Clinical Therapist - African American Healing Center AAHC

HealthRIGHT 360 gives hope, builds health, and changes lives for people in need by providing comprehensive, integrated, compassionate care that includes primary medical care, mental health services, and substance use disorder treatment.

Benefits and Perks

• HR360 offers a robust benefits package including PTO, 15 paid holidays, commuter benefits, retirement plans, and more.
• Employees qualify for public loan forgiveness programs.
• Training and professional development opportunities.
• Work with mission-driven, compassionate colleagues and make a difference every day in the work that you do.
• This is a union-eligible position.

Job Summary HealthRIGHT 360, a nonprofit organization and a family of programs, is committed to providing accessible and comprehensive healthcare services to vulnerable populations. Our mission is to tackle systemic barriers to healthcare and promote health equity for all. We offer a wide range of services including mental health care, residential and outpatient substance use treatment, and primary health services. Additionally, we provide transitional support for individuals re-entering the community after involvement in the criminal justice system. By integrating physical and behavioral health, we empower individuals to overcome challenges by addressing social determinants of health, fostering resilience, and facilitating recovery.

The African American Healing Center is working with clients to prevent and reduce violence in our communities. Services are designed to meet the needs of people with all backgrounds while proactively serving communities of color with programs that honor African American history and that are sensitive to the cultural context of each client.

The Clinical Therapist works collaboratively with a team consisting of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselors to provide valuable insight, direction, and oversight of Drug Medi-Cal (DMC) services. Under the DMC model, they are qualified to establish medical necessity and approve SUD treatment plans. They maintain an assigned caseload of clients seeking substance use treatment and mental health treatment. In this position, an individual would conduct face-to-face assessments, individual counseling sessions, and progress reviews with each client. Additionally, they are responsible for providing safe, supportive, and confidential counseling, maintaining a culturally competent stance, and creating and maintaining a trauma-informed program environment at all times.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Therapist Responsibilities

• Maintain appropriate ethical boundaries with all clients and families served.
• Facilitate timely access to mental health services on-site and within the community.
• Act as a liaison between other programs and referring agencies.
• Serve as the point of contact and coordinate referrals and follow-ups with health agencies.
• Conduct mental health assessments and ensure follow-up from each client and treatment counselor.
• Identify treatment needs, recommend treatment plans based on assessment, and work to ensure clients are able to meet all requirements.
• Ensure client is assessed to appropriate level of care.
• Provide diagnostic feedback and assessment information to facilitate accurate level step-up or step-down services to support clients goals.
• Monitor client conduct, record client activity, and inform colleagues of potential challenges in treatment episodes.
• Handle crisis interventions and assess situations for further needs.

Administration and Compliance

• Maintain and successfully retain assigned caseload of clients.
• Initiate and coordinate curriculum development and facilitate curriculum training as required.
• Maintain files in accordance with governing standards and regulations.
• Maintain records and document services in a timely manner.
• Maintain strict confidentiality guidelines regarding all clients conversations and referrals.
• Able to maintain a productivity standard of 24 hrs. a week of client services.

Community Involvement

• Maintain accurate knowledge of HR360 programs and services.
• Maintain and develop positive working relationships with the public, community-based organizations.

Treatment Setting Responsibilities

• Facilitates psycho-education groups on a variety of core curriculum topics including CBT, Seeking Safety, DBT, and Coping with Stress Triggers.
• Coordinates discharge planning with clients and SUD Counselor.
• Provides consultation to staff regarding symptom management, mental health conditions, and crisis intervention strategies.
• Attending staff and agency meetings.
• Participates in agency training as required.
• Complies with Board requirements for license registration/renewal.

Self-Care Wellness Plan

• In collaboration with supervisor, develop and maintain a self-care wellness plan/strategies to maintain physical, psychological, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual health to prevent compassion fatigue.

Documentation Responsibilities

• Daily maintenance and monitoring of EMR report to prevent and clear any compliance errors in records.
• Conducts assessments, develops treatment plans, completes release and consent forms, billing, and reporting paperwork in hard copy and online in various electronic systems.
• In addition, completes assigned Drug Medi-Cal, Medicare, and Medi-Cal documentation and billing.
• Documents individual and group services delivered in various electronic systems in accordance with guidelines established by HealthRIGHT 360 to satisfy internal and external evaluating requirements.

Other Responsibilities

• Schedules weekly team meetings and creates the agenda in coordination with the administrative assistant or other assigned individual.
• Ensuring timely response to required compliance/documentation issues.
• Ensuring completion of all action/follow-up items and overall clinical consultation.
• Responsible for reviewing and signing initial treatment plans and medical necessity forms and adhering to strict DMC timelines.
• Works as part of an integrated multi-disciplinary treatment team.
• Maintains an assigned caseload of clients seeking substance use and mental health treatment.
• Conducts face-to-face assessments, individual sessions, and progress reviews with each client.
• Assesses, manages, and deescalates client mental health crises.
• Facilitates group sessions focused on substance use recovery, trauma recovery, co-occurring mental health symptoms, and other personal change topics.
• Utilizes principles of trauma-informed care and harm reduction to attend to client milieu including crisis assessment and management.
• Proactively links clients with available internal and external resources to develop/maintain treatment plans, transition/discharge plans, progress notes, and appropriate updates in support of the health and recovery needs of each caseload client.
• Attends regular group and individual supervision, trainings, meetings, and events related to furthering professional development.
• Responsible for documenting all individual and group counseling sessions.
• Maintains accurate records by data entering documentation into various electronic systems for all caseload clients in accordance with guidelines established by HealthRIGHT 360 to satisfy internal and external evaluating requirements.
• And perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education, Certification, and Experience

• BBS Registered with Board of Behavioral Sciences or Board of Behavioral Sciences.
• AMFT, APCC, ACSW.
• Some experience in a substance abuse treatment or community mental health setting.
• First Aid and CPR certification.
• A valid California drivers license.
• Experience with Drug Medi-Cal operations preferred.
• Knowledge/Experience with mental health assessment and diagnosis.
• Experience establishing supportive relationships and working with clients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
• Experience working successfully with issues of substance abuse, mental health, criminal background, and other potential barriers to economic self-sufficiency.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, specifically Word, Outlook, and internet applications.

Additional Requirements

• We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
• Must complete a background check and livescan.