Therapist II

There has never been an era in which there is more flexibility for a therapist.  The need is great, and the avenues are many.  You can build your own private practice.  You can provide tele-therapy services.  You can join a fee-for-service provider. 

At the end of the day, however, these opportunities have one thing in common: loneliness.  Some therapists prefer to practice individually, we understand that.  But there is a group that would much rather work as part of a larger team.   This group also generally prefers complexity because it is the very reason they studied psychotherapy in the first place.  Within that group there is a smaller group that is extremely mission driven to provide therapeutic interventions for people with developmental delays.

Wait! Most evidence-based practices are not designed for individuals with developmental delays!  Those individuals require a strictly behavioral approach!

We couldn’t disagree more…

At Grafton we have been happily mixing behavioral and psychotherapeutic approaches together for decades.  We understand that developmental or intellectual delay does NOT mean that an individual CANNOT achieve insight.  Or learn new skills.  Or practice mindfulness.  Or meditate.  Or learn pro social behaviors.  Or participate in social activities. & etc.

In fact, our entire approach to care is entirely centered upon a trauma-informed perspective.   We believe van der Kolk when he says trauma changes the brain.  We realize that we should focus primarily on comfort, not on control.  We have eliminated the use of restraint in most of our programs and significantly minimized it in our sub-acute setting.  We teach all staff to follow these simple precepts:

We also believe in empiricism, we value sub-specialization, and support life-long education, and we want clinical decision-making to be based on data, not conjecture.  We are doing innovative stuff over here.  Our consulting division is active in over 35 states.  Come learn more.  This could be the place where you do your best work, and you truly help someone get their life back.

By the way, if you are starting out in your career, and are post-masters but as of yet unlicensed – we will bend over backwards to make sure you get your supervision –for free.

For formality’s sake, here is our dry as a bone job description:

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

 Under general supervision, plans and implements therapeutic and counseling services and programs for assigned Grafton students.  Duties include assessing student cognitive, behavioral, social and emotional needs and developing therapeutic goals and objectives for the student's IEP.  Develops and implements therapy plans, sessions and activities to meet identified goals and objectives. As a licensed therapist, provides clinical supervision and direction to therapist interns and non-licensed therapists.  Reports to a Clinical Administrator.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Provides therapeutic and counseling programs and services for assigned students; to include individual and group therapy sessions.
• Conducts student assessments and evaluations to determine abilities and needs with regard to cognitive, behavioral, social and emotional development. Develops therapeutic goals and objectives and treatment plan for each student based upon needs, and abilities.  Writes therapeutic and behavioral goals and objectives for the student IEPs.
• Develops therapy plans, activities and experiences which address the identified goals and objectives Prepares materials for planned activities and therapy sessions.  Conducts individual and group therapy sessions.  Implements activities and provides experiences which develop student cognitive, social and problem solving skills.
• Collects and records behavioral and progress related data obtained from therapy sessions and activities. Evaluates students’ achievements and progress pertaining to therapeutic and behavioral programs. Documents progress, accomplishments and behavioral developments in quarterly progress reports, discharge summaries and annual reviews.
• Consults with supervisors, academic peers and other Grafton staff relating to student treatment plans and needs. Ensures compatibility of instructional formats and management procedures for each student in concert with his treatment team and overall treatment needs. Provides behavioral consultation and guidance to other Grafton staff working with assigned students.
• Serves as advocate for students; recommends, co-designs and helps to ensure implementation of student transition plans.
• Reviews admissions packets and participates in pre-placement interviews.
• Provides clinical supervision to non-licensed therapists. Assists non-licensed therapists in developing an action plan for pursuing licensure.
• Works with consulting psychologists to assign supervision hours. Ensures clinical accountability of non-licensed therapists.
• Identifies and obtains necessary supplies and equipment.
• Implements crisis intervention strategies as needed. Documents and reports all incidents in accordance with policies and procedures. Serves as on-call therapist as assigned and responds to student crises.
• Maintains open communications and provides information and interpretations to parents, guardians and other human services agencies regarding student progress, needs and treatment plans.
• Participates in a variety of meetings and committees such as IEP meetings, staff meetings, etc.
• Provides program related training to Grafton staff as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

ADDITIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Provides input and participates in policy and procedure designs.
• Attends conferences and workshops to keep abreast of professional trends, developments and techniques.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Requires a master's degree in counseling, social work or psychology; and 2 years of clinical experience providing counseling services and therapy; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Requires licensure as clinical social worker, professional counselor or clinical psychologist.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Licensure as a professional counselor, psychologist or social worker.  Requires a valid driver's license.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

• Medical, dental and vision
• Flexible Spending & Health Savings Accounts
• 401(k), including an employer match
• Generous Paid Time Off plan
• Education Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Short-term disability (STD)
• Long-term disability (LTD)
• As Grafton is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, you may be eligible for federal student loan forgiveness

If you have issues applying or have any questions about this position, please reach out to us at HR@Grafton.org or 540-542-0200 Ext. 6429.

COMPENSATION

• Based upon experience and education.

Grafton is an equal employment opportunity employer and tobacco-free workplace.

#ClinicalGrafton