Therapist- MST

Courthouse · Multi-Systemic Therapy

Saint Joseph, MI

Full Time; Salaried (We offer a competitive salary)

Posted 08/05/2021

Pay Grade: Union 13

Position Summary
Provides strengths-based multi-systemic therapy services to juvenile offenders with a history of severe mental illness, sex offenses, violent behavior and/or substance abuse who are at risk of out-of-home placement.  Services are provided to the child and their family in their homes (MST services are traditionally homebased, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, limitations are in place for in-home services and current clinicians are expected to be able to utilize TeleHealth for a portion of contacts with their consumers). Prepares comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment, treatment plans and periodic reviews. Completes brief assessment, crisis intervention and pre-screens as needed. Clinicians will develop home safety plans and genograms with each family. Clinicians will be available for 24/7 crisis intervention with consumers as part of a rotating on-call crisis team. Clinicians will de-escalate crisis situations when on-call. While on the 24/7 on-call rotation, clinicians generally can actually expect very few crisis calls or summons to intervene; months can go by without a need to respond to on-call duties or incidents. Clinicians are expected to complete progress notes within 24hrs from each clinical service. Clinicians will complete consumer court reports and attend all consumer court hearings to advocate and report progress. The position is high-intensity, and clinicians can expect to spend an average of 2-3 sessions per week with each consumer for about 2hrs per session, though will carry a lower caseload. Clinicians will be expected to carry a mix of Standard MST cases and MST-PSB Cases. Clinicians will submit weekly progress summaries of each of their cases to their supervisor, as well as attend/participate in weekly group supervisions and consultation with the team’s MST expert. Expected to assist with addressing instrumental needs and provides transportation to consumers as deemed appropriate. If you would like to learn more about MST, please visit the link provided: https://www.mstservices.com/

Education
A Master’s Degree in an appropriate mental health discipline.

Experience
It is a preference for one to two years’ experience providing treatment to children/adolescents with serious mental illness and/or antisocial behaviors. Will have strong structural/strategic family therapy skills. Excellent computer and interpersonal skills, punctuality and time management, exceptional ability to organize, prioritize, and manage several tasks simultaneously, and work independently. Must have strong analytical/problem solving and improvisation skills, and independent dicretion. Must be able to collaborate and coordinate well with multiple third parties. Being a current or having been an MST therapist is a strong plus.

Licensure
Licensed by the Michigan Department of Commerce or Professional Regulation as a LLMSW, LMSW, TLLP, LLP, LLPC or LPC. Must become fully licensed within 30 months of date of hire. Must have reliable means of transportation for home visits and maintain safe driving permit.

Benefits

Some of the benefit of being an MST Clinician is that you are part of a clinical team that reviews and familiarizes with each other’s cases so that other teammates may assist each other’s consumers if needs for intervention occur. Being that the MST office is based in the Berrien County Courthouse, it provides the opportunity and availability to work closely in tandem with probation officers and courthouse staff. Caseloads are smaller for MST due to the nature and intensity of the position and therapy model. Each clinician is assigned 5 families. Clinicians are fairly independent and are not captive in an office all day, frequently making homebased visits to consumers across the county and other third-party appointments such as doctor appointments, community service sites, psychiatric evaluations/reviews, job placements, and schools. Clinicians use their personal vehicles for the occasional need to transport consumers. Travel mileage related to consumer services are reimbursed by the agency. Clinicians will receive extra pay for weeks they are assigned on-call rotation duties and for instances that they actively address crises (While on the 24/7 on-call rotation, clinicians generally can actually expect very few crisis calls or summons to intervene; sometimes months go by without any needs to respond to on-call duties). Clinicians use their personal phones for work related tasks and are offered a phone service stipend. For newly starting MST clinicians, training is provided by the agency for a 5-day Standard MST training in South Carolina and a 2-day MST-PSB (Problem Sexual Behavior) Training in North Carolina. For every youth that is rehabilitated and kept in the community, saves the taxpayers money that would otherwise be allocated towards keeping them detained. As clinicians are fairly independent, they also have flexibility with their schedules and have opportunities to flex time. The position is unionized and offers several union negotiated annual holidays. The position also qualifies for the 10-year federal loan forgiveness program through the Department of Education. The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) offers loan assistance after just two years. To qualify, you must work for two years in an approved high-need, underserved area. Benton Harbor in Berrien County is considered an underserved area. Accrued PTO rolls over annually and also may have a portion of surplus PTO to be cashed in near the end of each year. The agency can assist in fulfilling some licensures’ supervision needs and offers in-house trainings for CEUs. Strong performance can sometimes be rewarded by the agency sending the clinician to trainings/conferences of their interest, that pertain to their profession/career. Riverwood Center offers a competitive compensation package and John Hancock investment-based retirement plan option. MST will consider a $500 sign-on bonus for accepted candidates, with a following $1,000 at the end of their first year of service. We are looking to promptly hire. If you meet qualifications and are interested, we would love to hear from you.