MAT Assessor Therapist

Job Description

Job Description

About Us: 

Counseling 4 Kids is a resilient community mental health agency driven by our steadfast commitment to quality care and unparalleled dedication to client engagement. At the core of our mission is a profound belief that every child deserves compassionate support and effective treatment. We prioritize our clients above all else, ensuring their needs are met with empathy and expertise.

Why Counseling4Kids? 

Our agency is not just a place of work; it's a dynamic environment where innovation, teamwork, and resilience flourish and where resilience is valued. We embrace creativity and collaboration, fostering a culture of welcoming and nurturing new ideas. Our commitment to staff well-being is paramount, providing a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where every team member can thrive and grow professionally.

As we continue to evolve and expand our services, we invite passionate mental health professionals to apply for our MAT Assessor. This pivotal role offers the chance to profoundly impact the lives of children and families in our community. If you are passionate about transforming lives, driving innovation, and upholding the highest standards of care, Counseling4Kids is the place for you.

Job Summary: The MAT Assessor Therapist reports to the Clinical Supervisor, providing in-office, in-home, and school-based specialty Mental Health Services to children throughout Service Area 2 or Service Area 8. The MAT Assessor will provide specialty mental health services to infants, young children, and their families using standard therapy practices and documentation protocols according to the Department of Mental Health (DMH). The MAT Assessor is responsible for meeting weekly productivity expectations (24 billable hours of care on average each week), and maintaining accurate and up-to-date case records using the electronic health record system, EXYM, for all services rendered, in accordance with State of California and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. MAT Assessors may also supplement their caseload with non-MAT cases in order to meet billing expectations and respond to the needs of our community. 

The MAT Assessor will provide services in office in addition to travelling to our clients’ homes and/or schools to provide services. Counseling4Kids emphasizes quality treatment and trauma-informed care. This role performs thorough assessments for children that have recently been removed from their home by DCFS. Our clients have high rates of trauma exposure and the majority have parents or caregivers who are involved with the Department of Children and Family Services. They will also have the additional opportunity to obtain training, experience, and supervision required for endorsement as an Infant-Family Early Childhood Mental Health Professional. Therapists in our MAT program may also carry cases with older children and teens. This will provide a balanced clinical experience and allows our agency to respond to the needs of our community. Our Services are primarily Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI), and training for supplemental cases may include the evidence-based treatment models of TF-CBT, MAP, CPP, PCIT, Triple P and Seeking Safety.

Duties and Responsibilities  

• Uphold the mission and core values of Counseling4Kids. 
• Clinicians are expected to maintain service delivery requirements that enable them to provide 1172 hours of annual billable services, throughout the duration of employment.  
• Maintains knowledge and demonstrates understanding of how to calculate billable services 
• Is responsible for maintaining caseload to ensure 24 hours of billable services of care per week.  
• Clinicians are expected to conduct outreach services to facilitate the development of their caseload when caseload does not permit them to meet 24 hours of billable services of care per week.
  
• Provides evidenced based interventions and/or MAT based on DMH and C4K guidelines. 
  
• Provides a clinical, trauma and developmentally informed lens to understand the strengths, underlying needs, and goals of the child and family throughout the process of dependency investigation and case planning.
• Participates in each component of the Child and Family Team process (e.g. staff engagement, family engagement, CFTM, debrief).
• Conducts an age appropriate mental health services assessment.
• Provides supportive Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) as clinically appropriate.
• Facilitates initiation of referrals and/or linkages as soon as the need for such services is identified. 
• Utilizes assessment documents and tools (e.g. ASQ, CANS) to gather and organize information.
• Completes Intensive Care Coordination (ICC) to develop and guide service delivery to meet the underlying needs of the child/youth.
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• Completes MAT Summary of Finding (SOF) report and directly communicates findings within a multi agency meeting.
• Helps the child/youth, family, and other team members understand the impact of trauma. 
• Documents all billable activities to the pertinent funding sources through the use of the appropriate billing codes. 
• Works collaboratively with clients and the clinical team to develop a comprehensive assessment, treatment plan and desired treatment outcomes.
  
• Engage in on-duty crisis management, including phone referral assessments.  
• Maintains clients’ records related to assessment, treatment, progress toward goals and objectives, discharge summary, and treatment outcomes that are accurate, concise, timely, and useful for coordinating treatment team planning, monitoring, and review.
  
• Participates in treatment team meetings and makes recommendations as appropriate.
  
• Attends in-person individual and group supervision at least once a week in the staff member’s home office.
  
• Ability to be in-office five (5) full eight (8) hour days per week during clinical hours and days (M-F) of operation.
• Seeks guidance and remains knowledgeable of, and complies with, all applicable federal and state laws, as well as company policies that apply to assigned duties.
  
• Complies with the company’s and Board of Behavioral Sciences’ (BBS) expectations regarding ethical behavior and standards of conduct. 
  

Minimum Qualifications  

• Master’s degree required in Clinical Psychology, Marriage & Family Therapy or Counseling.
• Current Registration with California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an APCC, ASW, or AMFT. 
• Knowledge of the L.A. County Department of Mental Health system.
  
• Familiarity with MAT based services (i.e., assessments, SOFs, CFT) and timelines. 
• Experience providing mental health services requiring diagnostic evaluation, treatment planning and crisis intervention, as well as providing the various modalities of therapy. 
  
• Valid California Driver’s license, with all copies of current certification (including auto insurance) provided to agency.  
• Have access to HIPAA compliant transportation, and ability to travel to the school of clients in service area 2, 8, and/or Santa Clarita (as applicable) during clinical hours of operation five (5) days per work week.
  
• 1+ years of previous experience working with children and families. 
• Experience, training, and/or strong interest in working with clients ages birth to five presenting with symptoms of trauma and/or disruptive behaviors. 
• Ability to document in a clear and concise manner and in accordance with DMH and other program standards using EXYM
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Licensed as an LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC with current, unrestricted registration with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS).
  
• 1+ years experience with MAT based services (i.e., assessments, SOFs, CFT) and timelines. 
• MAT Trainings: DC: 0-5 and ICARE, Other core B-5 trainings
• Completed Training, Certification, or actively rostered in Parent-Child Interaction Therapist (PCIT) and/or Child-Parent Psychotherapy(CPP).  
  
• Working towards endorsement as an Infant Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialists
• 1+ year or more previous experience working with Birth to Five population.  
• Bilingual English/Spanish 
  

EEO Statement:

Counseling4Kids provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Counseling4Kids complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Counseling4Kids expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Counseling4Kids’ employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.