Clinical Therapist - Lancaster

The Clinical Therapist provides comprehensive, client-centered behavioral health services to children, youth, adults, and families served by Masada Community Mental Health Services. Working under the supervision of the Clinical Supervisor, the Clinical Therapist provides timely clinical interventions, including psychotherapy, ongoing assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, crisis intervention, care coordination, and other services appropriate to the client's needs and assigned program. Annual Salary Range: BBS Registered: $75,001-$95,000 Licensed: $85,001-$105,000 Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 1. ONGOING CLINICAL ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS: Continuously assesses behavioral health symptoms, functioning, strengths, risks, treatment response, environmental factors, and changing clinical needs throughout the course of services. Reviews and integrates relevant behavioral health, developmental, psychosocial, family, medical, educational, substance-use, trauma, and systems information. Updates diagnoses, differential diagnoses, case conceptualizations, clinical formulations, and assessment documentation when new information, changes in presentation, treatment response, functional changes, regulatory requirements, or clinical circumstances indicate that reassessment is necessary. Completes comprehensive, focused, or supplemental assessments when clinically indicated or required by the assigned program. Applies current DSM diagnostic criteria and sound clinical judgment to ensure diagnoses remain accurate and clinically supported. 2. TREATMENT PLANNING, LEVEL OF CARE, AND SERVICE DELIVERY: Develops, implements, reviews, and updates individualized treatment and service plans based on ongoing assessment, medical necessity, client needs, strengths, preferences, culture, developmental considerations, treatment response, and program requirements. Continuously evaluates whether the client is receiving services at the appropriate level of care and whether the type, intensity, frequency, duration, and setting of services remain clinically appropriate. Adjusts treatment interventions and service delivery in response to changes in symptoms, functioning, risk, engagement, treatment progress, and level-of-care needs. Coordinates consultation, referral, transition, step-up, or step-down to another level of care when clinically indicated. 3. TIMELY TREATMENT AND CLINICAL INTERVENTION: Provides timely, clinically appropriate treatment interventions based on assessed client need, risk, functioning, treatment goals, and level of care. Provides individual, family, and group psychotherapy using evidence-based, evidence-informed, and clinically appropriate interventions within professional scope of practice. Provides rehabilitation, case management, collateral services, care coordination, crisis intervention, outreach and engagement, and other behavioral health services as clinically appropriate and consistent with assigned program requirements. Modifies interventions promptly when the client's presentation, response to treatment, safety needs, or level-of-care needs change. 4. CLIENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT: Establishes effective therapeutic relationships with clients, caregivers, and support systems. Promotes meaningful client and family participation in ongoing assessment, treatment planning, service delivery, outcome review, and transition planning. Identifies and builds upon strengths and incorporates client voice, choice, culture, preferences, and recovery goals into treatment. 5. OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT: Conducts outreach and engagement activities when clinically or programmatically indicated to support treatment participation, reduce barriers to care, maintain continuity of services, and engage clients and families who may be difficult to reach or at risk of disengaging. Collaborates with multidisciplinary team members and community partners to address barriers affecting treatment participation and stability. 6. RISK ASSESSMENT, CRISIS RESPONSE, AND LPS RESPONSIBILITIES: Maintains an active Los Angeles County LPS designation throughout employment and exercises designated authority in accordance with applicable law, county requirements, agency policy, and professional scope of practice. Continuously assesses for suicide risk, self-harm, danger to others, grave disability, abuse, neglect, exploitation, substance-related risk, and other urgent safety concerns as clinically indicated. Provides crisis assessment, timely therapeutic intervention, safety planning, stabilization, and coordination with emergency and crisis resources when necessary. Initiates or participates in LPS evaluation and involuntary detention processes when clinically and legally indicated and within designated authority. Completes mandated reporting responsibilities and promptly communicates significant clinical and safety concerns to the Clinical Supervisor and treatment team. Participates in the agency's after-hours and on-call crisis response schedule as assigned and responds in accordance with program, agency, and county requirements. 