Counselor Intern Licensed Professional of Healing Arts

Are you looking for a purpose-driven career? At Metrocare, we serve our neighbors with developmental or mental health challenges by helping them find lives that are meaningful and satisfying.

Metrocare is the largest provider of mental health services in North Texas, serving over 55,000 adults and children annually. For over 50 years, Metrocare has provided a broad array of services to people with mental health challenges and developmental disabilities. In addition to behavioral health care, Metrocare provides primary care centers for adults and children, services for veterans and their families, accessible pharmacies, housing, and supportive social services. Alongside clinical care, researchers and teachers from Metrocare’s Altshuler Center for Education & Research are advancing mental health beyond Dallas County while providing critical workforce to the state.

Job Description

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The mission of Metrocare Services is to serve our neighbors with developmental or mental health challenges by helping them find lives that are meaningful and satisfying. We are an agency committed to quality gender-responsive, trauma-informed care to individuals experiencing serious mental illness, development disabilities, and co-occurring disorders. Metrocare programs focus on the issues that matter most in the lives of the children, families and adults we serve. The LPHA-intern is primarily responsible for working with individuals and families in a trauma informed manner which includes tasks of monitoring services and providing skills, psychosocial rehabilitation and therapeutic services. The LPHA-intern uses a basic knowledge of diagnostic characteristics, symptomology of primary mental illness and knowledge of medications, side effects and benefits to provide services in a person-centered, supportive, community-based environment. The LPHA-Intern is required to have supervision in accordance with state board requirements.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

The essential functions listed here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the job.

• Provides individual and small group training in living skills such as social skills, budgeting, mobility training, grocery shopping, menu planning, cooking, coping skills, personal hygiene, personal organization, home maintenance, etc.
• Provides therapeutic counseling services in accordance with clinical algorithms and billing mandates.
• Assists in completing intake assessments and diagnostic formulations as needed.
• Coordinates services within the Agency and with other community providers.
• Assists with the involvement and education of the individuals family at a level acceptable to the individual.
• Assists with monitoring and continued assessment of assigned individuals. These activities may require home visits.
• Responds to crisis or potential crisis situations and ensures the appropriate level of care through the coordination of services or the provision of community support services.
• Facilitates skills training and therapeutic groups.
• Assists individuals in planning and implementing social/leisure activities as appropriate, including taking individuals into the community for outings and social/leisure skills development or maintenance.
• Documents services in the automated clinical record keeping system with 24 hours after services have occurred.
• Provide overall service coordination, referral, linkage, and advocacy to individuals with varying needs. Perform duties in concert with other members of an interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Formulates individual service plan based on assessment findings on all new admissions.
• Develop measurable objectives and goals agreed upon by the individual.
• Assists in obtaining and modifying goals as needed.
• Documents attempts to involve individual, service providers, and caregivers unless opposed by the individual in service plan process.
• Participates in interdisciplinary team staffing. Presents psychosocial assessment findings. Encourages individual to attend staffing. Updates team on progress or lack of progress in reaching agreed upon goals. Provide relevant information that might affect treatment.
• Follows up with assigned individuals who miss a scheduled clinic appointment. Documents attempts to contact individual. Reports repeated unsuccessful efforts to contact the treatment team.
• Follows up within 24 hours on assigned individuals who access emergency services. Reports status-disposition to treatment team.
• Provides crisis intervention. Makes home visits, initiates mental illness warrants, works with police and other public servants as a needed to address crisis if needed.
• Facilitates inpatient admission upon request of the treatment team. Provides continuity of services throughout inpatient stay. Participates actively in discharge planning. Meets with the individual within 5 days of discharge into the community.
• Provides individual, family, and group rehabilitation sessions. Evaluates progress of counseling session, solicits feedback from individual(s), and consults with colleagues and team leaders when dealing with unfamiliar/uncomfortable issues.
• Co-facilitates family education workshops.
• Identifies and assists individuals in obtaining entitlements by providing referrals, advocacy and negotiation, as needed.
• If under Clinical Supervision for Board Licensure additional duties may include:
• Provide a minimum of four hours per week of direct clinical practice,
• Engage in competency development using specialized clinical knowledge and advanced skills to assess, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, conditions, and addictions.
• Engage in and provide treatment methods across the following client types:
• Individuals
• Marital
• Couple
• Family
• Group psychotherapy
• Performs other duties as assigned.
  
  

Competencies

The competencies listed here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Conducts job responsibilities in accordance with the ethical standards of conduct, state contract, appropriate professional standards and applicable state/federal laws
• Analytical skills, professional acumen, business ethics, thorough understanding of continuous improvement processes, problem solving, respect for confidentiality, and excellent communication skills. Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize workflow and meet deadlines.
• Ability to handle multiple task and special projects simultaneously.
• Able to work autonomously with minimal or no supervision.
• Able to maintain a high level of professionalism and confidentiality.
• Analytical skills, professional acumen, business ethics, thorough understanding of continuous improvement processes, problem solving, respect for confidentiality, excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Maintains confidentiality of information concerning individuals and family members.
• Ability to carry out oral and/or written instructions.
• Ability to assess needs of individuals and implement a training plan.
• Ability to maintain a list of resources in the community.
• Ability to recognize and report side effects of psychoactive medications.
• Ability to assess a potential crisis situation and ensure the delivery of services at the proper level of care.
• Ability to call in clinical information for authorization.
• Ability to work collaboratively with co -workers.
• Ability to work in a high stress environment and take initiative.
  
  

Qualifications

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Masters degree in Psychology, Social Work, or related field.
  
  

Mathematical Skills

• Basic math skills required.
• Ability to work with reports and numbers.
• Ability to calculate moderately complex figures and amounts to accurately report activities and budgets.
  
  

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out simple one or two-step instructions. Ability to deal with standardized situations with only occasional or no variables.
  
  

Computer Skills

• Use computer, printer, and software programs necessary to the position (i.e., Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint).
• Ability to utilize Internet for resources.
  
  

Certifications, Licenses, Registrations

• Current State of Texas Driver License or if you live in another state, must be currently licensed in that state. If licensed in another state, must obtain Texas Driver License within three (3) months of employment.
• Liability insurance required if employee will operate personal vehicle on Center property or for Center business. Must be insurable by Centers liability carrier if employee operates a Center vehicle or drives personal car on Center business. Must have an acceptable driving record.
• Must have a temporary license issued by the Texas Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors or the Texas Board of Social Work Examiners.
• Must be in current supervision as mandated by the Texas Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors or the Texas Board of Social Work Examiners.
  
  

Benefits Information And Perks

Metrocare couldn’t have a great employee-first culture without great benefits. That’s why we offer a competitive salary, exceptional training, and an outstanding benefits package:

• Medical/Dental/Vision
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program
• Retirement Plan, including employer matching
• Health Savings Account, including employer matching
• Professional Development allowance up to $2000 per year
• Bilingual Stipend – 6% of the base salary
• Many other benefits
  
  

Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Tobacco-Free Facilities - Metrocare is committed to promoting the health, well-being, and safety of Metrocare team members, guests, and individuals and families we serve while on the facility campuses. Therefore, Metrocare facilities and grounds are tobacco-free.

No Recruitment Agencies Please