Multisystemic Therapy (MST) Therapist

About the role

The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (“The HARRIS CENTER”) is looking for a Multisystemic Therapy (MST) Therapist to join our team. The MST Therapist provides direct clinical treatment to assigned families using methods compatible with Multisystemic Therapy (MST) principles and practices. This position has extensive travel, on call, and on call weekend coverage required and involves working with potentially aggressive offenders. You will empower families to address problematic behaviors and help their youth ages 12 - 17 make life-transforming changes through intensive interventions such as changing unhelpful family interactions, addressing the youth’s problems with peers and in school, and increasing social support.

Responsibilities

• Engages the primary caregiver and other key participants in active change-oriented treatment by identifying and overcoming barriers to engagement.
• Conducts MST assessments, including review of referral information, identifying and engaging key participants, identifying systematic strengths and weaknesses, and developing an analysis of the fit of problem behaviors within the ecological context.
• Implements a problem conceptualization, treatment planning, intervention implementation, outcome review and strategy revision procedure using the program-specific Analytic Process.
• Performs crisis assessments to determine needed level of care, assess for safety, and formulate diagnosis.
• Provides crisis counseling and intervention to individuals to reduce symptoms, provide education and prevent admission to a more restrictive environment.
• Monitors and coordinates transfers to hospitals and outpatient services in accordance with treatment plan and recommendations.
• Educates family members so that they may understand the individual’s mental health symptoms, treatment, and assists with referring to community resources.
• Maintains clear and concise documentation of treatment efforts that promote peer and supervisory review and feedback, and that demonstrates compliance with the nine (9) MST Principles and MST Analytic.
• Collaborates with other service providers, public agencies, and key members of each family’s support system.
• Provides information on mental health, the importance of medications and treatment compliance, and other clinical-related information to individuals, families, and the community as needed.
• Completes electronic documentation each workday as outlined in the contract and the agency operational.
• Follows the key principles of a multisystemic therapy approach when interacting with the community and colleagues.

Education

• Master’s degree (MS/MA) from an accredited college or university in clinical or counseling psychology, social work and/or marriage and family is required; or Licensed Master’s Social Work preferred.

Experience

• 2 years of post-graduate experience working in a clinical setting, which includes at least 1 year working with families.
• Applicants may substitute one (1) year of post-masters experience with at least two (2) semesters of internship in the psychological and social services unit of Harris County Juvenile Probation or Harris County Children’s Forensic Unit.

Other Key Qualifications

• Valid State of Texas Driver’s License is required.
• Bilingual preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Must be familiar with local behavioral health providers and hospitals in the area served by the Agency.
• Must have strong diagnostic skills, the ability to incorporate patient history, symptoms, environmental and related issues to formulate proper diagnosis and treatment.
• Must have strong communication skills, listening and interpersonal skills.
• Written documentation must be clear, concise, and well-constructed.
• Must be able to work respectfully and maintain professional boundaries with other disciplines.
• Must have effective time management and organizational skills.
• Must be able to enter required documentation into a database and online medical record.
• Must possess a basic or thorough knowledge of the following: family systems theory, behavioral therapy, programmatic family therapy.
• Must demonstrate a direct use of programmatic (i.e. structural, strategic & functional) family therapies, as well as marital therapy using behavioral-based approaches.
• Must participate in 24/7 on-call rotation that includes weekends and after hours.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Robust retirement plan with generous company matching.
• Prior service credit accelerating Paid Time Off accrual.
• Cell phone discounts.
• Exclusive entertainment deals through Tickets at Work.
• Free Headspace subscription for mental wellness.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Eligibility for student loan forgiveness programs.

About Us

The Harris Center is the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Authority serving Harris County, Texas. As the largest behavioral and developmental disability care center in Texas, The Harris Center provides care to over 90,000 people and has an annual budget of over $300 million. As part of its mission to transform the lives of people with behavioral health and IDD needs in the third largest county in the United States, The Harris Center provides a full continuum of services at 80 different sites across Harris County. In addition, services are provided in more than 40 different languages as well as sign language in order to better serve what is one of the largest communities in the nation. By utilizing the unique expertise of its more than 2,500 employees, The Harris Center is committed to meeting the behavioral health and IDD needs of Harris County residents and giving them hope to live to their fullest potential.