7. LEVEL-OF-CARE MONITORING, REFERRALS, AND CARE COORDINATION: Routinely evaluates the appropriateness of the client's current level of care based on symptoms, functioning, risk, treatment response, engagement, support needs, medical necessity, and available clinical information. Uses clinical judgment and agency- or LACDMH-designated assessment tools to support level-of-care decisions. Makes clinically appropriate referrals and coordinates services when clients require additional, different, more intensive, or less intensive services. Collaborates with internal and external providers to support continuity of care and effective transitions between levels of care. 8. MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION: Collaborates regularly with Clinical Supervisors, Program Managers, therapists, case managers, psychiatry, nursing, occupational therapy, integrated care management, peer and family support staff, and other members of the treatment team. Coordinates as appropriate with schools, healthcare providers, child welfare, probation, managed care organizations, county agencies, community partners, and other systems involved with the client. Uses multidisciplinary consultation to inform diagnosis, treatment planning, risk management, level-of-care decisions, transitions, and coordination of services. 9. DOCUMENTATION: Completes accurate, thorough, clinically appropriate, and timely documentation of ongoing assessments, diagnostic updates, treatment plans, progress notes, psychotherapy and other treatment interventions, crisis services, collateral contacts, care coordination, level-of-care determinations, discharge or transition activities, and other required services. Documentation reflects current client presentation, medical necessity, treatment response, progress toward goals, identified barriers, changes in risk or functioning, and the clinical rationale for continued, modified, stepped-up, stepped-down, transferred, or discontinued services. 10. OUTCOMES, LOCUS, AND CLINICAL MEASURES: Completes required clinical outcome measures, reassessments, and agency- or LACDMH-designated tools within established timelines. This includes the Level of Care Utilization System (LOCUS) for applicable adult clients, the Integrated Practice - Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (IP-CANS) for applicable children and youth, and other required outcome or clinical measurement tools. Reviews and incorporates outcome-measure findings into ongoing assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, clinical decision-making, treatment interventions, service intensity, level-of-care recommendations, and evaluation of treatment progress. Use changes in outcome data and clinical presentation to identify when treatment should be modified or when transition to another level of care may be appropriate. 11. PRODUCTIVITY AND PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS: Meets productivity, caseload, service delivery, documentation, scheduling, client-contact, field-based, and other performance expectations established by the agency, assigned program, contractual requirements, and internal policies. Prioritizes timely clinical intervention according to client need and manages assigned workload effectively. Communicates promptly with the Clinical Supervisor regarding barriers that may interfere with timely treatment, client safety, continuity of care, achievement of treatment goals, or the ability to provide services at the clinically appropriate level. 12. FIELD-BASED AND COMMUNITY SERVICES: Provides services in office, clinic, home, school, community, field-based, telehealth, or other approved settings according to clinical need and assigned program requirements. Meets applicable field-based service expectations and travels independently to service locations as necessary. Transports clients only when authorized and required by assigned program responsibilities and agency policy. 13. CLINICAL CONSULTATION AND SUPERVISION: Participates actively and punctually in individual and group supervision, multidisciplinary team meetings, case consultation, case presentations, in-service training, conferences, and other required clinical activities. Appropriately utilizes the Clinical Supervisor for changes in diagnosis, complex clinical presentations, risk and safety concerns, mandated reporting, ethical issues, treatment planning, treatment response, medical necessity, level-of-care determinations, transition planning, and other matters requiring clinical consultation. 14. CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE AND TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICE: Demonstrates respect for the intrinsic value, individuality, identities, backgrounds, experiences, and cultures of clients, families, colleagues, and community partners. Provides services using culturally responsive, trauma-informed, strengths-based, recovery-oriented, and client- and family-centered practices. Demonstrates cultural humility and sensitivity to the impact of trauma, systemic involvement, social determinants, and environmental factors on behavioral health and treatment outcomes. 15. ETHICS, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Performs all responsibilities within professional scope of practice and applicable ethical, legal, licensing, confidentiality, and regulatory standards. Maintains appropriate professional boundaries, safeguards protected health information, protects client rights, and maintains strict confidentiality of client records and information. 