Associate Marriage & Family Therapist

POSITION SUMMARY:

Under the direction of the Chief Behavioral Health Officer, and under the supervision of a licensed Clinical Supervisor, will provide mental health services, including but not limited to individual and or group counseling, clinical intake/evaluation, crises intervention, parent/child therapeutic activities, community presentations, and clinical case management. Licensed eligible staff will gain supervised clinical hours for licensure, while providing the appropriate level of behavioral health and substance use disorder services for clients of APLA Health. Staff will provide services identified through a biopsychosocial assessment and promote health and wellness through services, advocacy and education with a focus on the needs of low-income LGBT adults including but not limited to people living with HIV/AIDS. Position will also provide community behavioral health services to other clients seeking services at APLA Health & Wellness. In addition, staff will be tasked with providing education and consultation to primary care and behavioral health providers on areas of addiction treatment and seeking to enhance our integrated care model .

This is a time-limited associate position intended to support completion of supervised clinical hours and transition to licensure in accordance with California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) requirements; the AMFT classification is inherently transitional and not intended to be indefinite, and continued employment is contingent upon maintaining active associate registration, progression toward licensure, and organizational need.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Complete behavioral health intakes, bio-psychosocial assessments; develop a treatment plan that addresses the collaborative clinical goals of clinician and client and document treatment progress notes; provide treatment termination & case closure.
• Provide crisis counseling/intervention to clients and their social networks (i.e., partners, significant other, spouse, and immediate family member[s]).
• Provide individual, couple and group counseling, building a caseload with a goal of averaging 25 hours of billable services delivered per week.
• Provide behavioral health referrals, advocacy, and service information to clients and their support systems.
• Screen, assess, and plan appropriate interventions to minimize client risk of acquiring or transmitting sexually transmitted infections.
• Provide outreach, patient identification, education, and provider consultation on addiction treatment and enhancing our integrated service delivery model of care.
• Expand the use of substance abuse screening tools into our care delivery systems, including evidence-based opioid risk assessment into our Electronic Health Record.
• Participate in the collection, development, and deployment of education and outreach materials with a specific focus on issues related to the LGBT population in need of substance use identification and treatment, including opioid misuse information and resources.
• Identify and expand use of community-based resources and referrals to facilitate higher-level services for patients with greater need than we are able to provide directly.
• Document services in eClinicalWorks and/or other charting and data collection systems as appropriate. Documentation will be performed in a timely and accurate fashion in accordance with program policies and professional standards of care.
• Adhere to all applicable professional, legal, and ethical standards of behavioral health practice in the provision of services, including but not limited to: mandated reporting, provision of effective services, case documentation, client confidentiality/HIPAA regulations, ensuring client safety, and maintaining professional boundaries.
• Attend trainings and case conference meetings as required.
• Prepare monthly reports and statistics as requested.
• Maintain client behavioral health files to ensure completed documentation required by funders and agency Quality Management Plan.

OTHER DUTIES MAY BE ASSIGNED TO MEET BUSINESS NEEDS.

REQUIREMENTS:

Training and Experience:

A Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from an accredited university (MFT).


Knowledge of:

LGBTQ behavioral health issues and effective treatment modalities; HIV behavioral health issues; ability to perform differential diagnosis using the DSM-V; various theoretical orientations; treatment modalities; clinical techniques and interventions; treatment planning; biopsychosocial assessment; crisis intervention and reporting obligations. Requires significant experience in the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use disorders, with a specific focus on opioid misuse.

Ability to:

Communicate effectively orally and in writing; organize work in an effective manner; work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary, fast paced environment; work effectively independently and as part of a team; communicate and relate to a variety of personalities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities and presentations; complete documentation in a comprehensive and timely fashion in accordance with APLA H&W policies.


We are seeking candidates who have a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by diverse communities, including LGBTQIA+ individuals and BIPOC populations. A demonstrated commitment to culturally competent care and experience in providing services to queer BIPOC individuals or other marginalized groups is highly valued. APLA Health fosters an inclusive environment that supports both staff and patients from all backgrounds, and we encourage applications from those with lived experience or specialized expertise in these areas.

Upon successful completion of licensure requirements, continued employment in the AMFT classification is no longer permissible under California Board of Behavioral Sciences regulations; transition or separation processes are addressed in APLA Health's Behavioral Health Protocol for Associateship Completion, subject to organizational needs and availability of licensure-eligible positions.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

This is a hybrid-remote position which will allow the employee to work remotely 60-80% of the time, in-office 20-40%. This Hybrid work arrangement is subject to change at the discretion of the Director. This position requires only occasional bending, reaching, stooping, lifting and moving of office materials weighing 25 pounds or less. The position requires daily use of a personal computer and requires entering, viewing, and revising text and graphics on the computer terminal and on paper.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Must possess a valid California driver's license; proof of auto liability insurance; and have the use of a personal vehicle for work related purposes.


COVID-19 and Booster or Medical/ Religious Exemption required.

An Equal Opportunity Employer.