Facility: Kennestone Hospital

Clinical Psychologist, Suicide Prevention

Recognizing the gravity of lives lost to suicide, in 2017 Wellstar Health System implemented a comprehensive and system-wide suicide prevention program aligned with core elements of the national Zero Suicide Institute. As we work to reduce gaps in care and expand access to life-saving treatments, we are pleased to commence recruiting for a clinical psychologist who will provide needed services to at-risk adults. The psychologist will work collaboratively with Wellstar’s Suicide Prevention program, providing evidence-based assessments and psychotherapy. (S)He will serve as a subject matter expert in suicidology, providing treatments such as CAMS, CBT-SP, and DBT to individuals over the age of 18. (S)He will also provide psychotherapy services to families who have lost a loved one to suicide. This adjunctive element supports bereaving family members and also serves preventively to mitigate the downstream risks that can arise following a tragic loss.

The psychologist should possess a background in suicidology, understanding the reasons that people consider and/or attempt suicide, and interventions that have been shown to reduce suicide attempts and improve mortality outcomes. (S)He should possess familiarity with an array of psychological screeners, symptom report measures, and psychological tests, including those with specific application to higher-risk individuals and groups. (S)He should have in-depth knowledge of evidence-based safety planning methods and experience applying psychotherapeutic interventions that explicitly target suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Functioning as a clinical leader within an overarching program, the psychologist will have access to a compliment of services, including suicide prevention case managers, a suicide prevention educator, and prioritized access to Wellstar psychiatrists to augment behavioral interventions and ensure a comprehensive approach to care. Carrying a caseload of higher-risk patients that can be emotionally taxing on the clinician, the psychologist will meet regularly and work collaboratively with Wellstar’s suicide prevention supervisor and members of the team. In addition to providing clinical consultation to support other team members, the psychologist will possess a commitment to her/his own health and well-being.

Clinical Responsibilities

Some of the key clinical responsibilities of this role include the following:

• Conduct risk assessments
• Perform chart reviews on higher-risk patients
• Review, update, and engage in safety planning with patients and their families
• Order intensive case management, psychiatric services, etc. through the medical record
• Provide time-limited psychotherapy, holding to fidelity of evidence-based treatments
• Advise on development of clinical dashboards for tracking of key clinical outcomes
• Document all clinical encounters in a timely manner, consistent with Wellstar policies
• Consult with suicide prevention case managers on a regular basis
• Consult with other Wellstar clinicians on an ad-hoc basis
• Recommend treatments and improvements to address gaps in Wellstar’s services
• Seek out peer support and clinical consultation when needed
• Advise on policy revisions to improve the care of patients who are at-risk for suicide

In addition to clinical responsibilities, the psychologist will serve alongside other clinical and administrative leaders as a member of Wellstar’s system-wide Suicide Prevention Council. (S)He will participate in Root Cause Analyses, as needed, and advise other clinicians on best practices related to suicide prevention. For candidates interested in research and publication, there are opportunities to build a research portfolio and the potential to obtain an appointment at the Medical College of Georgia.

Other Skills/Attributes

• Mission-orientation, with passion for suicide prevention
• Fluency with practicing in a medical setting, understanding terms, processes, etc.
• Professional demeanor that engenders confidence among colleagues
• High emotional intelligence
• Able to rapidly form a working alliance with patients
• Builds and maintains trust
• Exercises emotional management during high-stress situations
• Active and reflective listening
• Ability to set professional boundaries
• Excellent discretion and professional judgment, knowing when and what actions are required depending on the clinical situation
• Team-orientation to care
• Clear and direct verbal communication
• Concise written communication
• Resolves conflicts productively without compromising relationships

About Wellstar Health System

With eleven (11) hospitals and 31,000 employees, Wellstar Health System is Georgia’s largest integrated health system with a large footprint across the state and into South Carolina. Wellstar has received numerous prestigious recognitions, such as being a Fortune 100 Best Company and the only health system in Georgia to have obtained Joy in Medicine recognition by the American Medical Association in 2023.

The Clinical Setting

This position falls under Wellstar’s Behavioral Health Service Line, which is comprised of an inpatient behavioral health unit, an array of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs, and over 100 licensed behavioral health clinicians. Because of the importance of team-oriented clinical care, the majority of time is allocated on-site, working in a multi-disciplinary outpatient treatment setting, located in Cobb County, Georgia. The psychologist will report to a Clinical Director through the Wellstar Medical Group. In this setting, (s)he will have immediate access to operational and practice management resources to manage billing and scheduling responsibilities and to reduce other administrative demands.

Other Details

Whereas board-certification in clinical psychology is not a requirement at the time of hire, the psychologist should possess a willingness to obtain board certification in clinical psychology or another ABPP specialty within seven (7) years from his/her initial appointment to the Medical Staff.

To inquire further about this role, please contact Beth Guerin @ 470-449-0000 or beth.guerin@wellstar.org