School Therapist

Position Summary

The School Therapist provides trauma-informed, culturally responsive behavioral health assessment, individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, treatment planning, and clinical support to children and adolescents participating in Every Child’s Hope (ECH) School/Day Treatment Program.

The Therapist works collaboratively with students, families, school personnel, referral sources, and other members of the interdisciplinary team to address behavioral health needs, promote educational success, improve functioning, and support achievement of individualized treatment goals.

Because the Therapist works directly with students who may experience behavioral or safety crises, successful completion and maintenance of required Safe Crisis Management (SCM) certification is an essential requirement of this position.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Assessment and Treatment

• Conduct behavioral health assessments and screenings within the scope of the Therapist's qualifications and responsibilities.
• Provide regularly scheduled individual therapy to assigned students.
• Provide therapeutic groups based on identified student needs and program expectations.
• Develop, implement, review, and update individualized treatment goals and interventions.
• Monitor and document student progress toward treatment goals.
• Complete treatment reports and other required clinical documentation within established timeframes.
• Utilize evidence-informed, trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate, strengths-based, and culturally responsive therapeutic interventions.
• Engage students and families as active participants in treatment planning and service delivery.

School and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Collaborate with teachers, educational leadership, Youth Care Specialists, case managers, families, and other professionals involved in the student's care.
• Participate in treatment team meetings and other interdisciplinary meetings as required.
• Participate in IEP meetings when appropriate and within the Therapist's assigned responsibilities.
• Assist school staff in developing and implementing individualized behavioral support strategies consistent with student needs and treatment goals.
• Coordinate treatment strategies with educational and other therapeutic services.
• Communicate relevant behavioral health information necessary to support coordinated care while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
• Serve as a liaison between ECH and referring agencies or school districts as assigned.
• Serve as a liaison between the program and parents/guardians regarding treatment-related needs and progress.

Crisis Intervention and Student Safety

• Recognize and respond appropriately to behavioral health crises and student safety concerns.
• Provide crisis intervention and clinical support within the scope of the Therapist's training and professional qualifications.
• Utilize prevention and verbal de-escalation strategies before restrictive interventions whenever possible.
• Implement approved Safe Crisis Management interventions when necessary, appropriate, and consistent with training and ECH policy.
• Assist with student supervision during emergency or unusual circumstances when necessary to maintain student safety.
• Participate in safety planning and post-crisis follow-up as appropriate.
• Immediately report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, suicidal/self-harm concerns, or other reportable safety concerns according to applicable law and ECH policy.
• Participate in required post-incident documentation, notification, debriefing, and review.

Documentation and Communication

The Therapist will:

• Complete assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, treatment reports, service reviews, and other required clinical documentation accurately and within established timeframes.
• Maintain documentation consistent with professional, organizational, payer, contractual, regulatory, and accreditation requirements.
• Use objective, respectful, trauma-informed, and strengths-based language.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality of student and family information.
• Communicate significant changes in a student's functioning, treatment needs, behavior, or safety risk to appropriate team members.
• Maintain professional communication with families, school districts, referral sources, and community providers.

Client Rights and Professional Responsibilities

The Therapist will:

• Protect the rights, privacy, confidentiality, dignity, and personal information of students and families.
• Maintain professional and therapeutic boundaries.
• Practice within the scope of their education, training, experience, license/registration, and applicable supervision requirements.
• Follow applicable professional Codes of Ethics.
• Provide services without discrimination and demonstrate respect for individual differences.
• Follow ECH policies and applicable licensing, contractual, regulatory, and accreditation requirements.
• Participate in supervision, consultation, staff meetings, required training, and performance and quality improvement activities.
• Perform other duties consistent with the responsibilities and qualifications of the position as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Master's degree from an accredited institution in:

• Social Work;
• Counseling;
• Psychology;
• Marriage and Family Therapy; or
• Another closely related behavioral health field that meets applicable professional requirements.

Licensure/Credentials

Must possess or meet applicable requirements for a Missouri professional license or registration appropriate to the individual's discipline and assigned responsibilities.

Applicable credentials may include:

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW);
• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC);
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT);
• Provisionally or LMSW-level credentialed professionals practicing under required supervision, when permitted by applicable requirements; or
• Other Missouri-recognized behavioral health credentials appropriate to the position.

The Therapist must maintain all licenses, registrations, supervision requirements, continuing education, and credentials required for assigned responsibilities.

Experience

• Experience providing behavioral health services to children or adolescents is preferred.
• Experience in school-based, day treatment, residential treatment, behavioral health, child welfare, or similar settings is preferred.
• Experience working collaboratively with families and interdisciplinary teams is preferred.

Core Competencies

Clinical Competency

Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to assess behavioral health needs, develop treatment interventions, provide therapeutic services, monitor progress, and respond to changing clinical needs.

Trauma-Informed Care

Understands the impact of trauma and promotes safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.

Student and Family Engagement

Engages students and families as partners in treatment and recognizes their strengths, needs, preferences, and goals.

Cultural Responsiveness

Provides services respectful of and responsive to the cultural, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, linguistic, religious, developmental, family, gender, and other characteristics and experiences of students and families.

Safety and Crisis Response

Recognizes potential safety concerns, responds appropriately to crises, uses prevention and de-escalation strategies, and implements SCM interventions when necessary and authorized.

Professional Ethics and Boundaries

Maintains confidentiality, appropriate professional boundaries, ethical conduct, and compliance with applicable professional requirements.

Communication

Communicates clearly, respectfully, and professionally with students, families, colleagues, school districts, referral sources, and community providers.

Teamwork

Works effectively with educational and behavioral health professionals to provide coordinated and individualized services.

Documentation

Completes accurate, timely, objective, clinically appropriate, and professional documentation.

Judgment and Problem Solving

Uses sound clinical judgment, recognizes when consultation is necessary, and responds appropriately to routine and emergency situations.

Professional Development

Participates in supervision, training, continuing education, and other activities necessary to maintain professional competence and credentials.

Quality Improvement

Participates in ECH performance and quality improvement activities and uses supervision, feedback, outcomes, incident reviews, and other information to improve service delivery.

Required Training

The Therapist must successfully complete all orientation, annual, and position-specific training required by ECH and applicable requirements.

Employees are responsible for completing required training and maintaining required certifications within established timeframes.

Physical and Functional Requirements

The physical requirements described below are associated with the essential functions of the position.

The Therapist must be able to:

• Regularly communicate verbally and hear.
• Sit, stand, walk, bend, kneel, and move throughout the school environment as necessary.
• Respond promptly to student behavioral and safety emergencies.
• Successfully demonstrate required SCM conceptual and physical competencies.
• Perform approved SCM techniques applicable to the position when necessary, trained, and authorized.