Residential Therapist

LYDIA HOME ASSOCIATION•Evanston, IL

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Residential Therapist will be responsible for holistic and collaborative treatment planning for clients and their support networks. This includes analyzing the youth's strengths and needs, understanding factors affecting their placement, and developing behavioral objectives for discharge. The role involves providing individual and group therapy sessions, participating in family engagement and therapy, and collaborating with case managers and other treatment team members. The therapist will also oversee case management in the absence of a case manager, write case documentation, and complete required paperwork. Additionally, the position involves participating in program development, conducting trainings, attending various meetings and staffings, and collaborating with school personnel and outside treatment providers. Maintaining licensure and participating in quality assurance activities are also key aspects of the role.

Requirements

Must be a qualified mental health professional.
Must have a master's degree or doctoral level degree from an accredited school of psychology or social work or an equivalent degree in a human services field.
Must possess skills to work effectively with children and their families.
Must demonstrate good writing and social skills in order to communicate and work cooperatively with members of the child care team and the various systems and agencies in the community.
Must demonstrate the ability to conceptualize diagnostically and appropriately implement therapeutic interventions.
Must demonstrate the ability to maintain appropriate boundaries.
Must demonstrate the ability to complete tasks in a timely manner.
Must demonstrate the ability to be sensitive to client needs.
Must be willing and able to support the mission of Lydia Home Association (LHA).

Responsibilities

Holistic and collaborative treatment planning for the client and his/her support network, including analysis of strengths, needs, and factors affecting placement, with behavioral objectives for discharge.
Provide verbally and in writing a diagnostic conceptualization of client’s symptoms and presenting issues in light of systemic, environmental, and individual factors.
Provide individual and group therapy sessions for children, addressing issues specified in the treatment plan, such as attachment, trust, safety, expression of feelings, regulation, family relationships, future planning, past trauma, and client goals.
Participate in family engagement and conduct family therapy to help the resident and caregiver develop a healthy attachment, prepare for step-down, teach application of learned skills to a home setting, and provide parent coaching.
In collaboration with the case manager, oversee the development and maintenance of a continuing relationship with parents, siblings, caregivers, fictive kin, relatives, and other supports.
Collaboratively plan and implement designated plans for the child's transition to his/her next placement setting.
In collaboration with other treatment team members, develop strategies and plans for client's behavior management and problem-solving abilities, incorporating motivational incentives, and ensuring communication of finalized plans.
Oversee case management of assigned clients in the absence of the case manager (e.g., conduct staffings; attend court).
Write case documentation (i.e., Medicaid-compliant case notes in SDS) for each child, documenting weekly contact with the client and family, consultations with other professionals, and meeting service documentation benchmarks.
Complete DCFS/COA/Medicaid required paperwork (e.g., IM+CANS Reports, treatment plans, Clinical Summaries, Discharge Reports), reviewing each child's current situation, progress, protective factors, presenting issues, and response to treatment.
Complete paperwork in a timely manner.
Participate in program development related to the integration of therapeutic principles.
Actively engage in trainings/consultations surrounding the Attachment, Regulation, and Competency [ARC] framework and Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Therapy [SMART] and carry forth such principles in practice and trainings.
Co-lead bi-weekly trainings on the milieu with the unit supervisor pertaining to the practical application of therapeutic principles.
Participate in ongoing training program at Lydia Home and conduct trainings when assigned.
Attend client consultations, staffings, internal agency staffings, and Child Family Team Meetings, communicating inability to participate to the Residential Clinical so a plan can be made.
Attend hospital staffings if a client is psychiatrically hospitalized, formulating and communicating a plan with the treatment team for the client's return, and providing therapeutic support to youth while hospitalized.
Participate in decision-making process when establishing a mentor for a client and the initial meeting, and check in during therapy sessions about the client’s reactions to his/her mentor.
Collaborate with school personnel regarding the client’s emotional and behavioral functioning in the classroom.
Obtain consents for release of information when necessary (e.g., school; probation officer).
May represent child at court hearings, presenting verbal and written testimony.
May collaborate with outside treatment providers (e.g., family therapist external to the agency; substance use treatment provider), obtaining necessary consents and ensuring regular collaboration.
May attend Administrative Case Reviews.
Maintain current licensure/certification for QMHP or LPHA.
Participate in quality assurance/quality improvement activities.
Schedules are approved by the Residential Clinical Director, including changes to work schedule and time off requests.
Participate in supervision on an informal and formal basis (i.e., scheduled) in individual and group format.
Be familiar with and follow agency and residential policies and procedures.
Comply with mandated reporting guidelines.
Maintain client confidentiality and HIPAA standards.
Perform other duties as assigned.