Activity Therapist Full Time

About the role

Haven Behavioral Healthcare, an Oceans Healthcare Company, seeks an experienced Activity Therapist to join our team. The ideal candidate will provide therapeutic group and individual interventions using art, music, or occupational therapy modalities.

Responsibilities

• Conduct assessments to determine patients’ emotional, cognitive, and social needs and develop individualized therapeutic activity plans.
• Lead and facilitate therapeutic groups and individual sessions using art-, music-, or occupational-therapy–based modalities.
• Create a supportive, safe, and engaging environment that promotes patient participation.
• Evaluate patient participation and progress, adjusting therapeutic approaches as needed, and document all services per policy.
• Encourage patients to participate in activities that support emotional expression, social interaction, education, and skill development.
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary treatment team to implement treatment plans and communicate changes in patient status.
• Solicit supervision or clinical support when challenges arise in individual or group sessions.
• Maintain accurate, timely documentation, including assessments, sessions, and updates to treatment plans.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s or Music Therapy, Art Therapy, Occupational Therapy or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Experience: Prefer three (3) years’ clinical practice experience in inpatient acute care.
• Licenses/Certifications: Must hold and maintain current certification / licensure appropriate to discipline: - Music Therapist- Board Certified (MT-BC) - Registered or Board-Certified Art Therapist (ATR, ATR-BC, ATR-P (LPAT) - Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), with valid state license if applicable.

Skills

• Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care that meets age-, disability-, and culturally related needs of the assigned patient population.
• Understands principles of growth and development across the lifespan and applies this knowledge in assessment and treatment.
• Accurately assesses and interprets patient data to identify individual needs and deliver appropriate therapeutic interventions for adolescent, adult, geriatric, chemically dependent, and dually diagnosed populations.
• Possesses in-depth knowledge of mental illness, chemical dependency, and associated family dynamics.
• Demonstrates understanding of evidence-based clinical therapy modalities relevant to activity therapy.
• Communicates effectively with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members; exhibits strong group facilitation and process skills appropriate to patient needs.
• Demonstrates adaptability, flexibility, and the ability to perform effectively in stressful or rapidly changing situations.
• Exhibits strong organizational and time-management skills; able to coordinate multiple priorities efficiently.
• Functions effectively both independently and under supervision as required.
• Must successfully complete Basic Life Saving (BLS) certification and an Oceans approved behavioral de-escalation program.

Work Environment

Subject to many interruptions. Pressure due to multiple calls and inquiries. This position can be highly paced and stressful; must be able to cope mentally and physically with the atmosphere. This person might sometimes experience disagreeable odors, sights and/or unpredictable patient behavior. Work requires spending approximately 90% or more of the time inside a building that offers protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes.