Mental Health Therapist

Responsibilities

• Completes psychosocial assessment on assigned patients and assists treatment team in developing each patient’s individualized treatment plan.
• Reassesses patient’s progress with treatment team by conducting interviews with patients, families and collateral contacts.
• Facilitates program / treatment via individual, family, and group sessions.
• Participate as a member of an interdisciplinary team to help determine appropriate, evidence-based interventions, identify clinical needs for patients to be safely discharged; provide services in accordance with hospital policy and Federal/State regulations.
• Engage and supportive counseling: The Mental Health Therapist rapidly builds rapport and establishes a therapeutic alliance with patients; provides crisis intervention and stabilization as well as brief supportive and solution-focused therapy to patients and their caregivers.
• Maintains timely, ongoing and thorough documentation of social work assessments, interventions, planning and relevant communications with internal and external stakeholders.
• Works collaboratively, respectfully and effectively with others, communicating frequently and efficiently to coordinate timely and streamlined patient care.
• Acts as a community and family liaison by initiating and maintaining contact with the patient’s family, outpatient providers, identified collateral contacts and other relevant supports including, but not limited to, obtaining collateral information and notification of disposition.
• Demonstrates cultural competence, responding to the unique needs of minority populations and are sensitive to the ways in which people with disabilities experience the world.
• Acts in the patients’ best interest and advocates on the patients’ behalf. The Mental Health Therapist maintains patient confidentiality.
• P Practices according to hospital and departmental policies and state and federal regulations.
• Supervises and orients students, support staff and new staff.
• Cross trains and provides Mental Health Therapist coverage, as needed and assigned, in other parts of the hospital.
• Participates in continuing education and completes all mandatory hospital and department trainings before deadline.
• Represents their Department on Hospital committees and external meetings.
• Participates in Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement programs as appropriate.

Requirements

• Two years post-graduate experience in a medical, mental health or human services setting as a member of a multi-disciplinary team is preferred.
• Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) or Mental Health Counseling (MHC) from an accredited Graduate Program.
• NYS Department of Education License or Limited Permit License to practice as an LMSW, LCSW, LMHC.