Therapist - Street Medicine

Therapist - Street Medicine

San Francisco Community Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center providing culturally competent, high-quality medical care, mental health services, education, and outreach. We are a safety-net for the LGBTQ community, the unsheltered community, people who use substances, and those with mental health needs. We are an anchor-organization for San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood and we also lead regional, statewide, and national programming. We believe that everyone deserves access to the highest quality care served with dignity and respect!

Our Street Medicine providers deliver primary health care, urgent care, wound care, phlebotomy and lab results, behavioral health care, and case management outside of our clinic walls, directly to our community members living on the streets. We meet people where they, build long term relationships, and partner with people to support their health and wellness.

The Street Medicine Therapist is part of a multidisciplinary team that includes medical providers, nurses, case managers and community health workers. You will meet community members where they are located in the Tenderloin area, be it at their residences, in shelters or on the street. In this role, you will provide ongoing and episodic therapy to unhoused and recently housed people where they live, and housed persons who are not able to engage in clinic-based care. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with your direct team members, community organizations, other clinicians on the behavioral health team, and most importantly clients/patients. You will work to engage clients facing systemic oppression and barriers to accessing medical and mental health care, including LGBTQ+ folx, persons experiencing houselessness, people living with HIV, and people who use drugs.

Essential duties include:

• Conduct field-based intakes, assessments, and reassessments of clients with mental health and substance use disorders.
• Provide consultation to the interdisciplinary team for urgent situations and assist with treatment planning and development.
• Carry a caseload of street-based therapy clients while being able to provide brief behavioral health interventions.
• Conduct street-based crisis intervention with the ability to assess for risk, a psychiatric emergency and conduct a 5150 assessment.
• Attend regular ongoing individual and group clinical supervision (as applicable depending on licensure).
• Be a liaison between all psychosocial services and the client's medical provider to ensure that a client's care is coordinated.
• Develop and utilize multiple modalities to address clients' substance use and mental health needs, including but not limited to individual psychotherapy using evidence-based treatments.
• Continually update client care plans and develop appropriate discharge plans while coordinating with outside parties including hospital social work teams, psychiatric emergency providers and urgent care, etc.
• Participate in all required meetings, including huddles, case conferences, monthly staff meetings and in-service trainings.
• Provide service referrals, linkages, care coordination, and advocacy services for clients, and monitor the outcomes of these activities.
• Provide referrals to medical and psychosocial service resources and programs when needed.
• Complete necessary documentation, assessments, and treatment plans in a timely manner.
• Perform other duties and tasks as assigned.

Minimum qualifications include:

• Must be able to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of time
• Associate Clinical Social Worker (LCSW preferred), registered with the BBS in the State of California
• At least 1 year of experience working with the following communities: low-income populations, people living with HIV, people who use drugs, LGBTQ+ folks, immigrants and refugees
• Deep understanding of harm reduction practices, motivational interviewing, and crisis intervention
• Demonstrated ability to apply therapeutic modalities to client work in a way that meets clients where they are and supports healing from trauma
• Experience working in interdisciplinary teams. Must be able to work independently, be flexible and responsive, and be a strong contributor to team performance
• Demonstrated reliability and good interpersonal, organizational, verbal, written communication skills. Must be able to handle multiple tasks and have ability to work professionally and ethically within multi-racial and multicultural settings
• Knowledge of legal mandates and ethical issues related to client privacy and confidentiality
• Ability to travel within San Francisco and, at times, the Bay Area or nationally
• When eligible, completion of an Involuntary Hold/5150 certification

• Up-to-date with vaccinations, especially the latest COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccination
• Proof of TB clearance (issued within the past 12 months or less)

Benefits include:

• Competitive compensation
• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance
• Company sponsored life, and long-term disability insurance
• Generous paid time off including paid holidays
• Company-sponsored retirement plan
• Opportunities for professional growth and development

EEO Statement: San Francisco Community Health Center is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. San Francisco Community Health Center does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, creed, disability status, gender identity, HIV status, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected class. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.