Behavioral Health Therapist @ Austell

2510 Cobb Hospital, Inc.•Mableton, GA

12d

About The Position

The Therapist-Licensed provides therapeutic services to patients receiving care on the inpatient Behavioral Health Unit under the leadership of the Nurse Manager or designee. The role delivers evidence-based, trauma-informed, patient-centered individual, group, and family therapy; completes psychosocial and suicide risk assessments; supports safety planning; and collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to develop, implement, and update individualized treatment plans. The therapist supports safe, high-quality care through direct clinical intervention, timely documentation, patient and family education, discharge readiness planning, and coordination with internal and external resources. The role partners with psychiatry, nursing, disposition planning, and other care team members to promote continuity of care and clinically appropriate discharge planning, escalating barriers or patient-safety concerns through established leadership channels.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work or Counseling.
Current Georgia LCSW, LPC, or MFT license.
BLS certification through an accepted provider, or Basic Life Support Instructor certification.
Wellstar AVADE de-escalation certification, or provisional AVADE-P certification within 30 days.
At least 3 years of experience in a health-related field, mental health, behavioral health, counseling, or a social services agency.
Emotional maturity and ability to work with patients with a life-limiting illness.
Ability to work as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
Individual counseling, group therapy, family therapy, discharge planning, bereavement-risk assessment, and interviewing skills.
Knowledge of developmental characteristics—including physical, psychosocial, and intellectual characteristics—across ages, economic backgrounds, and cultural backgrounds.
Basic computer skills, including Windows, Outlook, and Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

Provide individual therapy to an assigned caseload using evidence-based, trauma-informed, patient-centered interventions aligned with treatment plans.
Participate in the established group therapy schedule and facilitate assigned groups based on unit programming and patient needs, including groups focused on coping skills, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, recreational therapy, safety planning, psychoeducation, and discharge readiness.
Conduct family sessions as appropriate to support treatment goals, improve communication, and promote safe discharge planning.
Collaborate with the interdisciplinary treatment team to identify therapeutic needs, monitor patient progress, and develop, review, and update individualized treatment plans.
Document individual, group, and family interventions, assessments, patient contacts, reassessments, safety plans, collateral contacts, support systems, and resource referrals in the electronic medical record accurately and promptly.
Conduct and interpret comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments and suicide risk assessments, and collaborate with collateral or support contacts.
Work with the care team to establish an appropriate disposition plan based on the patient’s clinical, medical, and biopsychosocial presentation and resource needs.
Consult with psychiatry, nursing, and other appropriate team members to establish treatment plans; review plans with patients or guardians and explain available program services and recommendations.
Provide therapeutic interventions for crisis stabilization, symptom management, treatment engagement, and continuity of care after discharge.
Assist with legal documentation as appropriate, including forms 1013, 1014, 1015, and 1021, and complete daily reports to support continuity of care between shifts.
Coordinate discharge planning, identify and document barriers to timely disposition, obtain collateral information from family or identified supports, and develop a safety plan with every patient.
Educate and counsel patients and families to support understanding, acceptance, and follow-through with medical recommendations; account for cultural and religious beliefs in services and continuity of care.
Maintain ethical conduct, patient confidentiality, attendance, and punctuality; manage caseload priorities, communicate barriers, request guidance or escalation when needed, and provide hand-offs that support continuity of care.
Attend staff meetings, required in-services, process-improvement activities, and other requested meetings; complete required competency assessments and mandatory and population-specific education.
Perform other duties as assigned and comply with Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.