Psychotherapist

Compensation Range: $65,000 - $70,000 yearly commensurate with experience 

Benefits:
We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion, based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books.

Overview:

The LMSW therapist provides specialized Mental Health Treatment Services for a combined Article 28 Outpatient Services (A28 License) and Office of Mental Health Outpatient (A31 OMH 599) panel of care recipients at the Downtown Brooklyn Health Center. The LMSW therapist establishes therapeutic relationships with A28 and OMH enrollees, within the regulatory scope of each lead agency, and provides clinical care through the delivery of individual therapy, groups, if applicable, and integrated collaborations and advocacy to promote optimum wellness with a focus on trauma-informed care, harm reduction and prevention. The psychotherapist may also perform other duties in support of the agency's quality assurance process. The LMSW psychotherapist will provide care to people with primary diagnoses of mental health from multiple underserved populations, including persons who have ongoing mood and/or perceptual disorders; LGBTQ individuals; the unhoused or unstably housed; persons with chronic health concerns; and persons involved in the criminal justice system.  The LMSW psychotherapist reports to the Clinical Supervisor and is responsible for providing multiple aspects of clinical services to clients through varied clinical assessments of high-risk behaviors, mental health/substance use treatment needs, crisis intervention, individual counseling and group facilitation. The LMSW Psychotherapist is responsible for the overall maintenance of a therapeutic environment in the Clinic.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain confidentiality of records relating to client’s treatment
• Completes initial and episodic psychosocial, mental health and substance use assessment, treatment plans, and timely discharges.   
• Assess each client for risk level and complete safety planning/monitoring as needed
• Screenings minimum of annually, or as clinically indicated, for areas of ongoing monitoring, such as PHQ9, GAD, DAST and Fagerstrom.
• Counsel clients, individually and in group sessions, to assist in addressing presenting goals and needs, adjusting to life and making positive changes.
• Complete comprehensive assessments to support appropriate DSM diagnosis
• Generates timely, accurate, and content substantive progress notes with treatment goals and interventions that are congruent with the clients’ diagnosis and consistent with the scope of practice.
• Utilize Psychoeducation and Evidence Based approaches (i.e. Problem Solving Treatment; Behavior Activation Treatment; and Motivational Interviewing) in providing patient education, and/or medication adherence to patients treated and/or identified by Primary Care Providers as being in need of psychotropic and/or other form of mental health treatment
• Engage in outreach to clients who do not attend scheduled appointments and document appropriately
• Collaborate with other staff members and collaterals in interdisciplinary team to perform clinical assessments and develop and update treatment plans.
• Conducts and/or promotes diagnostic consultations between the PCP and the Consulting Psychiatrist on difficult to manage cases or cases where patients are not improving.
• Act as client advocates to coordinate required services or to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
• Evaluate client’s physical or mental condition based on review of client information, use of prescribed medications and attendance to provider appointments
• Assess the effectiveness of therapy programs and client’s progress in resolving identified problems and moving towards defined objectives
• Communicates and routinely coordinates with the client’s
• Providers to inform the stepped-care process and support relapse prevention once patient has improved.
• Manages the communication with and between team members to support treatment decision making and/or facilitate changes in treatment recommendations or to support referral of clients to higher levels of care and/or other mental health services; as appropriate.
• Complete all documentation and billing within 24-48 hours that follows clinical standards for care for OMH and A28.
• Remains aware of all program policies that ensure quality comprehensive care and to meet the regulatory agencies’ guidelines.   
• Provides individual counseling and potential facilitation of varied clinical and psycho-educational groups, as appropriate with a minimum of 6 visits average per day.
• Performs other duties as assigned by Clinical Supervisor of A28/OMH services.  
• Attend weekly team meetings
• Partakes in regular clinical supervision
• Participate in monthly continuing education
• The Therapist will have access to PHI during the course of his/her work activities. Incumbent will use this information to provide psychiatric therapy as needed in compliance with all regulations and guidelines relative to established plan of care. ALL HIPAA, corporate compliance, and program guidelines must be maintained and kept at all times.
• Attendance of in-service training required.
• Participates in agency wide continuous quality improvement activities aimed at improving health outcomes for program participants  
• Attends agency advocacy efforts to assist the continued efforts to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS and other agency focuses.

Requirements:

• Master's Degree in Social Work Current NYS licensure (LMSW or LCSW) or possesses a permit from the New York State Education Department.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in providing mental health and substance use counseling/therapy within a clinical setting.
• Well versed in diagnosis, therapy, educational programs and development of treatment plans
• Customer service abilities including effective listening skills.
• Critical thinking skills, decisive judgment and the ability to work with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment.
• Bi-lingual Spanish preferred

Job candidates should be aware that scammers may pose as employers and create fake job postings in order to extract personal information from individuals for financial gain. Housing Works will never ask job candidates for personal information, such as social security numbers or bank account details, over the phone. If you suspect that a job posting may be fake or wish to confirm that a job posting from Housing Works is genuine, please contact us at recruitment@housingworks.org

Housing Works was founded in 1990; With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy. Housing Works established New York State’s first harm reduction-based, OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management, behavioral health, and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement, Housing Works operates 10 high-end thrift shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org

Housing Works fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment, among other lifesaving services.

Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements. Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

This position is included in a bargaining unit of Housing Works’ New York City employees represented by a labor union known as the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (“RWDSU”). Accordingly, the RWDSU has the exclusive right to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment related to this position and this position may become covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (a “CBA”) between Housing Works and the RWDSU