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Kaiser Permanente

Integrated healthcare provider and payer platform

Licensed Masters Mental Health Professional

Full-Time
No salary listed
Mid
Master's
Sacramento, CA, USA
In Person
Medical, Clinical & VeterinaryMental & Behavioral Health

About the job

Requirements
  • A master's degree in Social Work, Social Welfare from a clinical track, Clinical or Counseling Psychology, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
  • A California Licensed Clinical Social Worker, California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or California Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor; a California Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Couples and Families Endorsement is required within 24 months of hire for the counselor pathway.
  • A National Provider Identifier is required at hire.
  • Familiarity with DSM-V as a means of diagnosis.
  • Experience assessing, diagnosing, and treating a broad range of psychiatric conditions.
  • Knowledge of social service agencies, state regulations, and professional board standards related to member treatment, patient rights, and confidentiality.
  • Knowledge of evidence-based practice and psychotherapy research methods.
  • Knowledge of the biopsychosocial functions that contribute to mental health.
  • Accuracy in diagnosing patients and developing effective treatment plans.
  • Competence in individual, family, and group psychotherapy.
  • Professional maturity and ethical integrity necessary for assuming professional responsibilities.
  • Ability to complete multiple tasks and objectives in a timely manner.
  • Ability to work in a Labor/Management Partnership environment.
Responsibilities
  • Provide mental health assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and crisis intervention services to adult and/or child members with a broad range of mental health needs.
  • Collaborate with treating physicians, psychiatric professionals, and allied health professionals to plan and direct individual member treatment programs.
  • Develop, implement, coordinate, and evaluate clinical treatment programs for diagnosing, treating, and referring health plan members with acute or chronic mental illness.
  • Participate in staff conferences to select, plan, and evaluate treatment programs.
  • Provide outpatient psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families, and groups.
  • Instruct and counsel patients and their families about compliance with therapeutic and medication regimens within the scope of practice.
  • Administer specialized therapeutic procedures when appropriate and provide support to members' families.
  • Develop and conduct psychoeducational classes and groups when appropriate.
  • Prepare intake summaries, treatment plans, and case summaries, and maintain confidential records.
  • Document members' treatment and progress in accordance with state and NCQA regulations and accepted community standards.
  • Participate in the department on-call rotation if required.
  • Collaborate with physicians in screening and evaluating patients for psychotropic medications within the scope of practice.
  • Use public and private agencies and community organizations to meet members' treatment needs.
  • Develop, implement, and evaluate behavioral medicine and health psychology programs in settings including primary care, when appropriate.
  • Consult with other care providers and health educators on mental health, health psychology, and behavioral medicine.
  • Supervise Post-Masters Fellows, Associate Clinical Social Workers, Associate Marriage and Family Therapists, or Associate Professional Clinical Counselors when needed and if the supervision course is completed.
  • At members' request, explain treatment to their families, provide instructions on supporting treatment, and use interventions to increase acceptance of and adherence to treatment.
  • Refer members and/or their families to external resources when appropriate.
  • Participate in departmental program development, implementation, and evaluation.
  • Report safety concerns to mandated reporting agencies.
Desired Qualifications
  • Previous post-license experience as a member of a psychiatric treatment team in an outpatient or inpatient setting or program under licensed supervision.
  • Previous clinical responsibility including crisis intervention and individual and group psychotherapy.
  • Demonstrated professional maturity and ethical integrity necessary for assuming professional responsibilities.
  • Demonstrated commitment to quality of service, teamwork, and participation in a highly interactive multidisciplinary clinic.
  • Demonstrated ability to complete multiple tasks and objectives in a timely manner.
  • Accuracy in diagnosing patients and developing effective treatment plans.
  • Competence in individual, family, and group psychotherapy.

