A member of the Nexus family treatment programs, Nexus-Onarga Family Healing is located approximately 90 miles south of Chicago and only a few miles off of I-57 on a historic site in Onarga, IL. Nexus Onarga provides boys ages 10 to 20 years old a structured, homelike environment where they can safely address their unhealthy sexual behaviors and their emotional and behavioral issues.

At Nexus, we believe in changing the course of a child’s life by stabilizing families and strengthening mental health through trauma-informed care. We are a large nonprofit within the human services, mental health, and behavioral health sectors. Nexus is a growing, innovative organization focused on transforming our level of impact through a heightened focus on family expertise, healing complex trauma, and supporting high-stress youth and families.

Position Summary:

The Mental Health Therapist Lead will provide collaborative and supportive leadership, mentorship and guidance to all Therapists while building and maintaining clinical excellence. This role will communicate and integrate the greater therapeutic goals and objectives of Nexus Family healing, into the agency’s daily clinical and operational work with clients, while serving as a therapeutic subject matter expert. The Mental Health Therapist Lead will assist in directing the daily workflow of Therapists and overseeing the planning and execution of service delivery.

Required Education and Licensure:

• Master’s degree in social work, psychology or clinically related field required
• LP, LMFT, LCSW-C, LCSW or LCPC or equivalent state designation for a Master’s level clinically related field required.
• Minimum of 4 years adolescent counseling and/or clinical experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience as a Staff Therapist
• Valid Driver’s License; Must meet state regulating agency driving requirements and pass corporate insurance eligibility standards.
• First Aid/CPR/Infection Control and TCI certification must remain current.

Nice to Have:

• 5 years’ experience counseling youth in a clinical setting.
• In Illinois: LSOTP licensure

Work Schedule & Salary:

• Schedule: Monday through Friday with occasional weekend/evening hours as needed
• Salary starts at $78,000 annually

Responsibilities:

Program Therapist Leadership & Support

• Provides ongoing leadership, mentorship and development opportunities to Therapists within the agency.
• Facilitates monthly meetings with onsite Therapists to discuss, document and resolve escalated clinical cases and challenges; works with Therapists one on one as needed, to address and mitigate client risk.
• Functions as a liaison between the Therapist group and the Clinical/Associate Director and individual Clinical Supervisors by communicating program or agency policy, practices, enhancements or changes.
• Serves as back up to Therapists in daily work including therapeutic treatment, service delivery and performing Therapist duties during vacancies.
• Provides consistent oversight of service delivery; ensures proactive planning, staffing ratios and agency quotas are met, which support clients in meeting long term sustainable treatment goals and outcomes. 
• Communicates and implements approved clinical initiatives with Therapists; leads by example and communicates questions and process and procedural opportunities to leadership, for consideration.

Therapist Training & Development

• Develops and delivers training to new and existing Therapists; provides training that includes agency and therapeutic policy and practices, service delivery, clinical consultation and team responsibilities.
• Trains Therapists and Therapists working toward their clinical licensure, in required service delivery documentation requirements; ensures all Therapists are well versed in compliance, and performing their roles, in accordance with licensing standards, guidelines and practices of the state and the agency.
• Provides ongoing mentorship and role-modeling for Therapists in areas of documentation quality, thoroughness, process, clinical integrity, conflict resolution, teamwork and professional development.
• Educates and conducts in-service training for staff on therapy techniques and application.

