Therapist

Position Summary

The Behavioral Health Therapist provides high-quality, trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate behavioral health services to children, adolescents, and families within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) setting. The majority of the therapist's clinical time will be spent providing care through the organization's school-based services community-based location.

The therapist provides behavioral health assessment, diagnosis when permitted within professional scope, individual and family therapy, crisis assessment and intervention, care coordination, consultation, and referral services. The role collaborates closely with youth, caregivers, schools, primary care providers, behavioral health professionals, and community partners to reduce barriers to care and support continuity of treatment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive behavioral health assessments and develop individualized, strengths-based treatment plans appropriate to the patient's developmental level, clinical needs, culture, family system, and environment.
• Provide evidence-informed individual, family, and group interventions within the clinician's education, training, competence, and Missouri scope of practice.
• Provide treatment for common child and adolescent behavioral health needs, including anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, emotional or behavioral dysregulation, adjustment concerns, grief, family stress, and school-related concerns.
• Complete age-appropriate suicide and safety risk assessments and provide crisis assessment, stabilization, safety planning, referral, or escalation according to organizational protocols.
• Engage parents, guardians, and caregivers appropriately while maintaining the youth's therapeutic alliance, privacy, confidentiality, and applicable legal and ethical requirements.
• Facilitate referrals to psychiatry, primary care, substance use treatment, higher levels of behavioral healthcare, community resources, and social services when clinically indicated.

Youth, Family, School & Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Use developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approaches to establish therapeutic relationships with youth and families.
• Collaborate with parents and caregivers to strengthen protective factors and support progress toward treatment goals.
• With appropriate authorization and consistent with privacy requirements, coordinate with school personnel, counselors, nurses, social workers, case managers, healthcare providers, and other professionals involved in the patient's care.
• Participate in interdisciplinary consultation and coordinated treatment planning for youth with complex behavioral health, medical, developmental, family, or social needs.
• Recognize the impact of social determinants of health and connect families with appropriate organizational and community resources.

Integrated FQHC Care, Documentation & Quality

• Function as an active member of an interdisciplinary healthcare team and support integration of physical, behavioral, and social healthcare.
• Provide warm handoffs, brief consultation, care coordination, and other integrated behavioral health interventions when appropriate.
• Complete assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, risk assessments, safety plans, care coordination, discharge documentation, and other required records accurately and within organizational timeframes.
• Maintain documentation that supports medical necessity, continuity of care, quality review, and billing requirements.
• Follow applicable professional, organizational, state, and federal requirements related to privacy, informed consent, mandated reporting, professional boundaries, credentialing, and clinical practice.
• Participate in clinical supervision or consultation, peer review, quality-improvement activities, case conferences, staff meetings, and required training.