Youth Mental Health Therapist

Position Summary

The Youth Mental Health Therapist will provide developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, and evidence-based behavioral health services to children, adolescents, and their families. Primary responsibilities will include diagnostic assessment, individualized treatment planning, individual and family therapy, crisis intervention, care coordination, clinical documentation, and collaboration with schools, juvenile justice partners, caregivers, and other community providers.

This position may also be assigned responsibilities necessary to fulfill agency contracts with juvenile detention facilities. Contracted responsibilities may include:

• Providing telehealth consultation services to West Central Juvenile Detention Center approximately one time per month, or as consultations are requested and contractually required.
• Providing behavioral health services or consultation at Greene County Juvenile Detention Center approximately one time per week.
• Completing related clinical documentation, communication, consultation, and care coordination in accordance with contractual, agency, licensing, and regulatory requirements.

The Youth Mental Health Therapist must be comfortable providing services within both traditional outpatient and juvenile justice settings and must demonstrate an understanding of adolescent development, trauma, behavioral dysregulation, family systems, substance use risk, court involvement, and other complex needs commonly experienced by justice-involved youth.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Assessment and Treatment

1. Complete comprehensive behavioral health assessments, diagnostic evaluations, risk assessments, and other clinical screenings within the therapist's scope of practice.
2. Develop individualized treatment plans that identify current symptoms, functional impairments, client and family strengths, measurable treatment goals, clinical interventions, and anticipated discharge or transition needs.
3. Provide individual, family, and group psychotherapy to children and adolescents using developmentally appropriate and evidence-based interventions.
4. Utilize trauma-informed, culturally responsive, strengths-based, and person-centered approaches to treatment.
5. Address clinical needs that may include:
   • Depression and anxiety
   • Trauma-related symptoms
   • Emotional and behavioral dysregulation
   • Family conflict
   • School-related concerns
   • Anger and aggression
   • Grief and loss
   • Attachment disruptions
   • Self-esteem concerns
   • Substance use risk
   • Impulsivity
   • Juvenile justice involvement
   • Suicidal ideation, self-harm, or other safety concerns
6. Conduct ongoing assessments of symptoms, functioning, safety, treatment progress, barriers, and continued clinical need.
7. Provide crisis assessment, safety planning, stabilization, and referral to higher levels of care when clinically indicated.
8. Engage parents, guardians, custodians, and other authorized supports in treatment when clinically appropriate and permitted by applicable confidentiality requirements.
9. Coordinate care with psychiatrists, medical providers, case managers, schools, child welfare agencies, probation departments, courts, detention facilities, and other community partners.
10. Facilitate appropriate referrals for psychiatric services, substance use treatment, psychological testing, case management, community support, crisis services, or other needed resources.

Juvenile Detention Center Contract Responsibilities
West Central Juvenile Detention Center

1. Provide behavioral health consultation through telehealth approximately one time per month, based on contract expectations and identified consultation needs.
2. Consult with authorized detention center personnel regarding behavioral health concerns, appropriate interventions, risk factors, treatment recommendations, and referral needs.
3. Review available clinical information when authorized and clinically appropriate.
4. Provide recommendations regarding mental health treatment, crisis response, behavior management, continuity of care, and community-based follow-up.
5. Maintain clear professional boundaries and ensure that consultation activities remain within the therapist's scope of practice and the terms of the agency's contract.
6. Complete consultation records, service documentation, reports, and other required materials within established timelines.

Greene County Juvenile Detention Center

1. Provide scheduled behavioral health services or clinical consultation approximately one time per week.
2. Complete mental health screenings, assessments, brief interventions, therapy, crisis services, or consultation as permitted by the contract and the therapist's assigned responsibilities.
3. Assess for suicidal ideation, self-harm risk, acute psychiatric symptoms, trauma responses, aggression, substance use concerns, and other behavioral health risks.
4. Develop safety recommendations and coordinate with detention center personnel when immediate clinical concerns are identified.
5. Provide developmentally appropriate interventions that recognize the limitations and unique conditions of a secure detention environment.
6. Support discharge and reentry planning by identifying community treatment needs and coordinating referrals when authorized and clinically appropriate.
7. Participate in case consultation with detention center staff, probation personnel, court representatives, caregivers, and community providers as permitted by applicable confidentiality laws and releases of information.
8. Complete documentation and contract-related reporting within agency and contractual timeframes.

Documentation and Compliance Responsibilities

1. Complete assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, consultation notes, discharge summaries, safety plans, and other required documentation accurately and within agency-established timelines.
2. Ensure documentation clearly supports:
   • The presenting clinical need
   • Current symptoms and functional impairment
   • Medical necessity
   • The intervention provided
   • The youth's response to treatment
   • Progress toward treatment goals
   • Current risks and protective factors
   • Coordination of care
   • Continued treatment or discharge recommendations
3. Maintain compliance with HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2 when applicable, Ohio confidentiality requirements, professional licensing rules, Medicaid requirements, agency policies, juvenile court requirements, and contractual standards.
4. Obtain and verify appropriate authorizations and releases of information before disclosing protected health information.
5. Participate in clinical supervision, case review, quality assurance, utilization review, peer review, and documentation audits.
6. Maintain professional licensure, continuing education, required certifications, and all agency-mandated training.
7. Follow all mandated-reporting requirements related to suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, threats of harm, or other reportable concerns.

