Primary Therapist - Outpatient Services - SW/C II

State of Colorado; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental health plans

Remote work arrangements for eligible

Job summary

Colorado Department of Human Services in Denver, CO, is seeking a Primary Therapist - Outpatient Services for Civil and Forensic populations. The role focuses on biopsychosocial assessments, individual/group/family therapy, and collaborative care planning within the Outpatient Services Division.

Required are CO licenses (LSW/LCSW/LPCC/LMFTC/ADDC). The position emphasizes evidence-based practice, documentation timeliness, and patient-centered care in a community setting.

Qualifications

• Must hold one of the specified Colorado licenses (LSW/LCSW/LPCC/LMFTC/ADDC).
• Experience with outpatient mental health treatment preferred.
• Current Colorado residency required at time of application.

Responsibilities

• Perform comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments for outpatient psychiatry.
• Conduct individual, group, and family therapy sessions.
• Document treatment plans, progress notes, and risk assessments.
• Coordinate with treatment team and care providers; ensure timely reporting.

Skills

Biopsychosocial assessment

Patient interviews

Team collaboration

Clinical documentation

Education

Licensed Social Worker (LSW) or higher

LCSW or LPCC or LMFTC or ADDC

Tools

Electronic health records

Job description

Primary Therapist - Outpatient Services - SW/C II in Denver, CO

Colorado Department of Human Services

Location

Denver, CO

Contract Type

Full Time

Work Schedule

Monday- Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. you are required to work at your assigned work location during your scheduled work times.

Open to

Current Colorado residents only.

Overview

Civil and Forensic Mental Health Services (CFMH) operates Colorado’s two mental health hospitals, the Forensic Services Division, the Division of Mental Health Transitional Living, and now the Outpatient Services Division. The office provides a continuum of mental health care for both Civil and Forensic clients. Civil clients are individuals who are committed by a civil court into the care of the Colorado Department of Human Services because they have serious and persistent mental health conditions. Forensic clients include those who are charged with a crime and have a mental or developmental disability that prevents them from assisting in their own defense or rationally understanding the criminal court proceedings, and those who have been charged with a crime but found not guilty by reason of insanity. CFMH works across the legal system to provide evaluations, treatment and case management for these clients. Outpatient Services is the newest part of this continuum, working to support clients stepping down or being diverted from hospitals and jails, and giving them the care they need in the community.

Core Values

• Individual dignity and respect
• Person-centered, evidence-based care
• Multidisciplinary collaboration
• Diversity and inclusion
• Strong family and community partnerships

Responsibilities

Assessments

• Within scope of practice, complete a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment of patients being admitted for outpatient psychiatric treatment.
• Interview the patient assuring that assessment data is as reliable as possible, that the patient is engaged in a supportive and educative manner, that confidentiality is maximized, and that symptoms and behaviors are thoroughly evaluated and handled in a sensitive and safe manner.
• Contact/engage parents/ family members, significant others, guardians, and referring agency personnel to interview and obtain relevant collateral and supporting information to enhance the understanding and dynamics of the patient’s situation.
• Complete the Colorado Client Assessment Record (CCAR) and the bio-psychosocial component of the Clinic’s other documentation.
• Additionally complete re-assessments of the patient’s situation and response to treatment as frequently as daily and documents patient progress in progress notes, weekly progress notes, and treatment plan reviews.
• Collaborate with and inform team members of relevant assessment information.
• Puts specific emphasis upon collaboration with and direction of treatment team staff regarding assessment information to address unique cases and cases that necessitates a reduction of risk issues related to hospital objectives including the use of seclusion and restraint, patient assault, and elopement.

Treatment

• Conduct individual, group, and family therapy sessions using counseling and/or social work theories and concepts relevant to the needs and pathology of patients and their families, considering their age, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, and sexual orientation consideration to affect behavioral change and the reduction of symptoms in the patient and the family.
• Interpret treatment issues, problems, expectations, and changes in behavior for patients and their families. Assess and document the effectiveness of specific interventions towards meeting the goals and objectives of treatment.
• Guides milieu staff by modeling patient interventions, recommending practice and patient “homework” assignments that may be implemented by them. Develop a therapeutic alliance with the patient and family to secure their understanding and participation in the treatment process.
• Provide information and education to them and/or community providers about mental illness and treatment and/or refer them to relevant resources to enhance their understanding of the patient’s ongoing concerns and needs.
• Provides interventions in the clinic setting and in the community, including in public and private settings, and may transport clients or outreach them actively. As needed, this position may need to transport individuals using State vehicles to engage with treatment.

Treatment Planning

• Participates in the direction and formulation of treatment plans and reviews.
• Collaborates with a multidisciplinary treatment team by recommending and designing treatment interventions, which will meet patient and family education and therapeutic needs.
• Provide required documentation relating to this duty. Document the plan and any issues related to the plan and revise/modify the plan according to the ongoing reassessment of the patient’s progress and continuing need for treatment.

