Psychotherapist - SAGE

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

Shift: Day

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs,19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

JOB DEFINITION

The SAGE Psychotherapist is a member of multi-disciplinary team serving adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses. The position’s primary role is to provide short-term individual and group therapy to enrolled clients. Many of our consumers are homeless or formerly homeless, many have co-occurring disorders, one half are minority group members, and most are male. Minority applicants are encouraged to apply. Spanish speaking is a plus.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide brief (e.g. 6 month) individual counseling to enrolled clients. Cognitive behavioral therapy will be the primary approach used, within the context of a recovery model, including client strengths and expectations of progress toward client recovery.
• Facilitate group counseling with enrolled clients, in collaboration with other agency staff. Treatment group topics can vary but may be identified by SAGE leadership with input from staff and other programs within DESC to compliment and support the services offered here.
• Develop measurable individualized therapy goals and objectives.
• Document services provided in a timely manner.
• Work in a highly collaboratively manner with other care team members including case managers and other service providers, within and outside of DESC. Assist in the development of individualized service plans.
• Provide outreach and engagement services to assigned clients, to initially engage clients and maintain working relationships.
• Conduct psychosocial assessments and monthly Less Restrictive Alternative reviews as needed
• Provide crisis intervention and risk assessment; tolerate unusual or unpleasant behavior.

Living Conditions

Support your clients with achieving and maintaining healthy living conditions. This can include but is not limited to attending care conferences related to living conditions, outreaching and supporting clients in their residential units with tools and skills to maintain their units, coordinating with housing staff, participating in cleaning out clients’ units, and documenting barriers to maintaining healthy living conditions.

Other Duties & Responsibilities

• Participate in psychiatric consultation, supervision, program meetings and in-service trainings; participate in clinical reviews and case conferences for consumers on caseload.
• Comply with the agency's clinical accountability policies and procedures; maintain current and complete clinical and administrative records; participate in quality assurance reviews when assigned.
• Comply with applicable program research and evaluation procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Eligible for a Licensed AAC credential or any other superseding credential that meets RCW 71.05.020 requirements to act as a Mental Health Professional whose scope of practice includes independently conducting mental health assessments and making mental health diagnoses.
• Master's degree in social work, psychology or other relevant behavioral science.
• Ability to drive an agency or personal vehicle to conduct agency related business. A current Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record are required.
• Understand the tenets of cognitive behavioral therapy and possess competency in delivering psychotherapy services.
• Interest or experience in working with consumers who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health programs.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds.
• Subscribe to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for consumers.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 2 years’ experience working with homeless or formerly homeless adults challenged by severe mental illness and/or Substance Use Disorder.
• Prior 1:1 and/or group counseling experience.
• Licensed Social Worker (LICSW), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in State of Washington or actively pursuing one of these credentials.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English).
• Bicultural background/experience and/or Qualified Minority Mental Health Specialist designation.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required sit for long periods of time, communicate with other persons by talking and hearing, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.