Therapist, Associate

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Position Summary: 

Therapist assesses and counsel's 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.

Requirements:

Essential Duties:  

Acquires, maintains, and demonstrates knowledge of Continuum of Care, 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 plan of care, 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.

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. PCC Intern or LPCC must show proof of 6 semester units or 9 quarter units of applicable graduate level coursework on theory and application of marriage and family therapy AND 500 hours of related experience by providing a Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) issued letter approving qualifications. A PCC may obtain a waiver from the agency to complete necessary courses while being employed as an intern but must complete coursework prior to licensure in order to avoid a lapse in the ability to provide couple and family therapy. 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, unit, 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 unit’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.

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. 
• 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. 

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.