Clinical Therapist

Job Description

Description:

OVERVIEW:

Founded in 1979 in direct response to rising rates of hunger and homelessness in North San Diego County, Interfaith Community Services works to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness by Helping People Help Themselves. Interfaith is the most comprehensive social services agency in North County, providing both immediate safety net services and long-term, life-changing programs designed to meet the holistic needs of people in crisis. Together, in partnership with 250+ diverse faith communities, more than 650 recurrent volunteers, and a growing staff of over 200, Interfaith provides a safe haven and pathway towards self-sufficiency for more than 17,000 community members annually.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

This position provides direct services to homeless clients and recently housed individuals and families, which include: intake, assessment, and case management as well as client advocacy with the goal of supporting self-sufficiency

Identify, engage and link underserved populations with mental health services

Provide direct services to clients which include: intake, assessment, behavioral health treatment and clinical case management

Provides short term crisis intervention, and counseling for clients with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and clients at risk of SMI

Ensures that clients with ongoing treatment needs are successfully connected with appropriate community-based treatment programs.

Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships within agency programs andwith community providers.

Facilitates acceptance of placement or other services that support and stabilize individuals moving from street to service

Develops trusting relationships with individuals and families

Completes a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment and develops a detailed treatment plan for each individual

Utilizes motivational interviewing techniques to understand, assess, and shift theindividual’s stage of change

Helps stabilize individuals by linking them to appropriate resources such as housing, medical, mental health, addiction and recovery services, food, clothing, transportation, employment, Social Security Disability, mainstream benefits and other financial resources based on the client’s individualized plan

Support treatment team meetings for clinical and/or paraprofessional staff to ensure compliance, best practice and offer clinical supervision for staff working with difficult clients.

Provide support to agency non-clinical staff in handling mental health crisis of participants as needed.

Completes accurate and thorough documentation in a timely manner for each program participant as required by funders.

Completes billing documents and reports including collecting outcomes data within required deadlines.

Participates in case management meetings, staff meetings, trainings, conferences, program evaluation, and program development

Attends and supports case conferencing

Performs additional duties as assigned

Works collaboratively with outside agency program in providing behavioral health services to seniors.Requirements:

EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION

Must be licensed by the State of California as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) within 120 days of hire

2+ years of case management related experience required

Experience working with severely mentally ill, elderly, medically fragile, and homeless populations required

Ability to able to supervise interns and associates preferred

Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred

SKILLSETS / ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to establish and maintain professional boundaries with clients

Ability to provide services within a trauma informed, person first perspective.

Demonstrates a strong working knowledge of resources in North County San Diego

Ability to identify problems, and research and recommend solutions

Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills

Must be highly organized and demonstrate attention to detail

Demonstrated experience managing multiple deadlines and working effectively under pressure, using independent judgment to produce quality work under time constraints

Demonstrated experience working with a collaborative team

Working Knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook)

WORKING CONDITIONS / PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Must be able to perform work in both indoor and outdoor settings

Must have the physical ability to sit for long periods of time, stand, walk, bend, kneel and uses hands, arms and legs for dexterity and balance on a frequent basis

May be subjected to adverse conditions, including contact from hostile people

Low to moderate exposure to contagious diseases (hepatitis, HIV, tuberculous, etc.)

Low to moderate exposure of unpleasant and noxious fumes, odors, dust, temperatures, noise and inclement weather

Occasionally lifts, carries and balances objects weighing up to 30 pounds

Pulls and pushes such objects as file drawers, computers and similar office equipment and supplies

Prioritizes and multi-tasks work and projects requiring good memory, concentration and analytical thinking

Occasionally is required to perform the safe operation of a vehicle, office equipment and machines, and recognize and abate safety hazards within the workplace

Must be able to hear, see including distinction of colors, read and communicate verbally and in writing frequently with a wide range of people from divergent socioeconomic backgrounds and origins

The noise level in the work environment is usually low