MHS Federal Probation Program (FPP) provides mental health and substance abuse services for individuals who are on Federal Probation. Our services focus on the individual’s needs and are designed to eliminate barriers and increase the client’s strengths, as they help the client achieve continued sobriety, mental health management, and medication management.

POSITION TITLE: Therapist

FLSA Status: Non Exempt

EEOC Job Categories: Professionals

WC Code: 8810 Clerical Office Employees

PHI Access: Full Access per 45 CFR § 164.502(b); §164.514(d)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Clearance on Background/DOJ Live scan result per contract requirements.
• Negative reading from pre-employment TB Test.
• Professional License/Certification

COMPANY: Mental Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) was established in 1978 as a not-for-profit, community based service organization, providing mental health and drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in an innovative and cost-effective manner. MHS is a Drug-Free workplace therefore all staff must comply with Drug-Free Workplace requirements regarding alcohol and drug use. MHS performs post-offer substance abuse testing on all employees. MHS provides a full range of benefits to regular employees. These benefits include paid vacation, sick time, and holidays, partially paid employee health insurance, flexible spending account, paid employee long-term disability insurance, an MHS funded profit sharing plan, and an individual employee-funded 403(b) plan. Eligibility for benefits is contingent upon employment status; see MHS Employee Handbook for full details. Part-Time employees will receive benefit on a prorated basis.

POSITION PURPOSE: The therapist performs a range of psychotherapeutic and rehabilitative interventions, including psychosocial assessment, individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, and limited case management duties as needed. In addition, the Therapist serves as Care Coordinator for clients, ensuring that they receive the full spectrum of services in a seamless manner. Therapists ensure that clients receive the optimal level of care needed to maximize functioning and minimize need for higher levels of care. They incorporate best practices in psychiatric, substance abuse, psychosocial rehabilitation, and the CCISC model of integrated services for co-occurring disorders.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP: This position reports to the Program Manager.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Works closely with Psychiatrist to monitor the psychiatric well-being of clients.
• Serves as Care Coordinator for a caseload of clients as assigned by Program Manager. Provides a variety of services including group and individual counseling, rehabilitation/skills building, relapse prevention, and crisis intervention.
• Performs psychosocial assessments.
• Practices the principles of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery.
• Demonstrates and supports a strong working knowledge of the CCISC model of dual recovery principles and practices, applying an integrated treatment approach with PSR principles.
• Interacts therapeutically with clients and exhibits professional boundaries consistent with professional standards.
• Works with volunteers and interns in an informative and collegial capacity.
• Completes all charting and documentation as contractually required and in timely manner as dictated by program requirements.
• Displays regular and reliable attendance. Reports to and departs from work on time as scheduled.
• Successfully functions as a team member.
• Complies with all MHS and program rules, policies and procedures including HIPAA standards.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serves in a mentoring role to staff and interns re pharmacology and patient care.
• Assists in promoting program services to community when appropriate.
• Follows administrative chain of command.
• Participates in the Injury and Illness Prevention Program and follows guidelines that promote workplace safety.
• Provides input towards policy and procedure design, revision, and deletion.
• Ensures facility and program upkeep and safety by maintaining neat and clean work areas, by securing work area at close of business day, and by reporting vandalism, theft, or suspicion of unprofessional/unethical conduct by coworkers to supervisor as soon as possible.
• Demonstrates commitment to professional growth by attending in-service trainings and staff development programs, and seeking out supervision when needed.
• Maintains a current policy and procedure manual and serves as a resource person to staff, family members and community providers for clarification of policies and procedures.
• Aids in general management of center including running errands as assigned.
• Participates in regularly scheduled staff meetings.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

JOB RELATED QUALIFICATION STANDARDS:

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, & ABILITIES:

• Bilingual, Spanish speaking if the position serves Spanish speaking population.
• Demonstrates:
  • Knowledge of cultural and socio-economic factors that inform service provision to persons with psychiatric or dual diagnosis disorders.
  • Skills necessary to provide effective counseling services and the ability to successfully work as a member of a treatment team.
  • Knowledge of the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association.
  • Knowledge of the symptoms and treatment of people suffering from co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
• Complies with standards of care established for the program. Continually demonstrates the ability to provide quality care to program clients.
• Shows ability to interact positively with persons of diverse socio-economic backgrounds and education.
• Possesses understanding of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery and CCISC models of service delivery.
• Ability to respond appropriately to crisis situations and perform sound interventions.
• Ability to perform a psychosocial assessment and create appropriate client plans based on models of care as outlined above.
• Ability to perform accurate diagnostic assessments
• Knowledge of behavioral management techniques and crisis intervention skills.
• Knowledge of laws and ethics guiding the profession.
• Proficiency providing individual and group counseling, and knowledge of best practices
• Working knowledge of assessment, diagnosis and treatment techniques.
• Capacity to develop sound therapeutic relationships with clients that facilitate their progress toward stated goals.
• MHS requires all employees to attain a minimum degree of cultural competency and cultural sensitivity and to routinely demonstrate these traits in every day work relationships. To this end, each MHS employee must undergo a minimum of four hours of cultural competency training annually.

EDUCATION and WORK EXPERIENCE:

• Masters degree in Social Work, Psychology, or Counseling and two years’ experience working with psychiatric and dually diagnosed populations.
• Ability to perform accurate diagnostic assessments
• Working knowledge of medical model including DSM, psychosocial rehabilitation, and CCISC model.
• Training and/or experience in delivering psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery services.