Productivity and Performance Expectations

The Youth Mental Health Therapist will be expected to:

• Maintain an assigned outpatient caseload.
• Meet established productivity and billable-service expectations.
• Provide required juvenile detention center coverage.
• Complete documentation within agency standards.
• Maintain timely communication with clients, families, referral sources, and contract partners.
• Demonstrate appropriate attendance, dependability, and schedule management.
• Participate in supervision, team meetings, case consultation, and agency training.
• Meet applicable contract deliverables and reporting requirements.
• Maintain compliance with clinical, ethical, regulatory, and payer standards.

Productivity expectations should account for time required for travel, telehealth consultation, detention center access procedures, security requirements, interdisciplinary consultation, crisis response, and contract-related documentation.

Minimum Qualifications
Education

• Master's degree in counseling, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychology, or a related behavioral health field from an accredited institution.

Licensure

One of the following Ohio licenses is required or preferred based on agency credentialing and payer requirements:

• Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
• Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC
• Licensed Social Worker, LSW
• Licensed Independent Social Worker, LISW
• Marriage and Family Therapist, MFT
• Independent Marriage and Family Therapist, IMFT

Independent licensure is preferred. A clinician practicing under supervision may be considered when the agency can provide appropriate clinical supervision and when permitted by the applicable contracts, payers, and credentialing requirements.
Experience

• Experience providing mental health services to children or adolescents is required or strongly preferred.
• Experience working with justice-involved youth, juvenile courts, detention facilities, child welfare systems, schools, or other multidisciplinary systems is preferred.
• Experience providing trauma-informed assessment and treatment is preferred.
• Experience completing suicide risk assessments, safety plans, crisis interventions, and referrals to higher levels of care is preferred.
• Telehealth experience is preferred.

Required Knowledge and Skills

The successful candidate must demonstrate knowledge of:

• Child and adolescent development
• Trauma-informed care
• Family systems
• Mental health diagnoses affecting youth
• Suicide and self-harm risk assessment
• Crisis intervention and safety planning
• Juvenile justice and court-involved populations
• Cultural humility and responsive clinical practice
• Evidence-based youth treatment approaches
• Clinical documentation and medical necessity standards
• Confidentiality and informed-consent requirements
• Mandated-reporting responsibilities
• Community resources and systems of care

The candidate must also demonstrate the ability to:

• Build therapeutic rapport with youth who may be guarded, involuntary, resistant, or experiencing behavioral dysregulation.
• Communicate effectively with caregivers and multidisciplinary professionals.
• Maintain clinical objectivity within juvenile justice environments.
• Distinguish clinical treatment needs from disciplinary or legal concerns.
• Manage competing outpatient and contractual responsibilities.
• Respond calmly and appropriately to crisis situations.
• Maintain professional boundaries.
• Use electronic health record and telehealth platforms.
• Work independently while also participating effectively within a treatment team.

Preferred Clinical Training

Training or experience in one or more of the following is preferred:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills
• Motivational Interviewing
• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
• Family therapy
• Attachment-focused interventions
• Aggression-reduction or emotional-regulation interventions
• Suicide assessment and prevention
• Substance use screening and early intervention
• Adolescent development and juvenile justice treatment

Schedule and Work Environment

This is a full-time position with a primary schedule established by the program manager. The therapist must maintain flexibility to meet outpatient client needs and juvenile detention center contract obligations.

The position may include:

• In-office services
• Community-based services
• Telehealth services
• Weekly services at Greene County Juvenile Detention Center
• Monthly telehealth consultation with West Central Juvenile Detention Center
• Occasional schedule adjustments due to crisis needs, court schedules, facility operations, or contract requirements

The employee must comply with all detention facility safety, security, identification, technology, confidentiality, and access procedures.
Travel Requirements

Local travel may be required for services at Greene County Juvenile Detention Center, agency locations, meetings, training, or other approved community settings.

The employee must possess:

• A valid driver's license
• Reliable transportation
• Automobile insurance meeting agency requirements
• The ability to travel between assigned service locations

Background and Credentialing Requirements

Employment will be contingent upon successful completion of all applicable requirements, which may include:

• Criminal background checks
• Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and FBI checks
• Sex offender registry review
• Office of Inspector General exclusion screening
• System for Award Management exclusion screening
• Drug screening, when required
• Professional reference checks
• Licensure verification
• Medicaid and payer credentialing
• Juvenile detention center security clearance
• Completion of required orientation and safety training

The employee must remain eligible for access to juvenile detention facilities throughout employment.
Core Competencies

• Youth engagement
• Clinical judgment
• Trauma-informed practice
• Risk assessment
• Crisis response
• Cultural responsiveness
• Ethical decision-making
• Collaboration
• Accountability
• Documentation quality
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Professional communication
• Boundary maintenance
• Reliability