Child and Family Therapist
Sea Mar
Child and Family Therapist
Sea Mar
Nonprofit community health & housing services
Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position:
Sea Mar is a mandatory COVID-19 and flu vaccine organization
Position Summary
The Child and Family Therapist provides diagnostic assessments, referrals for psychiatric services, case
management in coordination with other teams or parties involved in the treatment of children and
families. In addition, the Child and Family Therapist provides evidence-based individual and family
counseling, crisis stabilization, suicide risk assessment, treatment plans, and leads groups in office,
school, and/or community settings. They may also assist the Program Manager in program development,
policy and procedure development, compliance with WACs and RCWs, and other administrative tasks,
as directed. This job description does not suggest or imply that these are the only duties to be
performed by this employee. The person in this position will be required to follow other instructions
and to perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
Duties and Responsibilities
As a mission-driven organization, the core values of, and the services offered at Sea Mar are based on
the belief that everyone deserves to be respectfully treated in a way that preserves dignity and enhances
self-worth. Sea Mar is an advocate for its clients and aims to achieve industry-leading, client-centered,
culturally-aware services.
Sea Mar employees serve as an extension of this mission and demonstrate their commitment to an
excellent client experience by:
• Understanding and empathizing with client needs
• Surpassing client expectations
• Demonstrating a high level of integrity
• Exhibiting compassion and commitment
• Advocating for social justice
• Taking pride in individual work as well as that of the team
• Continually learning to stay current with industry standards, best practices and technology
As a Sea Mar employee, the individual in this position commits to adherence to these values to their
utmost ability and endeavors to strengthen and embody this mission daily.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be
assigned.
ADMINISTRATIVE
• Assists in insuring agency compliance with WAC's, RCW's, and other pertinent laws,
regulations, and contracts.
• Assists in developing and implementing policies and procedures as directed by the Program
Director.
• Educates staff regarding the process for mental health service referrals and regarding "psycho
educational topics” (suicide risk assessment, behavior modification, etc.) as directed by the
Program Manager.
• Maintains documentation of mental health services, and follow through in patient charts.
CLINICAL DUTIES
• Provide developmentally and culturally appropriate formal and informal diagnostic assessments
for each patient during the program. Document outcomes, justify diagnoses, and communicate
with the collaborative partners regarding outcomes and recommendations. It is suggested that
this individual communicate with the Primary Care Physicians, Substance Abuse Counselors,
schools, case workers, or others involved in the care of the patient.
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the
patients served, specifically children and families.
• Provide information about assessments and involve family members as active participants in the
assessment process and in treatment planning, where appropriate.
• Collaborate with other professionals in conducting family-centered assessments and treatment
planning, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span.
• Able to identify and categorize each patient’s age-specific grouping of needs, such as those for
infant, adolescent, adult or geriatric patients.
• Refer patients to psychiatric and medication management services as appropriate. Gather
record materials and background information as needed by the community mental health center
(See Policies and Procedures). Actively collaborate with the psychiatric service provider to
insure accuracy of presentation and that identified needs are addressed. Provide monitoring
regarding the effects of medications, and feedback to the psychiatrist regarding effects/side
effects.
• Provide individual and/or family counseling, in coordination with other system as needed.
• Provide suicide risk assessment and develop treatment plans to address suicidal ideation or
gestures. Use case management as needed to provide follow through and build community
support as follow through. Provide other crisis stabilization as needed.
• Gather information regarding past mental health services to be used in the individual’s treatment
plan development. Provide mental health services referrals to patients prior to or following
admission, and exchange information with outside service providers.
• Support other staff regarding mental health needs of staff or patients. Maintain confidentiality,
prevent splitting between staff and patients, and offer concrete ideas on handling challenging
situations.
PRODUCTIVITY STANDARD
Produce a minimum of 80 encounters that will equal at least 80 hours of face-to-face contact.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions.
• An understanding of the Behavioral Health Organization, County, and/or MCO contracts with
the ability to tier clients in a managed care system. The ability to work effectively with all
persons and groups with an open mind towards cultural differences and knowledge of cultures.
• The ability to accurately diagnose mental health issues and develop treatment plans based upon
diagnoses. The ability to NOT diagnose behavioral problems as mental illnesses unless
appropriate.
• An understanding of chemical dependency treatment and an ability to coordinate mental health
services with chemical dependency treatment providers if necessary.
• Must complete an annual clinical competency test as a mental health therapist.
• The Child and Family Therapist must sign a permanent oath of confidentiality covering all patient
related information.
• This person must pass a Washington State Patrol background check and an Out of State
background check, as appropriate.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance
instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers,
common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
REASONING ABILITY
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations
where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Education and Experience, Certificates, Licenses, Registrations, and Medical Screening
EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE
• A Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in psychology, counseling, or social
work which includes course-work in psychological diagnostics.
• Must meet criteria of a Mental Health Professional (MHP). Must possess a Child Mental Health
Specialist credential or be working towards credential.
• Must hold and maintain an active Washington State Agency Affiliated Counselor License (may be
pending for up to 90 days if applied for within 7 days of being offered employment) or mental
health Associate License (includes Marriage and Family Therapist, Mental Health Counselor, and
Clinical Social Worker).
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
• Must have and maintain a current CPR certification. If not active at time of hire, must obtain
within 90 days of hire.
• Must take a TB test annually and at time of hire.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee
encounters while performing the essential functions of this job, including work within office, school and
community settings. Counselors are required to commute between clinics and schools to which they
are assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform
the essential functions.
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to
successfully perform the essential functions of this job, while working in an office setting as well as
school and community settings. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger,
handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to
stand, walk, and sit. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch,
or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or
move up to 50 pounds. The employee may be required to travel to, and between, office, school and
community settings to perform duties. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision,
distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
What We Offer:
Sea Mar offers talented and motivated people the opportunity to work in a dynamic and growing community health organization. Working at Sea Mar Community Health Centers is more than just a job, it’s a fulfilling career with opportunity for advancement. The fringe benefits surpass most companies. For example, Full-time employees working 30 hours or more, receive an excellent benefit package of:
Sea Mar is an equal opportunity employer.
Please visit our website to learn more about us at www.seamar.org. You may also apply thru our Career page at this link.
Sea Mar is a nonprofit community health system based in Washington state, operating more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics across the state. It also provides affordable housing, community education, and social services, serving all residents regardless of ability to pay or immigration status. What sets Sea Mar apart is its focus on Latino and other diverse communities through bilingual, sliding-fee-scale care. The goal is to expand access to comprehensive, affordable health and human services statewide.
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