Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist

General Summary:

Under general supervision, and within the South Central Primary Care Center Inc. (SCPCC) integrated healthcare setting, the Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist (LMFT) assesses, screens and counsels patients in a variety of program areas to enhance, meet or restore a patient’s functioning capacity. Develops or participates in development of care plans. Provides counseling/therapy/testing to patients requiring mild, moderate, or complex MH/BH intervention, as well as SUD interventions/counseling. Participates as an integral clinical decision maker in a patient centered integrated healthcare setting.

Employment Status: Salaried -FSLA Exempt

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Reviews patient health history, communicates with referring provider for additional patient information, and works with care team to appropriately schedule necessary counseling services.
• Provides initial and follow-up MH/BH services for prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, intervention, and follow-up of mental health conditions and disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, attention deficit, disruptive behavior disorders, substance use disorders, and other mild to moderate conditions) including care of patients with severe mental illness who have been stabilized.
• Establishes linkage and coordination of services with community agencies, both public and private. Develops and maintains a cooperative working relationship with community service providers.
• Works with SCPCC clinical staff to respond to positive substance use screenings, and when available, leads brief interventions and provides age appropriate, harm/risk reduction and counseling to address identified risk factors, support abstinence and/or decrease negative consequences of substance use disorder; detoxification to manage withdrawal symptoms associated with substance use disorder; and/or treatment/rehabilitation, to include individual and/or group treatment, counseling and case management.
• Provides crisis intervention services for patients with more difficult or intractable problems: Including assisting SCPCC care teams with in-office mental health crisis navigation.
• Maintains licensure and /or certification required for performance or professional duties.
• Documents all patient encounters and interactions within SCPCC’s electronic health record. SCPCC’s CMO, HIT Manager, Quality Improvement Manager, or designees provide ongoing documentation and patient care performance reviews. SCPCC solely retains all patient records.
• Follows SCPCC’s clinical policy and protocol in the treatment of patients within LMFT’s scope of practice. This includes participating in SCPCC’s prescribed Peer Review, Risk and Safety training, and provider meetings.
• Maintains knowledge of current trends and developments in the field and applies pertinent new knowledge to the performance of other duties.
• Performs work according to all rules, regulations, policies and guidelines.
• Accountable for outstanding customer service to all within SCPCC’s patient centered medical home.
• Performs other job-related tasks as assigned.

HIPAA Disclosure:

This position has access to systems and/or services that contain protected health information (PHI) as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Additionally, the position ensures and adheres to strict confidentiality when handling patient information, according to the HIPAA Privacy Act and supporting GAPHC policies and procedures.

Reporting Relationship: Operations Manager/Medical Director

Supervisory Relationship: None

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in social work.
• Current Licensure as a LMFT by the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors.
• Current CPR Certification.
• Experience providing behavioral health services in a healthcare, community mental health, or social service setting.
• Willingness to undergo and pass background checks and drug testing.

Physical Requirements:

Requires critical thinking and creative problem solving. While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, move up and down stairways, talk and hear, remain awake and alert while on duty for 8 or more hours per shift. Seizing, holding, grasping, turning or otherwise working with fingers and/or hands. The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 10 pounds an occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision.

Typical Physical Demands:

Requires full range of body motion including handling and lifting patients, manual and finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination. Requires standing and walking for prolonged periods of time. Occasionally lifts and carries items weighing up to 20 pounds. Requires corrected vision and hearing to normal range. Requires exposure to communicable diseases or bodily fluids.