Mental Health Therapist FACT/ Criminal Justice Specialist
About The Position
The Mental Health Therapist provides comprehensive care to patients of the URMC / Strong Ties / Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams, collaborating with health, behavioral health, and social service providers. The role assesses patient needs and develops and manages care plans for patients receiving ACT services. ACT serves patients with complex needs who require comprehensive community treatment and care management, including care coordination, health promotion, patient and family support, community and social-service referrals, crisis intervention, and community outreach. The therapist provides direct clinical services to assigned patients, including individual, family, and group therapy, behavioral therapy, and crisis intervention. The Forensic Mental Health Therapist / Criminal Justice Specialist also liaises with local law enforcement, treatment courts, parole and probation officers, and county attorneys. The position is based at 2613 W Henrietta Rd, Suite A, Brighton, New York, and follows a Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. schedule, with rotational evening and weekend on-call participation and community crisis response as necessary.
Requirements
- Master’s degree from a CACREP-accredited program with major coursework in mental health counseling, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience working with the severe and persistently mentally ill (SPMI) patient population is required; community-based experience is preferred.
- NYS licensure as a mental health practitioner, such as a Mental Health Counselor or Creative Arts Therapist, is required upon hire; alternatively, an active limited permit or submitted NYS Department of Education application is required upon hire, with NYS licensure obtained within 36 months of hire.
- For employees working on the ACT or Mobile Crisis teams, NYS licensure as a mental health practitioner is required within 48 months.
Nice To Haves
- Experience working with the severe and persistently mentally ill (SPMI) patient population in a community-based setting.
Responsibilities
- Participate as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team in intake, evaluation, and treatment.
- Document clinical findings, assessments, and encounters in the electronic medical record in accordance with hospital guidelines.
- Provide the treatment team with feedback about clients’ recovery progress and facilitate or supervise placement in community programs as needed to meet recovery goals and needs.
- Administer breathalyzer tests and obtain toxicology samples as required by clients’ AOT court orders; provide weekly reports to AOT for caseload clients with an AOT order.
- Provide problem-specific, goal-oriented individual, group, family, and behavioral therapy using evidence-based approaches that address social and interpersonal competence, self-defeating beliefs and behaviors, and each recipient’s strengths, needs, and cultural values.
- Provide cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis, including education about stress-vulnerability and symptom management.
- Provide interventions based on the OMH Wellness Self-Management curriculum, Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) Toolkit, and Integrated Dual Diagnosis (IDDT) model.
- Serve as a liaison with local law enforcement, treatment courts, probation and parole officers, and local attorneys to support coordinated patient care.
- Conduct risk-needs assessments for forensic patients admitted to the program and identify criminogenic needs to inform treatment plans.
- Attend court appearances, meet with attorneys, and advocate for treatment court when appropriate.
- Help clients maintain themselves in the community, including finding and furnishing apartments, preparing financial budgets, applying for entitlements, and learning daily living skills.
- Transport clients to appointments as needed and assist them with moving or shopping.
- Ensure hospital and department policies and procedures are implemented regarding professional practice, patient care, and disposition training.
- Contribute to a culturally competent environment and participate in available cultural competence events and training.
- Participate in a rotational evening and weekend on-call group and respond as necessary to after-hours psychiatric crises in the community.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
