Counselor, Senior - SOM MPRC Outpatient

The Senior Counselor will work collaboratively with youth and young adults and their families to promote recovery, reduce the impact of psychosis, and support successful functioning across home, school, work, relationships, and the community. The position emphasizes early intervention, treatment engagement, family involvement, shared decision-making, and coordination with educational, vocational, social, and community systems.

Responsibilities
- Conduct comprehensive psychosocial intakes, clinical and risk assessments, and develop individualized treatment, recovery, and crisis plans.

- Provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy, psychoeducation, supportive counseling, and case management services.

- Develop, implement, and evaluate individualized treatment plans using recovery-oriented and evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-P) and Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R).

- Establish strong therapeutic relationships and promote engagement and retention in treatment, particularly during the early stages of psychosis.

- Provide developmentally appropriate clinical services to adolescents and young adults and adapt interventions to individual developmental, cognitive, communication, and learning needs.

- Provide education, support, and guidance to family members and caregivers and incorporate family perspectives and goals into treatment and recovery planning.

- Collaborate with schools, educators, school-based providers, and other educational systems to support students' functioning and access to appropriate services and accommodations, including 504 Plans and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

- Connect individuals and families with educational, vocational, social, healthcare, and other community resources to support recovery and functional outcomes.

- Collaborate with psychiatrists, nurses, peer specialists, case managers, vocational/educational specialists, researchers, and other members of the multidisciplinary team.

- Participate in multidisciplinary treatment planning, clinical consultation, crisis intervention, outreach, and follow-up.

- Monitor clinical progress, treatment engagement, safety, and functional outcomes and modify interventions as clinically indicated.

- Maintain timely, accurate, and comprehensive clinical documentation in accordance with program, institutional, and regulatory requirements.

- Participate in chart review, quality-improvement initiatives, program evaluation, and other activities designed to enhance the quality and effectiveness of clinical services.

- Support research integration by administering structured and standardized measures, supporting data collection, and coordinating with research staff regarding recruitment. Research consent will be obtained by non-treating study personnel. Contribute to program outreach, education, and community engagement activities related to early psychosis and serious mental illness, as appropriate.

- Provide training, mentorship, clinical consultation, and guidance to staff and trainees; assist with work coordination and contribute to clinical program development, evaluation, and implementation.

Qualifications
Education: Master's degree in social work or psychology.
Preferred Experience: One (1) year of post-licensure (LCSW, LCSW-C, or LCPC) experience in related area of treatment including responsibility for training, work coordination, and monitoring the work of others.
Licensure: State of Maryland licensure as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW), or Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical (LCSW-C)

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

- Clinical experience working with adolescents and young adults, particularly youth ages 12 and older experiencing first-episode psychosis, psychosis-spectrum disorders, or other serious mental health conditions.

- Experience in a Coordinated Specialty Care, early psychosis, community mental health, or other multidisciplinary behavioral health program.

- Experience collaborating with schools, educators, and school-based providers, including familiarity with 504 Plans, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and educational accommodations.

- Experience providing individual, group, and/or family psychotherapy to individuals experiencing psychosis or serious mental illness.

- Experience with family engagement and family psychoeducation.

- Training or supervised clinical experience working with clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including individuals with co-occurring ASD and psychosis.

- Familiarity with adapting cognitive behavioral and other evidence-based approaches to accommodate differences in language processing, abstract reasoning, communication, and sensory needs.

- Knowledge of the diagnostic overlap between autistic social-communication differences and negative symptoms of psychosis, including the importance of careful differential assessment.

- Training or experience in evidence-based interventions for psychosis, including CBT-P, CT-R, or other recovery-oriented approaches.

- Experience supporting educational, vocational, social, and community functioning among adolescents and young adults.

- Strong clinical assessment, risk assessment, crisis intervention, and care coordination skills.

- Experience working collaboratively within multidisciplinary clinical teams.

- Experience with standardized clinical assessments, outcome measures, or research-integrated clinical care.

- Demonstrated commitment to recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and person-centered care.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to engage effectively with youth, young adults, and their families.

- Ability to demonstrate, understand, apply, and adhere to the UMB Core Values of Respect and Integrity, Well-being and Sustainability, Equity and Justice, and Innovation and Discovery.