Licensed Group Therapist - Inpatient Psychiatry

About the role

This position provides direct clinical mental health evaluation and individual and group psychotherapy to patients experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Responsibilities include contributing to diagnosis and treatment, case management, consultation with attending physicians and referring providers, admission assessments, clinical evaluation of mental health disorders using DSM and ICD-10 codes, and coordination of services with psychiatric providers. The role also involves aftercare planning, case presentations, collaboration with patient support networks, and coordination with community resources and advocacy services.

Timely and accurate documentation is required. The clinician formulates and coordinates the plan of care, updates treatment plans, and documents discharge plans, including all treatment interventions provided during inpatient care. The role requires professional flexibility and the ability to coordinate high-acuity patient care with multiple providers.

Additional duties include providing psychoeducation and skills-based psychotherapeutic interventions, evaluating and developing therapeutic groups, and participating in committees dedicated to improving patient care.

Responsibilities

• Conduct direct clinical mental health evaluations and provide individual and group psychotherapy.
• Contribute to diagnosis and treatment planning for patients in acute mental health crisis.
• Perform case management duties, including consultation with attending physicians and referring providers.
• Complete admission assessments and clinical evaluations using DSM and ICD-10 codes.
• Coordinate services with patient psychiatric providers, both internal and external to the organization.
• Develop and implement aftercare plans following patient discharge.
• Present cases at internal rounds on a daily or weekly basis.
• Engage with collateral members of the patient’s support network.
• Establish clinically appropriate post-treatment aftercare plans and coordinate with community providers and agencies.
• Coordinate with volunteer services to supplement and expand programming.
• Collaborate with statewide advocacy services and facilitate their involvement on the units.
• Ensure timely and accurate documentation of all clinical activities.
• Formulate and update patient treatment plans, including discharge planning and documentation of interventions.
• Provide psychoeducation and skills-based psychotherapeutic interventions to individuals in inpatient psychiatry.
• Evaluate and develop therapeutic processing groups and techniques for specific patient populations.
• Participate in committees focused on improving patient care.

Requirements

• Master’s degree minimum in a related field (e.g., counseling, psychology, social work).
• Current State of Vermont Clinical Mental Health Counselor License (LCMHC).
• Training or certification in one or more of the following: Case Management, Group Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or Substance Use Treatment.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of direct clinical experience post-licensure in an acute or sub-acute mental health setting.
• Minimum 3 years of direct experience post-licensure providing individual, family, and group psychotherapy.
• Training in acute crisis intervention and suicide risk assessment.
• Experience with co-occurring disorders (including substance use disorder and medical complications) and multi-axial diagnostic presentations.
• Familiarity with psychotropic medications and their role in treatment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Skills

• Training and experience in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and/or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) approaches to acute mental health symptom reduction.
• Knowledge of addictive disorders and populations.
• Experience working with a multidisciplinary team.
• Additional clinical certifications or skills in specific specialties are welcomed.