Documentation

• Document in approved electronic database for all individual and group sessions in approved Clinic format.
• Group documentations must be individualized, reflecting how each client participated in each group session.
• All documentation must be completed in no more than 5 business days, including day of treatment provision.
• Document incident reports as indicated, in no more than 24 hours. Document calls to guardians and client managers.

Professional Development

• Participates in orientation, educational workshops, social work discipline meetings, and training to assure and maintain competency in the provision of social work and treatment services.
• Provides consultation and training regarding social work services and clinical issues on a functional basis with clinical staff and discipline members.
• Participates in clinical and administrative supervision to enhance, ensure, and confirm skills, knowledge, competency, and understanding of assigned cases and team, discipline, and hospital processes.

Other Duties

• Other duties as assigned include ad hoc activities, in-clinic crisis response, peer consultation, milieu support, etc.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

• SOCIAL WORK/COUNSELOR II (C4L2XX)
• Education/Licensure/Certification/Experience:
• Current, valid Colorado license or registered candidate as a:
• Licensed Social Worker (LSW) OR
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) OR
• Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC) OR
• Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Candidate (LMFTC) OR
• Addiction Counselor Candidate (ADDC)
• Current, valid full license from Colorado in any of the above fields also meets the requirements for this classification.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Bilingual Spanish is strongly preferred.
• Experience with IOP and PHP treatment.
• Experience with Assertive Community Treatment.
• Experience with individuals with serious mental illness.
• Experience treating addictions and substance use disorders.
• Conditions of Employment:
• Current/Valid and non-restricted CO Driver’s License
• Travel – Explain: Willing and able to travel; may need to transport patients.
• Shall not initiate or engage in sexual, social, personal or financial relationships with patients either during or any time after treatment, even if the patient requests or initiates such a relationship. All relationships with current or former patients must be disclosed on your application;
• Successfully pass all modules of the Outpatient Services New Employee Orientation core curriculum to include English reading comprehension, relevant competency assessments and written/practical exams in Defensive Tactics;
• Possess the physical ability to successfully complete hospital required physical intervention training and CPR;
• Lift arms above head and kick as high as own waist;
• Rotate body 90 degrees with feet planted for using a defensive tactic;
• Kneel on one or both knees and stand up again with multiple repetitions;
• Must be able to see and hear in order to observe, address and respond to potential breaches in safety;
• Seize, hold, control or subdue violent or assaultive persons and defend oneself or others to prevent injury;
• Demonstrate body agility, strength of all four limbs and the ability to walk and climb stairs consistently;
• Work in situations involving assaultive behavior, physical control of another person and/or restraint situations;
• Ability to read and comprehend the English language; effectively and fluently communicates in English, both verbally and in writing;
• Work in an environment with fluctuating noise and temperature (hot and cold) which may include working outdoors in inclement weather and/or concrete floor/wall work settings;
• Willing and able to travel;
• 2-step TB (tuberculosis) screening is required of all new employees upon hire
• Annual influenza vaccination
• Full background check and reference check required
• This position requires State of Colorado residency at the time of application (unless otherwise identified in the posting), and residency within the state throughout the duration of employment in this position.
• Motor Vehicle Check, if the employee will drive a state-owned vehicle, either in an on-going capacity while performing their normal day-to-day job duties OR on occasion for training/meetings/client visits/etc.
• Must possess a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver’s License or an non-restricted U.S. Driver's License for positions within 30 miles of the CO state border
• Out-of-State Driver’s License holders must obtain a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver’s License within 30 days of employment start date.
• Other Conditions of Employment specific to Program
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must:
• Disclose that information on the application.
• Explain why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify you from the current position.
• Provide your employee number from your prior State employment. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.

Benefits

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401(k) and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
• State of Colorado Employee BenefitHub Resource Center
• Employee Wellness program
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more
• Remote work arrangements for eligible positions
• *Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program .

Our Values

• We believe in a people-first approach: We prioritize the needs, well-being, and dignity of the individuals, families and communities we serve. We commit to respect, fairness and access in every decision, policy and interaction. We engage client voices and experiences in the development and implementation of the services we provide.
• Balance creates quality of life: We want our team to be resilient through a supportive workplace that values flexibility, health and wellness, and employee engagement.
• We hold ourselves accountable: We take responsibility through our actions, programs, and results for the state of health and human services in Colorado.
• Transparency matters: We are open and honest with employees, our partners, the Coloradans we serve, and the public.
• We are ethical: We abide by what is best for those we serve by doing what is right, not what is easy.
• Collaboration helps us rise together: We work together with all partners, employees, and clients to achieve the best outcomes for Coloradans.

ADA Accommodations

CDHS is committed to a Colorado for ALL qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment.

This includes completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or performing essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to [e-mail].

EEO Statement

The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer

We are committed to increasing a "Colorado for ALL" of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of all backgrounds and abilities. The State of Colorado believes that a "Colorado for ALL" drives our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.