Licensed Professional Counselor I

Job Description:\n\nPosition Summary MaDorCARE is seeking a compassionate, dependable, and clinically skilled Licensed Professional Counselor I to provide behavioral health assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, psychotherapy, crisis intervention, and care coordination services to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. The Licensed Professional Counselor I provides person-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and recovery-oriented clinical services to individuals experiencing emotional, behavioral, mental health, psychosocial, or co-occurring challenges. This position represents the first level within maDorCARE’s Licensed Professional Counselor career structure. The clinician will manage an assigned caseload, provide individual, family, and group counseling, maintain accurate and timely clinical documentation, collaborate with interdisciplinary professionals, and contribute to maDorCARE’s clinical quality and client-satisfaction goals. The Licensed Professional Counselor I must provide all services within the boundaries of the clinician’s license, education, training, experience, demonstrated competence, professional ethics, and MaDorCARE policies. Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesClinical Assessment and DiagnosisConduct comprehensive clinical interviews and biopsychosocial assessments.Complete mental-status examinations, diagnostic evaluations, risk assessments, and functional-needs assessments.Evaluate clients’ emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, developmental, environmental, and psychological needs.Assess clients for depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, behavioral concerns, family conflict, serious mental illness, substance-use concerns, and co-occurring conditions.Formulate clinical diagnoses using current diagnostic criteria and accepted professional standards.Identify client strengths, protective factors, natural supports, treatment barriers, and immediate safety concerns.Determine whether the client’s clinical needs are appropriate for MaDorCARE’s available services.Refer clients to psychiatric, psychological, medical, substance-use, developmental, or higher-level services when clinically indicated.Consult with clinical leadership when a case exceeds the counselor’s competence, experience, or authorized scope of practice. Treatment Planning and CounselingDevelop individualized, measurable, and person-centered treatment plans in collaboration with clients, families, legally authorized representatives, and treatment-team members.Establish treatment goals and interventions based on the client’s diagnosis, presenting concerns, functional needs, preferences, strengths, and cultural background.Review and update treatment plans according to client progress, clinical needs, service-authorizations, and organizational requirements.Provide evidence-informed individual, family, couples, and group counseling within the clinician’s demonstrated competence.Use counseling approaches appropriate to the client’s age, diagnosis, treatment needs, abilities, culture, preferences, and goals.Provide therapeutic interventions addressing emotional regulation, coping skills, trauma responses, interpersonal relationships, behavioral challenges, grief, stress, adjustment concerns, and other mental health needs.Educate clients and families regarding diagnoses, symptoms, treatment options, coping strategies, and available community resources.Monitor treatment effectiveness and modify interventions when clinically indicated.Promote client engagement, self-determination, resilience, recovery, independence, and improved functioning.Develop transition, discharge, aftercare, and relapse-prevention plans.Follow up on missed appointments, treatment barriers, and interruptions in care according to MaDorCARE procedures. Crisis Intervention and Client SafetyConduct suicide, self-harm, violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other clinical risk assessments.Evaluate the severity and immediacy of identified safety concerns.Develop collaborative safety plans with clients, families, and other authorized individuals.Provide crisis intervention, stabilization, and de-escalation within the clinician’s training and scope of practice.Determine when emergency evaluation, hospitalization, mobile crisis intervention, law-enforcement assistance, or a higher level of care may be necessary.Immediately report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or other mandatory-reporting concerns according to applicable requirements.Follow MaDorCARE protocols for responding to suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, self-harm, threats of violence, and psychiatric emergencies.Consult promptly with clinical leadership regarding high-risk, complex, or rapidly changing client situations.Complete incident reports, safety documentation, and crisis notes accurately and within required timeframes.Participate in post-crisis follow-up and continuity-of-care planning. Care Coordination and Client AdvocacyCollaborate with psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors, case managers, schools, hospitals, child-welfare agencies, probation departments, and other authorized professionals.Participate in interdisciplinary treatment-team meetings, case consultations, discharge-planning meetings, and care-coordination activities.Coordinate referrals for psychiatric, psychological, medical, substance-use, educational, housing, employment, transportation, and community-support services.Assist clients and families in identifying and overcoming barriers to treatment.Advocate for clients’ clinical and psychosocial needs while respecting informed choice, dignity, privacy, and self-determination.Obtain appropriate authorizations and releases before communicating protected client information.Support continuity of care during hospitalization, provider transitions, placement changes, or discharge.Communicate significant changes in client condition, risk, functioning, or treatment participation to appropriate team members. Clinical Documentation and ComplianceComplete assessments, progress notes, treatment plans, treatment-plan reviews, discharge summaries, safety plans, incident reports, and other clinical records accurately and promptly.Document the service provided, clinical interventions used, client response, progress toward treatment goals, risk status, and plan for continued care.Ensure documentation supports medical necessity, service authorization, billing, utilization review, and continuity of care.Maintain complete, accurate, organized, and confidential electronic health records.Complete documentation within maDorCARE’s established timelines.Correct documentation deficiencies within required deadlines.Monitor service authorizations and communicate potential service interruptions or authorization concerns promptly.Comply with maDorCARE policies, payer requirements, professional ethical standards, and applicable federal and Texas requirements.Maintain client privacy and confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and other applicable privacy requirements.Participate in documentation audits, utilization reviews, quality reviews, compliance activities, and corrective-action processes.Report suspected fraud, waste, abuse, ethical violations, privacy breaches, safety concerns, and compliance issues promptly. Professional Collaboration and DevelopmentParticipate in clinical consultations, case reviews, treatment-team meetings, staff meetings, training, and professional-development activities.Seek consultation regarding complex diagnoses, high-risk cases, ethical concerns, treatment barriers, and unfamiliar clinical situations.Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with clients, families, coworkers, and community partners.Demonstrate respectful, ethical, and professional conduct in all interactions.Work collaboratively with clinical, administrative, and community-based team members.Contribute to a supportive, inclusive, and client-centered workplace.Assist with developing clinical resources, treatment protocols, educational materials, and group curricula when assigned.Support maDorCARE’s quality-improvement, client-engagement, and program-development initiatives.Provide clinical guidance to unlicensed or paraprofessional staff when assigned and permitted.Maintain current knowledge of behavioral health practices, clinical documentation standards, professional ethics, and regulatory requirements.Perform other clinically appropriate duties consistent with the position’s qualifications and scope of practice. Minimum QualificationsMaster’s or doctoral degree in counseling or a qualifying counseling-related field from an accredited educational institution.Current and unrestricted Texas Licensed Professional Counselor license.License must be active and in good standing at the time of employment and throughout employment with maDorCARE.Knowledge of clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, counseling, crisis intervention, and care coordination.Knowledge of trauma-informed, person-centered, recovery-oriented, and culturally responsive practices.Ability to conduct clinical and safety-risk assessments.Ability to establish and maintain an effective therapeutic relationship with clients and families.Strong clinical-reasoning, interpersonal, verbal, written, organizational, and documentation skills.Ability to manage an assigned caseload and complete documentation within established deadlines.Ability to use electronic health records, approved telehealth platforms, email, and standard office software.Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with an interdisciplinary team.Ability to maintain client confidentiality, professional boundaries, and ethical standards.Successful completion of all required credentialing, criminal-history, registry, and employment-background checks. Preferred QualificationsOne or more years of experience providing post-licensure behavioral health counseling.Experience providing counseling to children, adolescents, adults, couples, or families.Experience working with serious mental illness, severe emotional disturbance, trauma, substance-use disorders, developmental concerns, or co-occurring conditions.Experience in outpatient behavioral health, community mental health, crisis services, healthcare, residential treatment, schools, or social-service settings.Experience providing Medicaid-funded or managed-care behavioral health services.Experience completing diagnostic assessments, treatment plans, and medical-necessity documentation.Experience providing community-based or telehealth counseling.Bilingual or multilingual communication skills.Training or certification in one or more of the following approaches:Cognitive Behavioral TherapyDialectical Behavior TherapyTrauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused Brief TherapyAcceptance and Commitment TherapyPlay therapyFamily-systems interventionsCrisis de-escalationSuicide assessment and preventionTexas LPC-Supervisor designation, when applicable and desired by MaDorCARE. Core Competencies The successful candidate should demonstrate competency in:Clinical interviewingBiopsychosocial assessmentMental-status examinationsClinical diagnosisRisk and safety assessmentPerson-centered treatment planningIndividual, family, couples, and group counselingCrisis intervention and de-escalationTrauma-informed careCultural responsivenessTherapeutic engagementCare coordination and client advocacyClinical documentationMedical-necessity determinationEthical decision-makingProfessional boundariesConfidentiality and privacyCaseload and time managementInterdisciplinary collaborationClient and family communication Caseload and Productivity Expectations The Licensed Professional Counselor I is expected to:Maintain an assigned caseload based on program needs, client acuity, and available clinical resources.Meet established clinical-service and productivity expectations without compromising service quality, ethics, or client safety.Complete clinical documentation within MaDorCARE’s established timeframes.Maintain consistent client engagement and follow up appropriately on missed or canceled appointments.Monitor treatment-plan due dates, service authorizations, and discharge-planning needs.Participate in caseload reviews and address identified treatment barriers.Maintain professional attendance, reliability, responsiveness, and communication.Notify leadership promptly when caseload conditions could affect service quality or client safety. Specific caseload, scheduling, and productivity expectations will be communicated by program leadership and may vary according to client population, clinical acuity, service setting, payer requirements, and program needs. Scheduling and Transportation RequirementsAbility to work the schedule established for the assigned program.Some evening, weekend, holiday, or on-call availability may be required based on program needs.Ability to provide services in office, community, home, school, or approved telehealth settings.Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record when community travel is required.Reliable transportation and current automobile insurance when using a personal vehicle for work-related travel.Ability to travel throughout the assigned service area. Physical and Environmental Requirements The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. The position may require:Prolonged sitting and computer use.Standing, walking, bending, and carrying clinical materials.Driving between service locations.Entering client homes, schools, healthcare facilities, and community environments.Responding calmly and professionally during emotionally intense or crisis situations.Working in environments with varying noise levels, accessibility conditions, and safety considerations. Clinical Authority and Scope of Practice The Licensed Professional Counselor I must practice within the limits of the clinician’s license, education, training, experience, demonstrated competence, professional ethics, MaDorCARE policies, and applicable requirements. The clinician must:Provide only those counseling services for which the clinician is appropriately qualified and competent.Refer clients to another professional when services exceed the clinician’s competence, experience, or scope of practice.Obtain consultation regarding complex, high-risk, unfamiliar, or ethically challenging situations.Avoid dual relationships, exploitation, conflicts of interest, and inappropriate boundary crossings.Maintain accurate professional credentials and immediately report any restriction, investigation, disciplinary action, expiration, or change in licensure status.Refrain from providing services while impaired or otherwise unable to practice safely and competently.Maintain all continuing-education and license-renewal requirements. Performance Evaluation Performance wil