Adolescent Behavioral Health Therapist; MST Entry - Senior Level

University Staff – University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

School of Medicine | Department of Psychiatry | Addiction Research & Treatment Services (ARTS)

Adolescent Behavioral Health Therapist (MST) (Open Rank, Entry to Senior Level)

Sign-on bonus available for external candidates.

Synergy, the adolescent component of Addiction Research and Treatment Services, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, seeks to fill a Bilingual Adolescent Behavioral Health Therapist position in a community-based substance use treatment program. The therapist will be delivering an evidence-based family therapy model called MST (Multisystemic Therapy). MST is an evidence-based model with the largest body of evidence of successful interventions for high-risk youth and has been recognized by NIDA and NIH.

The model is present-focused, action-oriented, and focuses on strength-based, preventive strategies within the youth's natural ecology targeting family, peers, school, and neighborhood support systems.

The therapist will receive comprehensive training in the MST model. The MST therapist will implement this community-based treatment by providing MST to families of adolescent substance users with a goal to retain youth in their homes and avoid out-of-home placement and involvement in the criminal justice system. The MST therapist will utilize MST principals to develop interventions with the input and support of their supervisor and MST consultant.

Implementation of this clinical model requires adherence and fidelity to the MST model, which the supervisor and MST consultant help guide. The MST therapist works independently but always has the support of their supervisor and has flexibility with their schedule as they schedule their own appointments based on the family's availability. The therapist is very well supported through weekly group supervision and consultation, in addition to individual supervision occurring weekly to every two weeks.

• Provide intensive treatment services using Multisystemic Therapy principles to a caseload of up to 6 active MST clients, including daily contact via individual and family counseling, case management, staffing, advocacy, etc. in their home environment and community.
• Provide home-based family therapy twice weekly utilizing the MST treatment model. Therapists may also participate in school meetings, staffing and court; these activities also require driving.
• Available to clients and their families Monday through Friday, 24 hours a day via cell phone and will participate in a weekend on-call coverage rotation.
• Provide transition services to clients when they leave other formal residential/day treatment programs.
• Balance job expectations around caseload, clinical contact and outcomes, and case management including paperwork.
• Provide clinical evaluations and/or intake screenings to assess clinical appropriateness, individual treatment needs and recommendations.
• Administer weekly urinalysis screens for same sex clients to track treatment progress/challenges.

Hybrid – This position works in the community/field the majority of the time as well as some remote work from home and time in the office. The office is located at Fort Logan (3680 West Princeton Circle, Denver, CO 80236).

This is an incredible opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary team of therapists (LPCC & LSW), supervisors (LCSW, LPC, LAC), and psychiatrists. The team works collaboratively and closely to provide comprehensive evaluations, psychiatric evaluations, ongoing substance use and mental health treatment and referrals as necessary. The team is committed to helping adolescents and their families create positive changes, prevent out-of-home placement, reduce involvement in the criminal justice system and most importantly, reduce morbidity and mortality.

The very small caseload provides a unique opportunity to provide the intensity needed to dive deep into individual and family issues to create lasting changes.

ARTS will provide comprehensive training in the multisystemic therapy (MST)…