Mental Health Professional Counselor

Easing Adversity, Inspiring Growth

Laurel Life empowers individuals, families and organizations to strengthen relationships, encourage social responsibility and improve quality of life. We serve clients throughout Central Pennsylvania with proven, evidence-based services for overcoming a wide range of challenges in home, school and work settings. As one of the area's leading providers of trauma-informed care, our behavior coaches, educators, licensed counselors, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists take an innovative approach to treatment, classroom management and leadership. By acknowledging the significant role trauma plays in the lives of people we serve, we promote meaningful transformation that lasts.

Family Based Mental Health Services are a team based, intensive, strength focused, in-home/community system designed to strengthen families by identifying the family’s individual, corporate and cultural strengths, building on these strengths and, in so doing, mitigating problems within the family. The FBMH Professional: Provides therapy and crisis intervention services to consumers and their families experiencing, personal, social or substance abuse problems; Prepares or participates in the preparation of a treatment plan which documents service responsibilities of all agencies involved in the primary consumer and families’ care; Records goals addressed in each session, progress on goals and planning for the next session in daily Progress Notes for each session completed; Participates in monthly treatment plan update meetings with involved CASSP agencies including school and family member representation. The Mental Health Professional should have a master’s degree, or equivalent, and possess the knowledge and ability to resolve crisis and conflict situations and develop positive relationships with consumers and their families.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Perform family assessments outlining specific strengths and needs within the primary consumer and other family members. A preliminary treatment plan must be assembled within 5 working days of the initial assessment consultation. A more in-depth treatment plan which is a cooperative effort with all involved CASSP agencies must be completed within 30 days of contact.
• Provide an average of 25.0 hours direct service delivery of therapy and problem solving services to assigned consumers/families per week. Both team and individual services are to be delivered to the named consumer and all involved family members at a 60% team/40% individual ratio. All services provided are to be in keeping with the treatment plan goals.
• Provide 24 hour X 7 day a week coverage for crisis intervention. Response by telephone should be within 15 minutes of receipt. Calls requiring onsite response should have the appropriate team member onsite within 1 hour of receipt.
• In conjunction with consumer, family members, attending CASSP agencies, and other treatment team member input, the Mental Health Professional is directly responsible for final assembly of the Treatment plan within 5 days of the Treatment Team Meeting.
• Impanel and chair 30 day Treatment Plan Review Meetings inviting all treatment team participants.
• Develop cooperative relationships with community and contractual agencies so as to facilitate treatment services provided to consumers and their families.
• In cooperation with other treatment team members, participate in the preparation of required program reports including, the Assessment/Intake Report, Treatment Plans, Monthly Treatment Plan Update Reports, Safety Reports, Unusual Incident reports, Court Reports, Discharge Plans, Closure Reports and other required communications as indicated.
• Directly responsible for the completion of daily progress notes/contact logs outlining: session participants, the goals to be worked on in the session, specific interventions planned, the response to the interventions, assessment of therapeutic impact, and the plan for the next session. Billing units are reported on this same form and are to be countersigned by the named consumer or a family member. Case Notes are submitted weekly.
• May perform other duties, activities or special projects as requested by the Family Based Program Coordinator and Regional Director.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, knowledge of clinical issues, treatment strategies and the ability to develop meaningful relationships with clients. Must be able to remain calm, identify underlying causes of problem situations, resolve conflict and de-escalate potentially explosive situations.

EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Through knowledge of family therapy and crisis intervention techniques as would be acquired through either a Master’s level or higher degree in Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, Rehabilitation, Theology or other Social Welfare specializations; be a licensed RN with certification by the Department of Public Welfare, Office of Mental Health(OMH) as a mental health family worker, or a bachelor’s degree in an of the above specializations plus certification by OMH as a mental health family based worker. Specialized training in family therapy is preferred.

EXPERIENCE:

Two years experience in a CASSP system program for Master’s level, five years experience for the licensed RN and/or the Bachelor’s level including two years in a CASSP program. Through knowledge of how to apply crisis intervention and counseling skills, counseling experience with children, adolescents and adults experiencing psychiatric, behavioral or substance abuse problems of a magnitude sufficient to be in risk of out of home placement.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

This is an intensive in-home clinical position which is primarily performed in consumer homes

and the community. Due to the nature of the services performed, the employee in this capacity will be required to visit children/adolescents and their families in their, homes, the courtroom, schools etc. This is a direct service position requiring approximately 30% travel.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. This job description is not intended to be a contract of employment. The employee covered by this job description is an at-will employee of Laurel Life.

Salary : $26