Behavioral Health Professional 2

Psychologist Or Ma-Level Therapist Position At Independence Mental Health Institute

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking a full-time Psychologist or MA-Level Therapist to join the team at the Independence Mental Health Institute (IMHI). HHS prefers an independently licensed provider at the doctoral or master's level, but licensure is not required for this position. This position offers opportunities for professional growth, leadership advancement, and team-based clinical work with youth with serious emotional disturbances and complex behavioral health needs.

IMHI is a state-operated, acute psychiatric hospital that is accredited by the Joint Commission and CMS certified. Independence MHI operates 56 total beds with 20 beds for adult patients and 36 beds for child/adolescent patients. This Psychologist or MA-Level Therapist position is designed to help meet the needs of IMHI's youth with complex behavioral health needs. The hospital includes an off-ward school that meets the educational needs of youth while hospitalized  Psychologist or MA-Level Therapist will work as an active member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team comprised of psychiatric providers, nurses, social workers, activity specialists, and other disciplines.

This is one of three Psychologist/MA-Level Therapist positions at the facility, with each psychological/counseling provider working on a separate unit or caseload. This position reports to the IMHI Education Administrator, and receives clinical oversight, support, and collaboration from the HHS Clinical Director (licensed, doctoral-level psychologist).

The primary duties of this position include:

• Provide professional psychological or mental health counseling services for youth admitted to an acute psychiatric hospital. Services include individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, family psychotherapy or consultation, crisis and behavioral management, and psychological testing and report writing (as competent).
• Actively participate as a multi-disciplinary treatment team member providing evidence-based, individualized, person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented interventions for child and adolescent patients.
• Conduct various psychological screens, assessments, and reports to clarify diagnosis, determine eligibility for services (e.g., intellectual disability), provide treatment and support recommendations, and address unique psycho-legal issues like incompetence to stand trial (as competent).
• Provide psychological consultation, policy guidance, and staff training that promotes a strong continuity of care and improves the team's ability to work more effectively with youth with challenging and complex behavioral health needs. This includes best practices for positive behavior management and restraint/seclusion reduction.
• For licensed, doctoral-level psychologists, opportunities may be available for clinical supervision of practicum trainees/predoctoral interns/post-doctoral fellows. Preceptor guidance to psychiatric residents/fellows from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) may also be available through Iowa's Public Psychiatry Fellowship program.
• Clinical adjunct faculty appointment with UIHC may be available. This appointment would include access to numerous virtual learning opportunities, like grand rounds, continuing education credits, and online access to numerous clinical databases, journal articles, and electronic books.
• Additional collegial engagement and support opportunities are available through the HHS Clinical Director and coordination with clinical leads across HHS' state-operated facilities. When a long-term team member was asked "why did you choose a career at IMHI," the team member stated, "It really is the work that has kept me here. The work is rewarding. The patients are the most difficult to treat and most expensive.
  
  We are the final stop for getting cutting edge psychiatric treatment."

Applicants will be required to complete a background check to be considered for this position. Working for the State of Iowa comes with its perks. In addition to a competitive salary, you'll enjoy a comprehensive…