About the company

Kaiser Permanente runs an integrated healthcare platform that lets members manage and pay medical, premium, and pharmacy bills online. It serves Medicare Advantage, Individual and Family, and non-employer plans, offering options to pay as a guest or set up payment plans. The platform works by presenting a centralized online portal where users can view bills, choose how to pay, and handle multiple types of charges in one place. Revenue comes from premiums and medical services fees, while the service aims to reduce administrative work for both providers and patients and encourage on-time payments. What sets Kaiser Permanente apart is its combination of healthcare services with a single billing experience across multiple plan types, focusing on a user-friendly, centralized payment process rather than handling billing through separate systems. Its goal is to provide a straightforward, reliable way for members to manage and pay their bills, improving convenience and payment timeliness.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$7.5M

Headquarters

Oakland, California

Founded

1945

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Kaiser opens Everett urgent care in 2027, extending access after its 2025 expansion.
  • West Los Angeles College launched an LVN program backed by Kaiser grants in 2023 and 2025.
  • Kaiser added five Everett primary care doctors in 2026, strengthening local member retention.

What critics are saying

  • On September 21, 2026, Kaiser filed 147 California layoffs, effective November 20.
  • Colorado union local sued on September 30, 2026 over admissions jobs moving to Georgia.
  • Northern California mental health clinicians still lack a new contract after 34 bargaining sessions.

What makes Kaiser Permanente unique

  • Kaiser Permanente combines insurance, hospitals, and physician groups inside one delivery system.
  • Its integrated model anchors billing, care coordination, and pharmacy payment across one member experience.
  • Massive California footprint and 180,000 workers give Kaiser unmatched local provider density.

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Benefits

  • Professional Development Budget

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

2%

1 year growth

3%

2 year growth

3%
DistilInfo
Oct 16th, 2026
Kaiser tops U.S. News' best Medicare Advantage list.

Kaiser tops U.S. News' best Medicare Advantage list. Kaiser Permanente leads the 2027 list of best Medicare Advantage companies from U.S. News & World Report, with an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Aetna and Devoted Health round out the top tier, each rated 3.8, according to the ratings published Oct. 14. The ratings matter because they arrive at the start of Medicare's annual open enrollment, which runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, when beneficiaries compare plans. They also offer a second, independently weighted view of insurer quality alongside CMS's Star Ratings released earlier in October. The best Medicare Advantage companies for 2027. U.S. News named five companies as best overall for Medicare Advantage: * Kaiser Permanente: 4.4 * UnitedHealthcare: 3.8 * Humana: 3.8 * Aetna: 3.8 * Devoted Health: 3.8 Three of the five, Aetna, Devoted Health and UnitedHealth Group, were also named best Medicare Advantage companies in the 2026 edition, according to U.S. News' 2026 announcement. Kaiser Permanente and Humana are new to the top list for 2027. U.S. News also recognized top companies in three consumer-focused categories: highest satisfaction, screening and prevention, and care continuity. How U.S. News rated insurers. U.S. News rates Medicare Advantage contracts on a five-point scale, assigning its own weights to more than 30 quality measures published by CMS. Those weights do not necessarily match the ones CMS uses for Star Ratings. U.S. News then calculates an enrollment-adjusted average rating for each company. To be named among the best, a company needed an overall rating of at least 3.8 after rounding and had to serve at least 1,000 beneficiaries as of December 2025 in each of 10 or more states or territories where it still offers coverage for 2027. The ratings covered both standalone Medicare Advantage contracts and those that include Part D drug coverage. Part D leaders unchanged. For standalone prescription drug coverage, the same two companies earned best overall recognition in both 2026 and 2027. Humana scored 3.8 and Centene scored 3.5 for 2027, according to U.S. News. To qualify as a top Part D company, an insurer needed at least 1,000 Part D beneficiaries in each of at least 10 jurisdictions where it still offers 2027 coverage, and an enrollment-weighted average rating of at least 3.5 after rounding. How the ratings compare with CMS stars. The U.S. News results broadly track this year's CMS Star Ratings, which showed Humana rebounding sharply, with 95 percent of its Medicare Advantage members in plans rated 4 stars or higher, up from about 20 percent. Aetna and UnitedHealthcare saw their share of members in 4-star-or-better plans decline, though both still met U.S. News' threshold. Because U.S. News applies its own weighting and requires a presence in at least 10 states, its list highlights larger multistate carriers. Strong regional plans may appear instead in U.S. News' state-by-state rankings. Those state-level ratings recognize a wider field. In the 2026 edition, fewer than one-third of Medicare Advantage insurers nationwide earned a best insurance company designation in at least one state, according to Geisinger Health Plan, which was named a best company in Pennsylvania that year. Regional and provider-owned plans such as Geisinger's often compete closely with national carriers in their home markets even when they fall short of the 10-state requirement for the national list, giving beneficiaries more top-rated options to compare locally. What it means for beneficiaries and plans. For beneficiaries, the ratings are one input among several. Plan networks, drug formularies, premiums and out-of-pocket costs vary widely by county, and a highly rated company may not offer the best plan in a given area. For insurers, appearing among the best Medicare Advantage companies can be a marketing advantage during open enrollment. Unlike CMS Star Ratings, the U.S. News ratings do not affect federal quality bonus payments, but they shape how consumers and brokers view plan quality as enrollment decisions are made.

DistilInfo
Oct 8th, 2026
Texas launches UnitedHealth Group investigation over denials.

Texas launches UnitedHealth Group investigation over denials. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened a UnitedHealth Group investigation into allegations that the company used deceptive and unlawful practices that denied Texans medically necessary care, according to his office's Oct. 5 announcement. The office said it has issued Civil Investigative Demands to the company. The probe adds state-level legal exposure for the country's largest health insurer at a time when it is replacing several senior executives. For providers, the inquiry centers on issues they deal with directly: coverage decisions, authorization practices and the role of insurers in care decisions. [TABLE OF CONTENTS] What the UnitedHealth Group investigation covers. Paxton's office said the demands seek evidence of potential violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and other state laws. The investigation follows reports about how the company administers health benefits and makes coverage decisions, according to the announcement. Among the allegations the office cited are reports that the company gave nursing homes financial incentives to avoid or delay transferring patients to hospitals. The office is also examining whether the company's practices could amount to the unlawful corporate practice of medicine, KLBJ-AM in Austin reported. "Alarming reports keep piling up about how United treats Texas consumers," Paxton said in a statement. Paxton is also a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. The allegations have not been proven, and the investigation does not establish that the company violated the law. UnitedHealth told Austin television station KXAN it did not have a response to share. Related Texas probe and pending litigation. The inquiry is the second Paxton has announced against a major insurer in recent weeks. His office earlier opened an investigation into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and its parent, Health Care Service Corp., over procedures for denying and delaying urgent and medically necessary care and over prior authorization requirements, according to the attorney general's news releases. UnitedHealthcare also faces new private litigation. A proposed class action filed Sept. 30 in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut alleges the insurer's copay accumulator policy unlawfully stopped crediting drug manufacturer assistance toward a member's deductible and out-of-pocket limit, according to the complaint. Leadership changes at the insurer. The investigation arrives after a series of executive moves at the company in September, most of them announced by the executives on LinkedIn: * Bobby Hunter, previously CEO of government programs at UnitedHealthcare, became president of UnitedHealthcare, he said Sept. 28. * Dan Kueter, who led UnitedHealthcare's commercial business, became chief commercial officer of UnitedHealth Group. * Brandon Cuevas returned from Kaiser Permanente after three years to become CEO of UnitedHealthcare's commercial business, he said Sept. 22. * Jodee Kozlak was named the company's first chief administrative officer, effective Sept. 28, according to published reports. Hunter wrote that he will focus on accelerating the insurer's "modernization agenda" to make health care more connected and easier to navigate. Tim Noel remains CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the company told Reuters, according to Healthcare Brew. The appointments draw largely on company veterans. Hunter joined UnitedHealth Group in 2011 and held a series of Medicare roles before leading government programs, according to published reports. Cuevas spent 14 years at UnitedHealthcare before leaving for Kaiser Permanente, where he was executive vice president for its national health plan. Kueter wrote on LinkedIn that his new role involves working across UnitedHealthcare and Optum to coordinate product development and innovation. What comes next. Civil Investigative Demands are an evidence-gathering step, and the attorney general's office has not announced a lawsuit or a timeline. The company's response to the demands, and any findings from the parallel inquiry into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, will indicate how far the state intends to take its review of insurer coverage practices. The outcome of the UnitedHealth Group investigation will fall to a leadership team that has been in place for only a few weeks.

PR Newswire
Sep 30th, 2026
Dr Taejoon Ahn named CEO of Washington Permanente Medical Group, overseeing 1,200 clinicians

Washington Permanente Medical Group has appointed Taejoon Ahn, MD, MPH, as its new CEO and executive medical director, effective 30 September. Dr Ahn will lead the multispeciality medical group, which comprises over 1,200 clinicians caring for more than 550,000 Kaiser Permanente members across Washington state. Dr Ahn brings over 15 years of physician executive experience. He most recently served for 12 years as president of John Muir Medical Group. He succeeds Dorian Reid, MD, who served in an interim capacity since September 2025. WPMG is the independent, physician-owned medical group that provides care exclusively for Kaiser Permanente members in Washington. Dr Ahn will partner with regional president Cynthia Dold to continue delivering integrated care across the state.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 29th, 2026
Kaiser cuts 147 admin jobs across California offices

Kaiser Permanente is laying off 147 business and administrative employees across California in November. The cuts affect 16 locations in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and Alameda counties, with the largest reductions being 72 positions in San Diego and 20 in Pasadena. The Oakland-based non-profit said the layoffs do not include direct patient care staff and will not affect care quality. Kaiser stated it continually evaluates how it organises work to ensure high-quality care remains affordable and accessible. Affected employees will receive support to explore other opportunities within Kaiser, and where appropriate, severance packages and outplacement services. Kaiser employs approximately 180,000 people in California.

HR Trends
Sep 29th, 2026
Major players in the health, wellness and luxury spaces bring on new HR talent in September.

Major players in the health, wellness and luxury spaces bring on new HR talent in September. Healthcare and related industries remain a core driver for hiring this year, and company news releases show that extends to HR as well. Kaiser Permanente. Healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente named Shaun Smith executive vice president and chief people officer on Sept. 9, according to a news release. Smith will lead the organization's HR strategy and operations as well as lead a multiyear effort to strengthen its culture. He joins Kaiser Permanente from NewYork-Presbyterian, where he was a group senior vice president and chief people and culture officer. He will begin in the role on Oct. 12. Lyra Health. Mental healthcare benefits provider Lyra Health named Leslie Riggs CPO effective Sept. 14, the company announced Sept. 2. Riggs is especially well-suited to the role due to "her experience scaling global HR operations, her deep understanding of the connection between organizational performance and workforce wellbeing, and her commitment to our mission," Jennifer Schulz, CEO of Lyra Health, said in a news release. Riggs joined the company from Sketchers, where she led global HR. Halff. Leigh Hollis has been promoted to CPO, infrastructure consulting firm Halff announced Sept. 2. She will support the HR function in her new role while leading Halff's continued focus on project delivery and quality. She joined the firm at the Fort Worth, Texas, office in 2005 and most recently served as senior VP and an operational leader for Halff's Dallas, Frisco and Richardson offices in Texas. Ascensus. Financial services company Ascensus brought Edward Greene on board as chief human resources officer effective Sept. 14, the company announced. He will serve on the executive leadership team and lead the company's human capital strategy, talent development, organizational effectiveness and culture initiatives, Ascensus said. He previously held roles as advisor to the CEO and CHRO at Iron Mountain. He has also held past roles at Surfside Capital Advisors, Voya Financial and Fidelity Investments. Pride Industries. Pride Industries - a nonprofit organization that partners with businesses to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities - has appointed Kim Mayes senior VP and CPO, the organization announced Sept. 16. She joins from Intel Corp., where she was most recently VP of HR. Mayes brings "a deep commitment to building engaged workplaces," Craig Levra, CEO of Pride, said in a news release. She will focus on driving growth, employee engagement and organizational performance. Exemplar Luxury Group. Gretchen Koback Pursel is CPO for Exemplar Luxury Group - a luxury collective that includes the brands Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman - effective Monday, according to a news release from the group. She brings a background in the luxury retail, beauty and wellness industries, previously holding CPO roles at Tiffany & Co., The Wella Co. and, most recently, Equinox. Koback Pursel will develop and lead a people strategy that "fosters a culture of performance," according to Exemplar.