School Based Mental Health Therapist (LSW, LPC)

JOB TITLE: Mental Health Therapist

DEPARTMENT: Health Center

REPORTS TO: Director of Integrated Care

STATUS: Exempt

SUMMARY:
The Mental Health Therapist provides therapeutic services to individuals, families, and children in clinical or school settings. This role involves conducting comprehensive assessments, developing personalized treatment plans, and delivering ongoing therapy to address emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges. The therapist works collaboratively with clients, families, school staff, and interdisciplinary teams to promote mental health, emotional well-being, and academic success.
The therapist will provide individual therapy, as well as crisis intervention and care coordination. In the school setting, this role emphasizes early intervention, support for academic and social-emotional development, and collaboration with educators to ensure students’ needs are met.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

CLINICAL DUTIES:

1. Provide individual therapy services to children, adolescents, and adults in clinical or school-based environments.
2. Conduct comprehensive mental health assessments to identify emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs and develop personalized treatment plans.
3. Deliver ongoing therapeutic support to clients and students to help them manage mental health challenges and achieve personal and academic goals.
4. Provide crisis intervention and emotional support during times of acute need, both in clinical settings and at school.
5. Develop and implement integrated wellness plans, addressing both mental health and life skills development.
6. Work closely with school staff, parents, agency staff, and community service providers to ensure coordinated care and promote overall well-being.
7. Provide consultation to teachers and school administrators to help address behavioral and emotional challenges in the classroom setting.
8. Participate in school wellness initiatives, promoting mental health education and emotional resilience.

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES:

1. Maintains complete, accurate, and timely medical records, documenting mental health assessments, intervention plans, patient progress, and telephone message summaries.
2. Ensure progress notes and any other special patient forms are completed following each patient encounter, adhering to organizational standards for documentation and compliance with HIPAA regulations.
3. Communicate with patients, student parents, referring physicians, and other care providers to coordinate treatment and ensure continuity of care.
4. Participate in health improvement activities, including collaborative health teams and patient care reviews.

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES:

1. Ensure all clinical and administrative duties meet accreditation and regulatory standards.
2. Engage in Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives and other program evaluations, contributing to ongoing enhancements in patient care and service delivery.
3. Participate in team meetings, case reviews, and committee activities to support integrated care efforts and improve overall service quality.
4. Help develop and refine programs aimed at addressing behavioral health needs.
5. Contribute to risk management and patient safety activities, maintaining a commitment to patient well-being and care excellence.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
This position has no direct reports.

QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:
Master Degree in Social Work or Clinical Mental Health Counseling required. Must have graduated from an approved social work or counseling program. Two years experience (preferred) working with indigent populations and community-based programs.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Bilingual (Spanish) preferred.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

COMPUTER SKILLS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual should have the ability to gain knowledge of current practice management system, electronic medical record, Microsoft Word, Internet, and Intranet.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:
Must be licensed by the State of Ohio Board of Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists (CSWMFT) LSW, LISW, LPC, or LPCC.

OTHER SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
Excellent communications skills, both written and verbal. Ability to work effectively and independently with all levels of clinical and administrative staff within the health centers and with community leaders. Strong leadership qualities and leadership experience. Demonstrated program development and implementation skills. Ability to represent the organization effectively in a variety of settings and with diverse communities. Demonstrated understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals and risk of radiation. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.