Outpatient Primary Therapist III

Major Responsibilities

• Captures patient care by coordinating group therapy sessions and developing therapeutic treatment plans.
• Facilitates group therapy sessions and develops programming for identified patients.
• Establishes and maintains positive relationships with patients, physicians, allied health professionals, and all referral sources.
• Plans and facilitates daily adult groups, including educational and psychotherapy groups, and other groups as assigned.
• Works cooperatively with Inpatient and Outpatient Manager in program development.
• Monitors patients during group sessions and between group times as needed.
• Completes documentation for Group notes, Plan of care, therapeutic goals and interventions, and Plan of Care updates, Therapist Notes, Crisis Safety Plan, and CSSR-S within specified time frames.
• Documents calls and related information in the Electronic Medical Record in a timely manner.
• Checks and audits charts for documentation and charge errors monthly (if applicable).
• Participates in discharge planning and referral contacts with documentation of discharge plans (if applicable).
• Takes daily attendance of patients and calls if patients are absent with documentation in the Electronic Medical Record (if applicable).
• Communicates treatment issues and medication concerns to Nurses and Physicians daily.
• Participates in treatment teams with coworkers and providers while providing feedback regarding patient progress to plan for future treatment.
• Attends staff meetings as needed.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with supervisors and coworkers.
• Performs duties as assigned to maintain a safe and therapeutic clinical environment.
• Provides one-on-one interventions with patients to de-escalate behaviors using interventions, when necessary.
• Attends debriefings on patients as needed.
• Works constantly with confidential information and makes decisions concerning the true emotional status of patients, including their ability to harm themselves and others.
• Interacts daily with psychiatry nurses, social services, and other therapists to provide appropriate services and programs to patients.
• Interacts with family and outside agencies for patient care as needed.
• Stays abreast of organization’s programs and services and complies with facility safety, infection control, and security programs.
• Attends in-service programs as mandated per policy.
• Manages resources responsibly and maintains a clean and neat physical environment in compliance with infection prevention standards.
• Sets and identifies opportunities to improve care, patient flow, or utilization of resources.
• Participates in process improvement initiatives for the department and facility as directed.
• Participates in the orientation and supervision of new employees and students.
• Assists in orienting new staff.
• Participates in training and development activities to enhance own knowledge and skills.
• Completes required facility and departmental continuing education.

Licensure, Registration, And/or Certification Required

Licensed by the state of Georgia (LPC, LCSW, LMFT).

Education Required

Master's degree in counseling or related field from an accredited institute.

Work Experience Required

Five years of related experience.

Physical Requirements And Working Conditions

Full range of body motion including handling and lifting patients, manual and finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination. Standing and walking for extensive periods of time. Occasionally lifts and carries weight up to 50 pounds. Ability to distinguish letters, numbers and symbols with vision and hearing within normal range to respond to Code alerts and equipment alarms. Work-related stress due to volume and time constraints with irregular working hours.

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.