Senior Forensic Clinician - Behavioral Sciences Campus

UTHealth Houston's Behavioral Sciences Campus is hiring a full-time Senior Forensic Clinician! This role will support our competency restoration program, working with individuals diagnosed with mental illness and intellectual disabilities who have been found incompetent to stand trial by a court.

Our competency restoration program operates as a single integration across six units serving 29 counties. While units may operate under different contracts, budgets, goals, and processes, we work collaboratively to deliver comprehensive competency restoration services. Clinicians may work across any unit as program needs require, contributing to a coordinated, system-wide approach to forensic competency restoration care.

The Senior Forensic Clinician will provide professional case management and clinical therapeutic services focused on overseeing the care of the patient including, but not limited to: legal education utilizing an evidenced-based curriculum in group and individual sessions; psychosocial therapy to teach skills to manage mental illness and interact effectively with their attorney; working with a multidisciplinary treatment team to address barriers to competency. The ideal candidate will have experience with inpatient, crisis management, and/or forensic services, serving high-acuity patient needs.

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

Once you join us you won't want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year)
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue!
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service)
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan!

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as...

• Free financial and legal counseling
• Free mental health counseling services
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs
• Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc.
• Resources for child and elder care
• Plus many more!

Position Summary:

Provides professional case management and clinical therapeutic services in an acute care psychiatric hospital focused on overseeing the care of patients from admissions through discharge.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Provides indirect services to patients. Acts as an advocate for the patient/family with the treatment team.
• Provides direct services to patients including: biopsychosocial/psychosocial assessment, discharge planning, and treatment that includes: individual, group and family therapy, crisis intervention and treatment planning.
• Provides oversight of patient's care, progress in treatment, and progress toward discharge in order to prevent both the over-utilization and the under-utilization of inpatient treatment services. This is accomplished through feedback to and from the patient, significant others, the treatment team, and UR and community resources.
• Works with a multidisciplinary treatment team to develop an individualized treatment, and a discharge plan that enables patients to quickly return to outpatient treatment programs. Works closely with physicians in identifying diagnoses to assist in the treatment process. Develops a discharge plan that will support patient's ongoing recovery and development.
• Assesses the psychosocial functioning of patients at admission and throughout the treatment program; conducts interviews with patients and significant others to determine assets as well as challenges to optimal patient functioning both while in the program and upon discharge to a lesser restrictive level of care.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with community resources to assist patients medical needs at discharge for on-going treatment, residence, financial support, transportation, education, and vocational rehabilitation.
• Refers patients and family to community resources.
• Applies for court ordered mental health services for patients unable or unwilling to consent to treatment deemed necessary to protect the life of the patient or others. Presents to the Probate Court, both in writing and in oral testimony, reports of the specific patients behaviors prompting the request for involuntary admissions for services.
• Provides training to staff and supervision of students and incumbents in the Clinician I position.
• Provides consultation within department regarding subject matter expertise (i.e., discharge planning, etc.)
• Participates in community outreach activities such as speaker boards. Serves on committees as appointed by the Director, Social Services.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Certification/Skills:

Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) by State of Texas required or

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) by State of Texas required or

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) by Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors required

Minimum Education:

Master's Degree in a behavioral science required

Minimum Experience:

2 years of experience in a mental health setting required

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds frequently and/or up to 10 pounds constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.215 and Texas Government Code §411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code §117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. §791.4.

Veteran Information:

Military occupations that relate to the initial selection criteria and registration or licensure requirements for this position may include but are not limited to: 0925, 46N1D, 46N1E, 46N1F, 46N1G, 46N1J, 46N1R, 46N3D, 46N3E, 46N3F, 46N3G, 46N3,46N3J, 46N3R, 46N4D, 46N4E, 46N4F, 46N4G, 46N4J, 46N4R, 46NXD, 46NXE, 46NXF, 46NXG, 46NXJ, 46NXR, 46NX.

For a complete list please visitwww.uthealth-veterans.jobs.

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.