MFT Trainee

Who We Are:

Pacific Clinics is California's largest community-based nonprofit provider of behavioral and mental health services and supports. Its team of more than 2,000 employees speak 22 languages and are dedicated to offering hope and unlocking the full potential of individuals and families through culturally-responsive, trauma-informed, research-based services for individuals and families from birth to older adults. The agency offers services in 18 counties including Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Stockton, Tulare and Ventura.

Who We Serve:

Pacific Clinics serves children, transitional age youth, families, adults, and older adults. We offer a full range of mental and behavioral health services, foster care and social services, housing, continuing adult education and early childhood education programs to Medi-Cal eligible individuals and families. Our diverse staff provides culturally and linguistically relevant services in over 22 languages to our region’s culturally and ethnically diverse populations. We provide services in 18 counties across California.

About the Internship Program:

Paid Internship: $21.00 per hour

The Pacific Clinics Internship/Trainee Program provides experiential training from a broad, generalist perspective with the goal of developing Trainees’ basic competency to provide mental health services in community-based settings.

The Internship over the past several years has moved toward a model of evidence-based psychotherapy practice, that includes elements of the disciplined inquiry and local clinical scientific models. Over the year the Interns solidify their theoretical formulations and learn to examine the applicability of empirically supported treatments to the local multicultural target populations served by the agency. Interns are challenged and trained in critical thinking and observation skills. They learn to focus their interventions, while examining the assumptions and limitations of those interventions with our diverse consumers so they can articulate a range of practices, including empirically supported therapy strategies that might address the problems they encounter.

Accordingly, Trainees need to develop a range of skills, attitudes, ethics, values, sensitivities, and compassion that will make them useful and protective of the people they serve in our community.

The MFT Practicum program is a ten-month to one-year long (20-hour/week) training program. It aims to provide trainees with clinical, team oriented, real-world experience. Trainees are assigned a variety of clients to provide individual, family and group therapy. Supervision includes individual, triadic and group models, building on strengths, support and constructive supervision and training. In addition, Trainees are provided intensive and therapeutic, model-specific trainings on a weekly and monthly basis, including Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) trainings.

TRAINEES WILL LEARN AND BE EXPOSED TO:

• A wide variety of pathologies from our socio-economically diverse and multi-cultural population.
• The trainee will experience various treatment modalities that could include traditional individual psychotherapy, family therapy, social skills training as well as Evidence- Based- Treatment (EBP) such as Seeking Safety or Aggression Replacement Training (ART).
• Case assignments that match the training needs, interests, and competency level of the trainee.
• A broad training experience of supervision, case conferences, and a multidisciplinary team treatment approach provides an excellent atmosphere for skill development and professional growth.
• Supervisors have a variety of theoretical orientations including cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and trans-theoretical. The agency follows a psychosocial rehabilitation model for recovery.
• There are opportunities for one-to-one intakes, psycho-educational groups, child and adolescent groups, social skills groups, and individual/family/group therapy.
• The trainees attend weekly training and seminars that are available through the Pacific Clinics Training Institute on a wide variety of topics.

TRAINEESHIP PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supervisors complete and sign the BBS’s “MFT Responsibility Statement” before gaining supervised experience and keep this form for their records.
• Maintain the BBS’s “Weekly Summary of Hours of Experience” log of all hours of experience gained toward licensure.
• Ensure and monitor that direct client contact should be 40% of total clinical hours, as outlined by the graduate institutions’ requirements for clinical hours.
• Evaluate the clinical site experience and submit mid-year and end of year evaluations.
• Actively participate in weekly group and individual supervision or triadic supervision as indicated
• Trainees are required to audiotape or videotape at least 2 times per evaluation period for review in individual/group supervision.
• Trainees will develop in the core educational outcomes outlined in their Four Way Clinical Agreement.

SERVICE DELIVERY RESPONSIBITLIES:

• Conducts family-centered, strengths-based, culturally competent individualized intakes/assessments, gathering information from family, consumers, significant others and involved agencies in the office or in the field as appropriate, which includes gathering information regarding consumer’s healthcare, substance abuse, co-occurring disorders, employment or housing, as appropriate, for treatment planning.
• Completes Service and Coordination Plans, progress notes, other DMH required documentation and billing within two to three business days of service delivery and in order to meet the standards of the Department of Mental Health Short/Doyle Medi-Cal, Pacific Clinics and its funding sources.
• Provides rehabilitative services to clients and/or their families which might include assistance in restoring or maintaining a client’s functional skills, daily living skills, social skills, and linking to needed community services and support resources.
• Provides outreach, advocacy, rehabilitative services and crisis intervention.
• Provides case management, which might include obtaining client information to determine needs, linking clients and their families to appropriate resources.
• Provides services in the community or in the field consistent with program and funding source contractual requirements.
• Works with the treatment team to provide appropriate coordinated care services to clients and their families.
• Reports to work on time and maintains reliable and regular attendance.
• Models Pacific Clinics’ approach, mission and core values in all communication and correspondence.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

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.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS/INTERACTION:

Initiate and maintain professional interactions and communication with Clinic’s employees and/or others, which includes the following:

• Displays sensitivity to the cultural and linguistic needs of the clients and families served.
• Interacts well with other internal programs, clinical/support staff and with external sources such as school or community personnel as applicable.
• Attends and participates in staff meetings to provide input towards program development and staff training, as appropriate.
• Communicates effectively within a diverse consumer population and promotes favorable interaction with managers, co-workers and others.

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.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

• Must have a bachelor’s degree and be enrolled in an MFT Graduate program accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Marriage and Family Therapy Education and regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
• Must be concurrently enrolled in a supervised practicum course at the graduate institution.
• Must demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to relate to a culturally diverse clientele and staff.
• In some sites at Pacific Clinics, bilingual skills in the appropriate language for the Clinics’ clients are preferred.
• Demonstrate familiarity with MS Windows operating system, MS WORDS, EXCEL, OUTLOOK and ability to learn Electronic Health Record Systems to compose correspondence/notes using correct format and grammar.
• Must possess a valid California driver's license and maintain an insurable driving record under the Clinics' liability policy. May be required to obtain a Class II California driver’s license.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

While performing the duties of this job the employee is frequently required to stand or sit. The employee is required to use hands to produce records and/or documentation in manual or electronic format. The employee must possess ability to ensure significant communication with the Clinics’ community members. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 5 pounds and occasionally move or lift up to 10 pounds.

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.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Community outreach is also required.

SITE SPECIFICS:

A review of this description has excluded the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to job performance of the fundamental job duties. All duties and requirements are essential job functions.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

We will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with ordinance 184652 Sec.189.04 (a) and San Francisco Police Code, Article 49. Section 4905.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.