Mental Health Therapist-Foster Care Clinic

Overview

Under limited supervision, provides counseling services for children in foster care, their foster/kinship caregivers, and their families. Duties include assessment, counseling utilizing evidence-based practices, and stabilization of child victim and family. Responsible for active participation on multidisciplinary teams, high quality written and verbal reporting, and expert witness testimony for judicial system.

Current Openings: (2 Full Time). Shift: M-F, 8:00a-4:30p. West Des Moines, IA.

Responsibilities

Clinical Excellence/Patient Care:

• Completes initial psychosocial assessments and provides direct services to children in foster care, their foster/kinship caregivers, and their families based on referral and complexity of need, including crisis counseling and family stabilization; assessment and evaluation of counseling needs, counseling utilizing evidence-based practices, coordination of services, participation in any judicial proceeding as may be required, referrals to other services and resources as deemed necessary, parent/caregiver education.
• Evaluates social and family dynamics, counsels and engages the patient/caregiver in developing interventions and/or treatment plan.
• Provides assistance and advocacy, and follow-up in obtaining financial resources and government entitlements: i.e. food assistance, FIP, Medicaid, etc.
• Provides referral and/or coordination of resources and services.
• Participates and presents educational programs both within the children's hospital and the community on topics appropriate to the profession.
• Participates in case review meetings as a member of the multi-disciplinary team; participates in department meetings, committees, conferences, and in-services.
• Participates in crisis intervention for timely stabilization of the environment, either patient/family or staff, to facilitate coping.
• Provides on call services for night, weekends, and holidays.
• Demonstrates ability to consistently meet the department workload and schedule.
• Utilizes a family-centered care approach (considering physical, psychosocial, spiritual, educational, safety, and related criteria) appropriate to the age of the patients served in the assigned service area(s).
• Operates computer system to record and retrieve appropriate information.
• Prioritizes dissemination of information using available technology.
• Manages supplies i.e., order, obtain and store supplies.
• Efficiently and accurately maintains patient records.
• Demonstrates initiative to improve quality and customer service by striving to exceed customer expectations.
• Demonstrates the knowledge that patient and workplace safety is a priority by preventing errors, accidents and infections and reporting potential or actual concerns immediately.
• This position may be assigned a specific mission to address in an emergency situation to assist in disaster response and recovery as part of the UPH-DM Hospital Emergency Incident Command System.
• Performs functions other than described due to extenuating circumstances.

Qualifications

Education: Masters Degree from an accredited school in either Mental Health Counseling or Social Work Required.

Experience: Minimum of two years clinical experience working with children and adolescents. Minimum of two years experience working with multidisciplinary teams. Experience with child welfare/child abuse prevention preferred.

License(s)/Certification(s): License from the State of Iowa (LISW or LMHC). Valid driver's license when driving any vehicle for work-related reasons.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Must be able to communicate effectively with people of diverse professional, educational, and lifestyle backgrounds.