Mental Health Therapist I, Partial Hospital Program

Heywood Hospital•Gardner, MA

About The Position

The Mental Health Therapist participates in planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Patient Therapy program and works in cooperation with other health care disciplines to provide psychiatric services to clients. The role provides individual and group therapy, supports comprehensive case management, and coordinates care with outpatient providers and other services to promote patient success and meet standards of care and practice. The therapist gathers and evaluates patient information, develops and revises care plans, assesses patient status and learning needs, provides and evaluates patient education, and documents interventions and outcomes according to PHP policies and procedures. The role also conducts clinical preadmission screenings and supports appropriate PHP admissions, including obtaining insurance approval or referrals. The therapist contributes to multidisciplinary treatment teams, supports students and interns, conducts documentation peer review, mentors colleagues, and pursues continuing professional development. This position is 24 hours per week, days on weekdays. The stated pay range is $28.27–$38.79; final compensation depends on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity.

Requirements

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Human Services, or a related field.
At least one year of experience working with psychiatric populations.
AHA CPR certification, or obtain it within 90 days of hire.
Full working knowledge of managed care and publicly funded insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Evidence of effective personal interactions with a wide range of patients and caregivers.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Experience working with substance use or addiction populations preferred.

Responsibilities

Gather and evaluate relevant information from patient interviews and other information sources.
Develop appropriate patient care plans based on gathered information and analysis.
Identify variations from expected findings, understand their significance, and take appropriate action.
Assess patients’ learning needs, learning styles, barriers, and readiness to learn.
Determine when family members, significant others, or friends should be involved in patient education.
Plan and provide patient teaching, evaluate patient understanding, and validate the effectiveness of teaching.
Inform patients about their care plans, discharge plans, and follow-up instructions, and prepare them to take responsibility for their care.
Coordinate care with other healthcare providers and delegate when appropriate.
Assess and reassess patient condition, status, and progress; prioritize and modify care plans as needed.
Document care plan implementation and adverse or unexpected events and outcomes.
Support comprehensive case management and develop a comprehensive database to identify patient needs and plan interventions.
Coordinate care with outpatient providers and other services.
Perform clinical preadmission screenings and help ensure appropriate PHP admissions.
Identify patient insurance and obtain approval or referrals for PHP admission.
Provide individual and group therapy to meet patient needs.
Participate as a contributing member of the multidisciplinary treatment team.
Document patient responses to interventions according to PHP policies and procedures.
Assist students and interns in meeting performance standards.
Conduct concurrent and retrospective peer review of documentation using Department of Mental Health and PHP standards.
Provide education to staff and mentor individuals to achieve performance standards.
Pursue professional growth and continuing education, and share learning with team members.
Share information with staff to improve team members’ knowledge, skills, and practice.