Job Responsibilities
Clinical Director for two mental health counseling and
assessment programs for a Child Counseling Agency. I spend time
hiring and supervising 32 Licensed and Masters Level
Psychotheratpists and interfacing with the Psychiatrist/Medical
Director for the agency. One of the programs I direct services
Severely Emotionally Disturbed children with psychotic and other
mental health diagnoses. The other program I direct provides
comprehensive psychological assessments on children and their
families that have been removed from their families by the state
due to physical, sexual and neglect abuse allegations. These
assessments are for the purpose of deciding on the best possible
placement for the child within one year of their removal from
the setting in which they were abused. I have Clinical
Supervisors and Coordinators under me that help administer the
program. I spend my time hiring individuals, credentialing
documents such as treatment plans and psychological assessments,
providing licensure supervision for therapists wanting to attain
licensure in our state. I am part of the management team for my
organization as well. I have two secretaries that I supervise
as well. I interface with our local school board as I direct
seven of the school based treatment sites which are located in
schools throughout our county. An eighth site is soon to open.
There are currently approximately 400 SED children being served
at these sites. They are provided with individual, family and
group therapy and psychiatric evaluations and medications when
needed. They receive their education at these sites which is
provided by teachers from the local school district. These
sites are equiped with interventionists that are trained to
restrain children safely that become out of control. It is hard
to say exactly how much time I spend at each tasks but I will
attempt that. 6 hours a week in various management meetings, 8
hours a week staffing and credentialing cases with other
therapists directly counseling clients. 5 hours interviewing
and hiring new therapists, writing evaluations on existing
therapists, 8 hours meeting with Department of Children and
Families, School Board and other community representatives about
program issues. The rest if the time is spent reading, editing
assessments and treatment plan updates, other paper work. I also
have a small private practice in the evening in which I see
mostly adult clients that are victims of abuse in their past and
some are recovering alcoholics. I do marital counseling as
well.
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Job Requirements
University of North Florida is geared toward working older
students so most classes at the time I attended in the 70's and
80's, some in the 90,s were fairly easy to get. Grading was
reasonable. A's were hard to get, but B's were attainable for
working individuals. Professors that were not adjuncts were
preferrable. Adjunct professors, unless they have been doing
adjunct work for a long time, did not know the course material
as well as the full-time professors. That has not changed.
Also, I have been an adjunct professor and I know how difficult
it is to prepare class lectures when you have another full time
job. The class lectures by full time professors are excellent.
Most are older people with alot of experience. The workload is
reasonable in my opinion. Papers are sometimes required but not
always. Practicums are required toward the end of counseling
programs.
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Uppers
Personal satisfaction of helping children succeed in life and school. Helping
younger therapists improve their skills. Plus I love the psychology field. It is
facinating to me. I like the dynamics of therapeutic sessions with clients. I
like teaching others effective techniques in counseling during individual or
group supervision sessions. The same opportunities do not exist in the private
practice world which I did for 6 years full time about 10 years ago.
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Downers
Insurance Companies resticting and controlling needed therapy.
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Lifestyle
Working for non-profit counseling agency is much different than working in a for
profit or private practice setting. Hours are generally 9 to 5 unless you are on
call and then you may have to take calls which are usually crisis in nature and
end up getting referred to the police or a Crisis Stabilization Unit in a mental
or other hospital. There are few business trips in non profits. You mostly go
to trainings for Continuing Education Units and these sometimes are covered by
the agency but many times the therapists has to pay out of pocket. The Dress
Code in non-profits is farely casual especially in Florida - it gets hot. There
is much opportunity for working with Hispanic and African American cultures as
well as Bosnian and other cultures in the non-profit counseling field in Florida.
The collegial support in non-profits is much better than in private practice
where you may only work with a few other therapists and their is not the
opportunity for group staffing and supervision.
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Compensation
I make a quite low salary in my opinion for what I do but North
Florida is more economical part of the country to live in then
in the Northeast for example. In November I will be making
$55,000 a year plus a small bonus of $2000 this year. I have a
401K plan that matching 100% of my salary up to 6% in which I
was fully vested after 5 years of employment, I have been there
10 years. I have a small allowance for training and the agency
offers heath insurance for me and at a cost for my husband. It
also offers a good dental and vision plan and a flex benefit
package incompassing many policies for Short Term Disability,
Cancer policies, copay reimbursement tax free, day care coverage
etc. The company pays for life insurance at 2x base yearly
salary and Long Term Disability.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Currently if the health insurance crisis in the country does not
get resolved the outlook for getting financial coverage for
mental health disorders is not good. However, if one loves the
field as I do they should follow their heart and perhaps become
active in trying to reform health care coverage in the country.
HMO's have ruined the potential for some to reach recovery from
their mental illnesses simply because they will not accept the
fact that some mental illnesses require ongoing long term
counseling in order to recover. Sexually abused children become
traumatized adults who often cannot function in marriages or on
their jobs due to dibilitating phobias and depression/anxiety
disorders - this is one example. The hope is the pendulum will
swing or some balance will come into play that will change the
mind of some that Brief Therapy can cure all ills in this
field. Only insurance companies believe this. This of course
is just one professionals opinion.
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