Mental Health Counselor, SECAP, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center

I. Position Function:

* Performs individual counseling, group counseling, psycheducational groups, and case

management.

* Provides mentoring and clinical supervision to counseling staff and interns.

* Provides support to clients/families via family sessions and brief counseling, education,

and coordination of comprehensive aftercare plans.

* Assures that a client's substance abuse disorder is assessed in an integrated

Bio-Psycho-Social-Cultural-Spiritual-Environmental context.

II. Job Relationships:

* Supervised and/or reportable to the Executive Director and Clinical Coordinator.

* Collaborates with the following staff effectively:

- Medical Director

- Nurses

- Staff Counselors

- Residents

- Psychiatrists

- Counseling Interns

- Community Treaters in a variety of aftercare settings

* Must be able to collaborate and communicate with referring agencies, such as EAP professionals, private practitioners, probation officers, halfway house staff, primary care doctors, community mental health agencies, etc ...

III. Authority:

* Provide weekly supervision to counseling interns and counseling staff if specified criteria is met.

* Responsible for providing comprehensive psychosocial assessments, formulating a treatment plan and following through on patient or client care until discharge.

* Make case management and clinical decisions in the Interdisciplinary Team Meetings.

* Consult with other disciplines throughout the hospital regarding clinical issues.

* Evaluate and update curriculum and design of programs as needed in collaboration with Director and/or Clinical Coordinator.

* Communicate with patients/clients and their concerned others.

* Notify the referring professional or agency of patient/client's participation and progress in treatment.

IV. A. Responsibilities/Essential Functions:

1.) "Provides superior customer service to internal and external clients, customers, and patients as referenced in the Service Excellence Standards." Clinical Practice

2.) Complete biopsychosocial assessments of individuals and families.

3.) Utilizing patient/client, family, and significant others and formulation of DSM-IV diagnosis, develops an individualized treatment plan.

4.) Implements treatment plans, accessing appropriate services within the hospital and community resources.

5.) Competently engages in therapeutic interventions, including individual counseling, family work, group work, and psychoeducation.

6.) Provides support for patient/client advocacy.

7.) Provides crisis intervention when necessary.

8.) Independently makes clinical assessment of patients/clients regarding dangerousness to self and or others by reason of mental status/substance abuse severity and intervenes to secure required level of care.

9.) Provides family psychoeducation and referrals to self-help groups and/or individual/couple family therapy as needed.

10.) Provides ongoing revision of treatment plans to reflect patient/client's changing needs.

11.) Able to make clinical assessments and interventions autonomously.

12.) Completes appropriate referrals.

13.) Formulates expected behavioral outcomes as part of the patient/client's treatment plan.

14.) Continually monitors and evaluates achievement of behavioral goals set in the treatment plan.

15.) Provides case management services to assigned patients/clients.

Administrative

16.) Coordinates programs, including Day Treatment, Evening Treatment, Relapse Prevention Program, and various outpatient groups.

17.) Performs intake/biopsychosocial assessments, insurance precertification, registration, billing, progress notes of participation in treatment, aftercare referrals, discharge, and follow-up.

18.) Supervises counseling staff and counseling interns as needed.

19.) Performs 25 hours of clinical contact weekly via individual counseling, group counseling, family sessions, and intakes/biopsychosocial assessments with patients/clients.

20.) Maintains standards of clinical record keeping:

- Documentation of biopsychosocial histories, treatment planning (updates every 3 months), and progress notes.

- Closing a client's case within a month of discharge from clinical services.

21.) Prepares and participates in all administration, consultation, and supervision meetings.

22.) Will play a key role in meeting performance improvement criteria and thresholds, as well as post-treatment measures of patient/client satisfaction in validating clinical outcomes.

Collaborative 

23.) Initiates interaction and peer consultation with treatment team to enhance treatment planning.

24.) Seeks out feedback from treatment team and peers regarding role functions.

25.) Communicates effectively with other health care providers in the community and within the hospital to coordinate treatment planning.

26.) Actively utilizes supervision to further enhance clinical skills and performance.

27.) Serves as a resource to the interdisciplinary team, including doctors, nurses, residents, peers, etc ...

28.) Requests guidance of information as needed.

29.) Conducts in-service orientation as needed.

Supervision/Education/Training

30.) Participates in weekly clinical supervision with assigned clinical supervisor.

31.) Provides and attends in-service educational presentations to interdisciplinary staff.

32.) Shares knowledge gained through continuing education with team colleagues and others in the department.

33.) Participates in hospital wide education programs.

34.) Fulfills licensure (LISCW or LMHC) requirements for continuing education credits and actively manages own learning.

35.) Seeks supervision from assigned supervisor and/or Executive Director as needed.

Professional/Legal/Ethics

36.) Demonstrates clinical competence in providing patient/client care.

37.) Provides specialized mental health and substance abuse expertise to colleagues.

38.) Understands legal consequences of clinical interventions.

39.) Demonstrates understanding and practice of counseling values and ethics.

40.) Familiar with Patient's Bill of Rights.

41.) Fully able to manage confidentiality issues.

42.) Serves as patient/client advocate.

B. Responsibilities/Non-Essential Functions:

V. Reporting Requirements:

* Reports immediately to supervisor and/or Executive Director.

* Reports medical or safety concerns to Clinical or Executive Director or RN in charge of program to provide appropriate clinical response.

VI. Accountability:

* Accountable for carrying out SECAP CQI project as requested.

* Accountable for maintaining the confidentiality and security of all hospital-related and patient/client related data and information.

* Accountable for abiding by all relevant hospital policies and procedures.

* Accountable for observing all policies and procedures of the SECAP Department, including infection control policies and procedures.

VII. Qualifications:

Minimum Education:

- A Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, Social Work, or equivalent thereof; Master’s Degree Preferred

Minimum Experience:

- At least 2 years of training and/or clinical experience in substance abuse and/or mental health counseling.

Minimum skills/abilities:

- Knowledge of addiction, chemical dependency, dual diagnosis, mental health, psychiatric diagnosis and the recovery process.

- Competence in practice of clinical skills.

- Familiarity and working knowledge of the DSM-IV Diagnostic System.

Certification/Licensure:

- Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, Social Work, or related field.

- Prefer LMHC/LADC/ LICSW

- Prefer CADAC/CAS/CAC/CRC.

Training:

- Ongoing training in addiction, chemical dependency, and the recovery process.

- Ongoing training in addictive disease and treatment methods.

- Ongoing education on psychiatric disorders, i.e. depression/anxiety/PTSD and their impact on addictions.

Special Qualifications:

- Expected to acquire and deliver specialization components within the SECAP Treatment Program.

- Specialized cognitive-behavioral knowledge, training, experience preferred.

- Experience with or knowledge of dual-diagnosis preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans