Behavioral Health Therapist - Outpatient

Northpointe is a Community Mental Health (CMH) organization providing services to individuals with serious mental illness, emotional disturbance, substance abuse disorders, and intellectual/developmental disabilities across Iron, Dickinson, and Menominee counties in the UP of Michigan.

Northpointe itself was established in 1995 but has roots as a CMH dating back to 1964. Our presence can be found through remote emergency services, in school and home-based programs, and in clinical and residential home settings.

Job Purpose

We are looking for a passionate, driven individual to join our team as a Behavioral Health Therapist in our Outpatient program based in Kingsford, Michigan. This role will provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and care management services to individuals and groups relating to mental illness and or emotional problems in a community- based treatment setting.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by the supervisor.

Essential Duties

• Interviews individuals to obtain information concerning clinical history for a psychosocial assessment.
• Completes an initial Bio-psychosocial assessment.

Provides linkage, referral, and ongoing case management monitoring for assigned individuals requiring long term case management supports.

Services provided may include individual, group, family therapy, psychosocial assessments, mental status exams, diagnosis, and care management.

Provides referral, linkage, or administration (psychologist) for various tests such as psychological tests, personality inventories, and intelligence quotient tests, to identify behavioral or personality traits and intelligence levels, and ensures results are integrated into the individual plan of service.

Plans and administers therapeutic treatment and/or intervention to assist individuals in controlling disorders and other problems, utilizing methods and/or techniques consistent with known professional best practices and ethical conduct.

• Changes method and degree of therapy when indicated by individual reactions.
• Consults with treatment team concerning the plan of service and amends plan as recommended.
• Provides for consultation, reporting, coordination and referral to other agency staff and programs, community organizations, or external health care professionals as determined to be clinically appropriate.
• Conducts measurement of individual clinical outcome and individual satisfaction as directed.
• Will maintain workload as established in policy.
• Participates in community education activities, staff training in-service, and continuing professional development as directed.
• Ensures that case records follow Northpointe policies and all other regulatory bodies requirements.

Performs Clinical Peer Reviews of assessments that resulted in a denial of CMH services (i. e., Second Opinion Assessments).

Assures that a plan of service for each individual is developed, implemented, reviewed, and updated on a regular basis, with input from individual.

Provides contacts as needed and documents these contacts within a 24-hour period in individual’s record.

Assists the individual in preparing financial assistance applications, i. e., SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, G.A., and M.A. when necessary.

Has the authority to perform SSI level of care determinations based upon acquisition of placement responsibility which will then require negotiations with Social Security Administration office to work out arrangements for processing SSI applications.

Provides OBRA assessments upon request following training.

Requirements

This position will actively support the mission, vision, and values of the agency.

• Education, Certifications, and/or Experience
• Master’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology or Counseling
• Michigan license requirements
• Limited Licensed Master’s Social Worker or Licensed Master’s Social Worker*
• Limited Licensed Psychologist, or Licensed Psychologist*
• Limited Licensed Professional Counselor or Licensed Professional Counselor*
• Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor

Must obtain full clinical licensure (i. e., LMSW, LLP or LPC) within 6 months of being eligible for such licensure.

Must have a valid driver’s license.

Experience working with individuals with a developmental/intellectual disability and/or mental illness preferred.

• Fully Licensed eligible for a higher pay scale than shown below.