Mental Health Counselor

Job description

QUALIFICATIONS
Education
• Master’s degree in Social Work or Mental Health Nursing or Ph.D./Psy.D. in Psychology or related field

Experience/Skills
• 2+ years relevant experience
• Assesses, plans, and implements therapeutic services in a multidisciplinary setting
• Possesses therapy and assessment skills
• Knowledgeable about needs and treatment of mental health diagnosis
• Applies a variety of treatment philosophies to varying patient treatment responses
• Works under pressure and meets deadlines
• Sets and maintains therapeutic distance with clients
• Maintains therapeutic boundaries during treatment and following discharge

Required Licenses/Certifications
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Clinical Psychologist or Clinical Nurse Specialty
• CPR

Working Conditions
• Some hazard potential from physically acting-out patients and health-related communicable diseases
• Travel to speaking engagements or other activities may be required

ROUTINE RESPONSIBILITIES
Behavioral Expectations
• Consistently complies with established Behavioral Expectations

Patient Care
• Reviews daily with individual patients their responses to events and interactions of previous day and evening
• Completes psychosocial history and summary or updates of admission within 5 treatment days of admission
• Conducts assessments
• Develops Treatment Plans within ten (10) treatment days of admission and participates as a team member in the Interdisciplinary Treatment Planning Conference
• Implements and reviews Treatment Plans with patients
• Provides treatment coordination with assigned patients
• Evaluates data from all sources and recommends referrals as needed
• Assesses patients and families for possibility of family therapy
• Provides or refers out family therapy as deemed necessary by self and other team members
• Assists in formulating Discharge Plan
• Provides therapeutic services to patients and their families in relations to:
• Functional impairments related to their mental health diagnosis and behaviors resulting from the psychodynamics of their illness
• Emotional problems between family and patients in coping with mental health diagnosis
• Psycho-education about their illness and aids in coping and improving their quality of life
• Other duties assigned as needed

Documentation
• Documents Case Conferences for problematic cases
• Documents patients’ participation and individual interactions daily in medical record
• Completes patient charge sheets daily
• Enters notes within 48 hours after the client’s appointment
• Updates PHQ9s and GAD7s each quarter

Miscellaneous
• Participate in in-service training and team meetings
• Participate in public relations, develops referral sources and provides community education
• Participate in maintaining patient safety standard
• Comply with and implements hospital and department policies and procedures.
• Provide information to Referral Sources within confidentiality guidelines
• Work together with other departments when they need help in services development
• Develop and maintain working relationship between the Service and other hospital departments and outside community agencies. Understand and utilize confidentiality related to patients and staff
• Orients new staff members to counseling discipline within the Services
• Keeps Director informed of patient needs and community issues
• Pursues continuing competency per patient population
• Effectively utilize knowledge of age appropriate developmental needs and abilities in the assessment, treatment and education of patients and families.

Full time/Day shift
80 hours/Biweekly