at Affiliates in Counseling PLLC in Northbrook, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Use assessments, intake information and presenting symptoms to correctly diagnose patients with fitting mental health
disorders. Use diagnosis to create and document treatment plan. Treatment plan should include goals, specific and measurable
objectives, discharge criteria and planning and frequency of recommended treatment. Conduct intake sessions with patient and
family (if under 18). Use semi - structured interviews, behavioral reports, assessment tools, scales and psychological evaluations
to evaluate patients presenting symptoms. Collaborate with other mental health professionals that form the patient’s
collaborative team (psychiatrists, school counselors, neuropsychologists) to effectively assess symptoms, functioning and needs
of the patient. Determine the frequency of sessions appropriate to treat patients. Build rapport and trust with patients, and be
able to effectively use counseling micro skills to interpret body language and nonverbal communication of patients. Conduct
sessions using modalities of counseling like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative therapy, Mindfulness based therapy,
Internal Family systems. Use techniques and strategies like exposure therapy, cognitive restructuring, systematic exploration of
emotional patterns, role play/behavior restructuring, mindfulness and breathing techniques etc. to manage symptoms of
diagnosed disorder and support patients’ functioning. Provide psychoeducation to patients to help them better understand
diagnosis, therapeutic information and support systems. Address substance abuse, problems around marriage, relationships and
family, treating specialized populations (children, older adults) as well as provide treatment while proving cultural competence.
Conduct risk assessment of self-harm, suicidality and homicidality with every client. Formulate robust safety plans, using
sensory grounding intervention techniques to mitigate. Manage clients in distress, use de-escalation techniques to stabilize
patients and reduce chances of harm to self and others. Attend weekly consultation groups and individual supervision. Attend
group consultation groups where diagnosis of client cases, intervention techniques and strategies are discussed. Document every
clinical session conducted with patients in a comprehensive manner including: mental status report, risk assessment, symptom
description, and subjective and objective reports of the session, the clinical interpretation of the session, details of interventions
used, treatment plan progress and plan, and recommendations for future treatment.
