical documentation accurately, thoroughly, and within established timeframes, including assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, group notes, discharge summaries, risk assessments, and other required documentation.
• Ensure documentation supports medical necessity, clinical decision-making, treatment progress, and payer requirements.
• Participate in utilization review activities by providing clinical information necessary for prior authorizations, continued stay reviews, and payer communication.
• Maintain documentation in accordance with organizational policies, licensing regulations, accreditation standards, confidentiality requirements, and applicable federal and state laws.
• Demonstrate working knowledge of ASAM Criteria, Joint Commission standards, Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) requirements, and applicable payer expectations as they relate to residential behavioral health treatment.

Responsibilities
When assigned by the Clinical Director and authorized under applicable licensure and board requirements, the Licensed Mental Health Clinician provides clinical supervision and professional guidance to designated clinicians, provisionally licensed clinicians, interns, trainees, or other clinical personnel.
Responsibilities include:

• Provide individual and group clinical supervision in accordance with applicable licensing board requirements and organizational policy.
• Foster professional growth through coaching, mentoring, case consultation, and ongoing clinical education.
• Review clinical documentation to promote accuracy, timeliness, clinical quality, and compliance with organizational standards.
• Provide guidance regarding assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, crisis intervention, ethical decision-making, documentation, and evidence-based clinical practice.
• Assist supervisees in developing clinical judgment, professional identity, effective therapeutic interventions, and competency in treating substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions.
• Maintain supervision records and documentation as required by applicable licensing boards and organizational policy.
• Identify opportunities for additional education, coaching, and professional development.
• Communicate significant clinical concerns, performance issues, or patient safety risks to the Clinical Director in a timely manner.
• Support orientation and onboarding of new clinical staff by providing guidance on clinical workflows, documentation standards, treatment philosophy, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Quality Improvement & Clinical Excellence
The Licensed Mental Health Clinician actively contributes to the organization's commitment to quality care, patient safety, and continuous performance improvement.
Responsibilities include:

• Participate in quality improvement initiatives, chart audits, peer reviews, and clinical performance improvement activities.
• Assist in identifying trends related to documentation, patient outcomes, safety events, and clinical practice.
• Support implementation of evidence-based practices and organizational clinical initiatives.
• Participate in policy and procedure review as requested by leadership.
• Promote compliance with organizational policies, Joint Commission standards, Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) requirements, ASAM Criteria, HIPAA regulations, and payer expectations.
• Participate in incident review, root cause analysis, and corrective action planning when appropriate.
• Contribute to a culture of accountability, collaboration, patient safety, and continuous learning.

Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain current licensure, certifications, continuing education, and professional competencies required for the position.
• Practice within the ethical standards and scope of practice established by the applicable licensing board.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with HIPAA and all applicable privacy regulations.
• Demonstrate professionalism, integrity, accountability, and respect in all interactions with patients, families, referral sources, coworkers, and community partners.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries within a residential treatment environment.
• Utilize sound clinical judgment and seek consultation when clinical situations exceed the clinician's scope of practice or expertise.
• Participate in staff meetings, trainings, case conferences, and continuing education opportunities.
• Support a positive, recovery-oriented, trauma-informed treatment environment.
• Perform other duties consistent with the scope of the position as assigned by the Clinical Director.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration
This position works collaboratively with all members of the treatment team to ensure coordinated, patient-centered care.
Key collaborative partners include:

• Clinical Director
• Medical Director
• Psychiatric providers
• Nursing staff
• Case managers
• Peer Support Specialists
• Recovery Support Staff
• Admissions and intake personnel
• Utilization Review staff
• Community providers and referral partners

The clinician contributes to interdisciplinary treatment planning, discharge planning, care coordination, utilization review, and quality improvement efforts while promoting effective communication across all departments.
Leadership Expectations
Although this position is not considered executive leadership, the Licensed Mental Health Clinician – Clinical Supervisor serves as a clinical leader by modeling professional behavior, ethical practice, and evidence-based care.
The clinician is expected to:

• Demonstrate