Senior Therapist The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Senior Therapist position. An Overview A Senior Therapist provides psychotherapy for individuals, couples, families, and groups of consumers with emotional, behavioral, psychological and/or chemically dependent problems. A Senior Therapist is distinguished from a Therapist by the greater independence of action allowed in completing work assignments and the requirement for licensure in providing psychotherapy for consumers. An employee in this class maintains a large caseload of consumers, many of whom are dually diagnosed with co-occurring psychiatric and substance abuse/addiction disorders. The incumbent engages fully and actively with consumers in assisting them to address their feelings, attitudes, behaviors, fears, and anxieties related to their mental health and/or substance abuse problems, trauma due to sexual assault, and to assist with problem solving. Employees in this class provide diagnostic evaluations which provide therapeutic information and guide the therapist in the need for referring the consumer to additional treatment services, job opportunities, medical treatment, and other community referral sources, as needed. The therapist generally conducts these tasks during regular working hours, but they may be called upon to provide emergency services to Department consumers and to the community, as needed. The incumbents in this class may serve as clinical supervisors for practicum/intern students, as well as for co-workers seeking licensure. The work is performed under the general supervision of a program or team leader. What You Should Bring The ideal candidate should have thorough knowledge of individual and group behavior including thorough knowledge of treatment issues related to psychiatric problems, dual-diagnosis, and chemical dependency; good knowledge of psychopharmacology, psychiatric disorders, alcoholism/drug addiction, trauma due to sexual assault, juvenile delinquency, and/or elderly and aging; ability to work successfully with a variety of consumers; ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing with other professionals and with the public; ability to plan and supervise the work of interns or students. Ability to maintain accurate records including intake progress notes, treatment plans, and other documentation in accordance to State and Federal standards. The Opportunity * Provides individual, marital, family, and group psychotherapy to children, adolescents, adults or a geriatric population; * Provides supportive counseling to advocacy to clients; * Provides interim services to individuals waiting to begin other services; * Provides evidence-based individual, group, couples and family/multi-family psychotherapy based on treatment plan developed in collaboration with consumer in accordance with consumer strengths, preferences, needs, and potential to address identified needs; * Provides clinical assessment and referral services, including classroom observations, identifying red flags in child development and family functioning; * Determines appropriate disposition; * Completes written assessments, identifies community resources, and makes appropriate referrals; * Provides consultation and workshops on a variety of positive child and family development topics for teachers and parents; * Provides early intervention services, including individual therapy, family therapy, consultation on identified children, classroom shadowing; * Performs related work as required. About the Department The Center for Children and Families (CCF) provides programs and services in the areas of Child & Family Behavioral Health, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, Child Welfare, Early Childhood and Youth Development. CCF provides compassionate, collaborative and effective person and family-centered services based on best practices. Our teams support self-determination, safety, recovery and resiliency for Alexandria children and all residents affected by abuse, neglect, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance abuse disorders. Minimum & Additional Requirements Possession of Master's degree in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, Education or related field; at least two years of post-graduate work experience in providing direct clinical services to consumers having one or more substance abuse, psychiatric, and emotional disorders; and licensure or license eligible (has completed all required education and supervision as required by applicable board) as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner (LSATP) or Clinical Psychologist in the Commonwealth of Virginia at the time of appointment; if license eligible, the employee must obtain Virginia licensure at the first available opportunity, but no later than one year after appointment; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Employees must possess a valid driver's license issued by the state of their residence if they are in a position with driving responsibilities. Preferred Qualifications At least three (3) years of experience in the provision of mental health and/ or substance abuse treatment services to seriously ill persons. At least one year of experience in working with clients in crisis and engaging non-compliant individuals in treatment. At least three (3) or more years working with serious emotional disorders and their families. Licensed in Social Work, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy, or related field. Some knowledge in trauma informed care and evidence-based treatments. Fluent and Bilingual in both English & Spanish. Notes This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to: FBI/Federal Records Check; VA State Child Abuse/Neglect Registry; Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Database; education/certifications; and driver's license. Schedule: Monday through Friday, typically 9:00AM - 5:30PM, with one to two late nights for group and therapy appointments. On-call during the evenings and weekends. May require some weekend hours.