Therapist, Child/Adolescent Crisis Response Team (Daphne)

Overview

EastPointe Hospital is a private, free-standing psychiatric hospital for adults and adolescent males (ages 12 – 18) located in Daphne, Ala. EastPointe’s clinical and medical professionals assess and evaluate adults and adolescents in psychiatric crisis. Treatment focuses on stabilizing psychiatric symptoms and preventing psychiatric commitment. Adults and/or adolescents admitted to EastPointe will have exhibited life-threatening, destructive or disabling behavior or symptoms. Each patient completes a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation and receives 24-hour clinical care for the duration of their stay. The goal is for each patient to return to home or to the least restrictive level of care.

Responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Provides rapid crisis intervention and assessment to individuals, using face-to-face or telephone response, when calls come into Access to Care or the Intensive Care Coordinator as appropriate
• Demonstrates the ability to recognize the elements of a crisis state and knows how to deescalate or resolve the situation
• Collaborates with Access to Care as needed
• Establishes and maintains regularly scheduled, and as needed, contact with the other AltaPointe programs to optimize appropriate dispositions and outcomes
• Leads in the initiating and implementing the services of the Child/Adolescent Crisis Response Team
• Provides services in the community, consumer’s homes, etc.
• Effectively determines the level of response needed in crisis situations
• Provides appropriate follow-up and referrals after a crisis
• Educates families on de-escalating crisis situations, including but not limited to, safety plans
• Follows up with consumers that are in AltaPointe Children’s Outpatient Programs who may be decompensating or at high-risk.
• Travels to consumers’ homes to ensure medication compliance as needed
• Utilizes appropriate communication methods to ensure appropriate communication with individual consumers’ treatment teams
• Assist in securing emergency medical services or law enforcement services if needed
• Provides effective clinical assessment of the consumer as needed
• Utilizes assessment data to support a DSM 5 diagnosis as needed
• Formulates appropriate treatment plan along with consumer and families, as appropriate
• Provides individual, group, and family therapy, utilizing basic therapeutic models and theories according to consumer needs as stated in the treatment plan as needed
• Effectively collaborates with the treatment team members, law enforcement, emergency medical services, court personnel and outside sources in the delivery of clinical services
• Advocates on behalf of the consumer to secure community resources
• Evaluates the consumer for discharge planning or movement to a less restrictive environment
• Adheres to professional code of ethics
• Effectively demonstrates the application of child/adolescent specific competencies

Supervision and Consultation:

• Seeks clinical supervision and consultation as needed
• Accepts and employs suggestions for improvement
• Actively works to enhance clinical skills

Clinical Record Keeping:

• Documents in a timely fashion per AltaPointe policy
• Learns and utilizes Avatar electronic health record appropriately
• Documents in detail the resolutions of crisis situations and linkage to appropriate follow up sources.
• Documents all services provided before the completion of the shift.
• Documents appropriate, complete, and clinically comprehensive mental health assessments
• Documents measurable and specific goals in the treatment plan
• Documents in a clear and concise manner, types of consumer problems, treatment goals addressed, services, and techniques used
• Documents legibly

Case Load Management:

• Effectively manages caseload based on consumer needs
• Meets AltaPointe productivity standards
• Monitors caseload for accuracy

Qualifications

Master’s degree in a mental health discipline with 2 or more years’ experience working with psychiatric disorders or crisis situations.

Knowledge in child/adolescent specialty, outlined below, to be attained within (6) six months of employment.

• Knowledge of psychiatric disorders in the child/adolescent population
• Basic knowledge of the nature of addiction for referral purposes
• Knowledge of cultural diversity
• Knowledge of behavior management, crisis intervention and interventions common to acute psychotic consumers, as well as, to non-violent crisis intervention practice
• Knowledge of psychiatric rehabilitation principles
• Knowledge of educational methods appropriate to children/adolescents with severe and persistent psychiatric disorders
• Knowledge of AltaPointe services and continuum of care
• Knowledge of appropriate services codes and billing procedures
• Knowledge of community resources