Strategic Therapeutic, Treatment Oversight and Subject Matter Expertise

• Provides oversight and support to Therapists in areas of client interviews, understanding family history, developing treatment plans and documenting, periodic reviews and detailed assessments.
• Oversees the Therapeutic interns and internship program; collaborates with Clinical Supervisors in developing and implementing engaging, productive and educational tasks and activities that support interns in growth and development while contributing to the Clinical team’s productivity and service delivery needs.
• Serves as a subject matter expert (SME) and leader in clinical treatment by representing Nexus Family Healing at local, regional and national conferences through educational and informative presentations.
• Develops and presents educational content that informs community partners on trauma, trauma informed care and how the community can support youth and the work Nexus is performing.
• Participates with coworkers as a team on the implementation of trauma-informed, strengths-based treatment plans and therapeutic services.
• Spearheads trauma informed work in therapy, clinical supervision and trainings; participates with coworkers as a team on the implementation of trauma-informed, strengths-based treatment plans and services.
• Initiates the research, implementation and assessment of new and evolving treatment practices, tools and modalities; integrates and trains Therapists on proper use of tools and protocols to address client needs. 

Client & Family Therapy

• Integrates Nexus treatment philosophy and modalities into developing and deploying treatment practices and strategies with Therapists that engage families in the client’s treatment process.
• Collaboratively reviews and assesses the client’s treatment protocol with the client’s, family and clinical team, ensuring all stakeholders are apprised and in support of the treatment approach and activities. 
• Serves as a champion and advocate to clients by educating families in areas of client diagnosis, behavior and how families can support and contribute to the client’s treatment.
• Communicates and documents all therapeutic interactions; communicates appropriate information to other treatment team members.
• Remains available on-call for consultation treatment direction and/or decisions when appropriate; provides support in high profile and complex client cases and signs off on treatment plans and services as needed.
• Serves as a champion for the ERE (Empowering Restorative Engagement) model as well as all aspects of Trauma Informed Care, directing discussions regarding youth to seek to individualize and to find the unmet needs behind the youth’s behaviors.
• Serves as a champion for Family Driven Care, emphasizing the importance of the family’s role in the treatment process for each youth, and dispelling any negativity regarding family involvement.
• If applicable at assigned Agency, is familiar with SBP (Sexual Behavior Problem) specific care guidelines, can dispel myths about sexually problematic behavior in youth and is able to assist therapists in crafting appropriate treatment goals for youths with this presenting issue.Understands normal adolescent sexual development and is up to date on current trends in the field..

Reporting Requirements and Compliance

• Oversees the compliant completion of paperwork and documentation, required by Nexus and governing agencies; leads Therapists in compliance and documentation best practices.
• Organizes and facilitates a quarterly review of client records, documenting compliance and working with therapists and supervisors to develop a plan to achieve compliance in collaboration with the QI department.
• Generates formal and informal reports for external customers, as requested.

Travel:

Use of personal vehicle for regular local travel will be required, to support youth in gaining independent living skills. Travel to agency, business offices or sponsored events may be required also.

Work Environment:

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as desktop and/or laptop computers, photocopiers and smartphones.

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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. The job requires extended and/or frequent periods of sitting, bending, moving, lifting and carrying materials. Must be able lift and carry 50 lbs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Nexus’ Comprehensive Benefits Include: 

• Five weeks paid time off (PTO) in the first year of employment
• Multiple options for health insurance coverage
• No-cost life insurance
• Short/long-term disability insurance
• 401k match
• NEW – Talkspace Therapy Benefit for the whole family
• NEW – Hinge Health Benefit for the whole family
• NEW – Carrot Fertility Benefit
• Tuition assistance and training opportunities
• Advancement pathways and internal promotion
• And much more!

At Nexus Family Healing, our voices and actions are focused on recognizing, affirming and respecting people of every race, ethnic background, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender expression and faith.

Our ICARE Values:

• Innovation: Leading the way and implementing creative, cutting-edge ideas and approaches
• Compassion: Listening, honoring differences, and showing respect, kindness, empathy care, and concern
• Agility: Exhibiting flexibility and adapting quickly
• Responsiveness: Being quick, positive, and accurate
• Excellence: Demonstrating quality results that surpass ordinary standards

APPLY TODAY TO BE CONTACTED BY OUR RECRUITING TEAM! When you work at Nexus, you have the opportunity to change lives — including your own!