Job Description

Level: Experienced
Job Location: Nashville, TN 37212
Position Type: Per DiemEducation
Level: Graduate Degree
Job Category: Health Care

Position Summary
The Program Therapist is responsible for providing individual, family (if indicated), and group therapy sessions for clients in a specialized eating disorder treatment facility. Position is responsible for assessing the therapeutic needs of the individuals and for developing appropriate treatment. Program Therapists act as the primary contact for clients and families throughout the treatment process and serve as a client advocate with the treatment team. Position acts as a liaison with referral sources, clinical partners, and internal resources to coordinate care throughout the treatment process.
Hours: M, T, TH; 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Relationships and Contacts
Within the organization:  Maintains frequent and close working relationships with program staff and facility team members throughout the organization.
Outside the organization:  Initiates and maintains strong professional relationships with clients and families, clinical providers, referral partners and vendors, as needed.
Essential Responsibilities
- Demonstrates a high level of clinical skill in assessing the clinical needs of clients, determining appropriate interventions, and conducting individual, family, and group therapy sessions in accordance with these needs.
- Completes psychosocial evaluations, treatment plans, contact logs, discharge plans and other reports required for each client in compliance with State, accrediting bodies, quality guidelines and payor source guidelines.
- Conducts weekly individual and family therapy sessions for assigned caseload.
- Monitors behavioral interventions for clients and provides skills coaching, as needed.
- Conducts specialized groups as assigned based on education, training, and experience; supervises or co-leads groups with staff or interns when appropriate.
- Selects appropriate interventions to meet the clinical needs of individual clients.
- Maintains therapeutic relationship with clients using praise and other reinforcers to encourage appropriate behaviors and attitudes.
- Sets limits and hold boundaries in a kind and firm manner.
- Demonstrates effective verbal crisis intervention and de-escalation, involving other staff as needed.
- Collaborates with an interdisciplinary team to coordinate client care from admission through discharge.
- Attends weekly clinical, consultation and business meetings; present cases to be discussed as pre-assigned.
- Completes documentation in a timely and accurate manner reflecting ongoing assessment of client’s clinical presentation and behaviors.
- Communicates client progress with the referral source, family, parent, or guardian informed of treatment goals and plans, as appropriate.
- Documents in accordance with policies and procedures services provided, incident reports, shift reports, or department reports in a timely and accurate manner.
- Communicates with referents, clients, and families appropriately and effectively.
- Uses the referral process to build relationships with new referents and engages in collaboration with referents.
- Addresses clients, visitors, physicians, and co-workers in a pleasant and respectful manner.
- Responds to clients and families with empathy and positive professional skills.
Additional Responsibilities
- Can be relied upon to be at work as scheduled and is rarely absent from work, notifying the supervisor if absent.
- Reads, understands, and adheres to all company policy statements on ethics, conduct, and conflict of interests; adheres to facility policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.
- Maintains positive attitude and acts as a team player with others on the team.
- Attends and completes all trainings within assigned time frames as required by the facility.
- Provides consultation and coaching to direct care team members, as needed.
- Other duties as assigned.

QualificationsEducation and Experience
Position requires a master’s degree in social work, marriage and family therapy or psychology. Must be licensed in the State of Tennessee (LCSW, LMFT, or LMHC) or hold an associate license (LSW, LMFTA, or LMHCA) or temporary permit to practice therapy and working towards full licensure. Position requires a minimum of one (1) year experience in a behavioral healthcare setting, preferably with clients with eating disorders.
Physical Requirements
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to communicate with peers, clients, families’, other facilities and/or vendors.
- Performs duties that require the employee to sit or remain stationary for extended periods of time.
- Job performance will require the ability to move throughout the building and may require walking around facility grounds.
- While performing duties may be required to sit stationary for long periods of time.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to talk or hear, sit, stand, walk, reach, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, taste or smell.
- Ability to move up to 25 pounds.

Other Requirements
- Position requires incumbent to have a valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record.
- Provides clinical coverage for holidays, as needed and scheduled.
- Clearance of TB test, and any other mandatory state/federal requirements.
Skill Competencies
- Ethics and Values – adheres to and promotes the ethics and values outlined in the company and accrediting/licensing bodies Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance. Consistently upholds and models a high level of Integrity in clinical services and team member interactions.
- Clinical Knowledge – acquires and maintains a working knowledge of current theory and evidence-based practice. Proactively seeks supervision, consultation and continuing professional development to ensure knowledge and skills are maintained relative to position and clinical program delivery.
- Cultural Competence – continuously strives to provide client-centered, culturally competent care, recognizes, and affirms cultural and linguistic diversity through therapeutic alliances and ongoing professional development.
- Screening and Assessment – engages clients and members of the client support system, as appropriate, in screening and assessment to develop individualized, client-centered, evidence-informed care plans. Leverages established screening tools for psychosocial, pain, domestic violence, substance use, self-hard, and distress assessments, among others.
- Care Planning and Intervention – develops and implements evidence-informed care plans that promote clinical excellence throughout the client-centered continuum of care. Care plans outline necessary steps, identified collaboratively with the care team, to achieve objectives identified in the biopsychosocial assessment. Leverage evidence-informed, clinically excellent treatment interventions.
- Advocacy – advocates for the needs and interest of clients and families to promotes clinical excellence through improved outcomes, access to care, and service delivery. Participates in quality improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing client outcomes and strengthening clinical service delivery.
- Interdisciplinary and Interorganizational Collaboration – promotes cross functional collaboration among team members and referral partners to support and enhance clinical service delivery and support.
Aster Springs provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, genetic information, service in the military, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment. Aster Springs reserves the rights to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the organization desires.  This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, to be performed by the employee occupying this position.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities. This job description is not an employment contract, implied or otherwise.  The employment relationship remains “At-Will.”
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