Residential Therapist

Safe Families; Evanston (IL); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Lydia Home Association is seeking a qualified QMHP/LPHA to provide individualized and family-based therapy to youth in care in Evanston, IL. You will develop and implement treatment plans, coordinate with caregivers, and participate in multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities include diagnostic conceptualization, documenting progress, attending meetings, and ensuring Medicaid paperwork is complete. The role emphasizes collaboration with schools and local agencies to support safe transitions and

Qualifications

• Must hold a master’s or doctoral degree in psychology or social work.
• Proven ability to work effectively with children and families.
• Strong writing and communication skills for system coordination.
• Ability to conceptualize diagnostically and implement interventions.
• Willingness to support Lydia Home’s mission.

Responsibilities

• Develop holistic treatment plans with client and supports.
• Provide individual and group therapy for children on attachment, safety, and trauma.
• Engage families in therapy and coach caregivers.
• Collaborate with case managers and schools for continuity of care.
• Document Medicaid-compliant case notes and progress reports.
• Attend meetings and trainings, and participate in program development.
• Maintain licensure/certification for QMHP or LPHA.

Skills

Therapeutic communication

Documentation

Team collaboration

Crisis intervention

Education

Master's degree in psychology or social work

Doctoral degree (optional)

Tools

EHR systems

Medicaid documentation

Job description

Description

Responsibilities/Expectations

• Holistic and collaborative treatment planning for the client and his/her support network. Plans shall include an analysis of the youth’s strengths and needs in addition to the factors that affected the child from remaining in a less restrictive setting. Plans shall also include behavioral objectives for the child that, when achieved, shall lead to the child's discharge. The youth’s identified caregiver(s)/supports should be actively involved in the treatment and treatment planning process.
• Be able to provide verbally and in writing a diagnostic conceptualization of client’s symptoms and presenting issues in light of systemic, environmental, and individual factors.
• Provide individual and at times, group therapy sessions for children, working on issues as specified in the treatment plan, typically regarding attachment, trust, safety, expression of feelings, regulation, family relationships, future planning, past trauma, and client goals.
• Participate in family engagement and conduct family therapy to help the resident and caregiver develop a healthy attachment, prepare both parties for step-down, teach the client how to apply what is learned in residential to a home setting, and provide parent coaching to the caregiver.
• In collaboration with the case manager, oversee the development and maintenance of a continuing relationship with parents, siblings, caregivers, fictive kin, relatives, and other supports unless clearly contraindicated by specific factors.
• Collaboratively plan and implement designated plans, as assigned, for the child's transition to his/her next placement setting.
• In collaboration with other treatment team members, develop strategies and plans that pertain to the client’s behavior management and problem solving abilities while incorporating motivational incentives. Ensure the finalized plans are communicated to the necessary parties verbally and in writing.
• Oversee case management of assigned clients in the absence of the case manager (e.g., conduct staffings; attend court).
• Write case documentation (i.e., Medicaid-compliant case notes in SDS) for each child. Weekly contact with the client and family in addition to consultations with other professionals must be documented and the service documentation benchmark met.
• Complete DCFS/COA/Medicaid required paperwork (e.g., IM+CANS Reports, treatment plans, and other associated clinical documents (e.g., at times, Clinical Summaries, Discharge Reports). Reports will review each child's current situation including progress towards behavioral objectives and transition plan, protective factors, presenting issues, and response to treatment.
• Complete paperwork in a timely manner.
• Participate in program development as it relates to the integration of therapeutic principles. Actively engage in trainings/consultations surrounding the Attachment, Regulation, and Competency [ARC] framework and Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Therapy [SMART] and carry forth such principles both in practice and in trainings. Co-lead bi-weekly trainings on the milieu with the unit supervisor pertaining to the practical application of the therapeutic principles.
• Participate in ongoing training program at Lydia Home. Conduct trainings when assigned.
• Attend client consultations, staffings, internal agency staffings, and at times, Child Family Team Meetings. If unable to participate in a staffing, communicate this to the Residential Clinical so a plan can be made to communicate the necessary information.
• Attend hospital staffings if a client is psychiatrically hospitalized. Formulate and communicate plan with treatment team for when client returns from hospital to Lydia Home. Provide therapeutic support to youth while he/she is hospitalized.
• Participate in decision making process when establishing a mentor for a client and the initial meeting. Check in during therapy sessions about the client’s reactions to his/her mentor.
• Collaborate, at times, with school personnel to regarding the client’s emotional and behavioral functioning in the classroom.
• Obtain consents for release of information when necessary (e.g., school; probation officer; etc).
• May represent child at court hearings, presenting verbal and at times written testimony.
• May collaborate with outside treatment providers (e.g., family therapist external to the agency; substance use treatment provider). Obtain the necessary consents and ensure collaboration takes place with these providers on a regular basis.
• May attend Administrative Case Reviews.
• Maintain current licensure/certification for QMHP or LPHA.
• Participate in quality assurance/quality improvement activities.
• Schedules are approved by the Residential Clinical Director. Approval is given by the Residential Clinical Director for changes to work schedule and time off requests.
• Participate in supervision on an informal and formal basis (i.e., scheduled). Supervision is provided in individual and group format.
• Be familiar with and follow agency and residential policies and procedures. Comply with mandated reporting guidelines. Maintain client confidentiality and HIPAA standards.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9-5 PM

Requirements

• Must be a qualified mental health professional and have a master's degree or doctoral level degree from an accredited school of psychology or social work or an equivalent degree in a human services field.
• Must possess skills to work effectively with children and their families.
• Must demonstrate good writing and social skills in order to communicate and work cooperatively with members of the child care team and the various systems and agencies in the community.
• Must demonstrate the ability to conceptualize diagnostically and appropriately implement therapeutic interventions, maintain appropriate boundaries, complete tasks in a timely manner, and be sensitive to client needs.
• Must be willing and able to support the mission of Lydia Home Association (LHA).