16. CLINICAL TECHNOLOGY AND SYSTEMS: Demonstrates proficiency in the electronic health record and other agency-approved clinical platforms, including Greenspace, Eleos, iDashboards, and designated assessment or outcome measurement systems as applicable. Accurately enters required clinical information and uses available technology to support ongoing assessment, documentation, outcome measurement, treatment decision-making, communication, and coordination of care. 17. QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: Participates in quality assurance and quality improvement, documentation review, utilization review, peer review, audit, corrective action, and other compliance activities as assigned. Responds to clinical and documentation feedback and completes required corrections within established timelines. Complies with agency policies, LACDMH requirements, Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services standards, medical necessity requirements, contractual requirements, and applicable federal, state, county, and licensing requirements. 18. COMMUNICATION AND PROFESSIONALISM: Demonstrates effective written, verbal, interpersonal, organizational, problem-solving, and clinical decision-making skills. Communicates changes in client needs, diagnosis, risk, functioning, treatment response, treatment recommendations, level of care, service barriers, and follow-up needs clearly, professionally, and in a timely manner. Demonstrates reliability, accountability, sound judgment, and professional conduct. 19. TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Completes required agency, clinical, regulatory, Evidence-Based Practice, outcome-measure, LPS, and program-specific training within established timeframes. Maintains required professional registration or licensure, continuing education, certifications, LPS designation, and other training requirements applicable to the position. Participates in ongoing professional development to strengthen clinical assessment, diagnostic, treatment, crisis-response, and level-of-care decision-making competencies. 20. SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES: Supports and maintains a safe, hazard-free workplace and complies with agency safety policies, OSHA safety requirements, established procedures, and applicable workplace health and safety regulations. Follows established safety protocols and promptly reports injuries, illnesses, hazards, unsafe conditions, workplace incidents, or other safety concerns to the appropriate supervisor or designated agency representative. All employee-related injuries or illnesses must be reported immediately to Human Resources, and Nurse First Response (NFR) should be notified for assessment in accordance with agency procedures. Nurse First Response is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at View phone number on click.appcast.io. The Clinical Therapist promotes client, employee, and community safety by continuously assessing behavioral health and environmental safety needs, responding appropriately to emergencies, utilizing established crisis procedures, communicating urgent concerns promptly, and seeking supervisory, clinical, or emergency assistance when circumstances require additional support. 21. OTHER DUTIES: Performs other duties consistent with the scope and responsibilities of the position as assigned by the Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Program Manager, Director, or executive leadership. Position Requirements: Master's degree in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Clinical Counseling, Psychology, or another related behavioral health field from an accredited institution. Current California licensure as an LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, PhD, or PsyD; or current registration with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an ASW, AMFT, or APCC, as applicable. Valid California Driver's License, proof of automobile insurance, good driving record. Driving is an essential function of the position. Must meet applicable requirements to provide Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services within professional scope of practice. Active Los Angeles County Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) designation is required and must be maintained throughout employment. Work experience in a behavioral health, community mental health, or comparable clinical setting preferred. Knowledge of or ability to learn LACDMH requirements, Medi-Cal documentation standards, Specialty Mental Health Services requirements, medical necessity standards, and behavioral health compliance requirements. Knowledge of or ability to develop proficiency with LOCUS, IP-CANS, and other agency-designated assessment, level-of-care, and outcome measurement tools applicable to assigned populations and programs. Demonstrated experience with trauma-informed care, strengths-based practice, family engagement, and culturally responsive services with children, youth, adults, and families from diverse backgrounds. Work Environment: This is a hybrid position requiring in-office attendance based on agency policy, department requirements, and operational needs. The work environment is primarily an office, clinical, and remote or hybrid setting and may include community-based locations when required by operational needs. The position may involve contact with individuals experiencing significant behavioral health symptoms, psychiatric crises, or acute emotional distress. Work schedules and in-office attendance are based on agency policy, department requirements, and operational needs. The Clinical Therapist participates in the agency after-hours and on-call crisis response schedule as assigned. #J-18808-Ljbffr Counseling and Research Associates, Inc.