Job Description: Mental Health Counselor

Title:  Mental Health Counselor
Reports to: Executive Director

The Mental Health Counselor…

Qualifications

  • Must be a licensed Mental Health Counselor able to practice in the state of North Carolina.
  • Strong communication skills – verbal and written.
  • Basic computer skills and the ability to communicate via email with attachments and encryptions.
  • Excellent time management skills
  • Ability to complete treatment documentation quickly and thoroughly
  • Ability to work as part of a team – including a PATH instructor/Equine Specialist and volunteer session assistants.
  • Ability to work independently.
  • Horse experience preferred.

Working Conditions

  • Counselor will work in a clinic setting, indoor arena, and outdoor arena setting.
  • Each treatment session includes no more than 45 minutes of equine activity, and there will be many treatment sessions back to back. The counselor should be comfortable working outside and walking for long periods of time.

Responsibilities:

(shall include, but are not limited to)

  • Facilitating individually tailored therapy sessions with individuals, groups and/or families.
  • Performing evaluations of patients
  • Accurately completing and maintaining required documentation and case notes per Shining Hope Farms policy and state issued Minimum Standards including daily treatment plan updates and progress notes.
  • Communicating and working with the interdisciplinary team and direct care staff to ensure the therapeutic needs of the clients are met and to determine the best practice for meeting those needs.
  • Developing, conducting and monitoring appropriate therapeutic tasks, to assist each client in accomplishing their treatment goals.
  • Keeping track of your own client schedule
  • Being the primary contact for the patients and their families (including providing them with your number for cancellations and scheduling issues)
  • Entering billing, evaluation and treatment information in the billing program in a timely manner. Visit needs to be in the billing program by the end of the day and cannot be done before you see the patient. Note should be done within 24 hours.
  • Maintaining your workspace in an appropriate manner (i.e. returning all items to their appropriate location at the end of the day, and making sure all patient information is locked-up). No equipment, manuals, software, etc. shall be taken off the property without a written request submitted to the office.
  • Submitting faxes/paperwork if office staff is unavailable.
  • Mentoring volunteers and shadowing students who come to volunteer/shadow because they are interested in the discipline
  • Supervising and directing students (interns/students in their clinical affiliations/students in their fieldwork experiences) as assigned by Volunteer Coordinator (this may include, but is not limited to composing evaluations, progress reports, and day-to-day guidance and supervision)
  • Making the schedulers aware of every schedule change (as it will effect staff and volunteers)
  • All sessions will be scheduled on the hour and last one hour with a maximum of 45 minutes of equine time. There must be a minimum of 15 minutes for the barn staff to prepare for the next session.

Wages:

  • There will be no compensation to therapist when there is a cancellation of services by the patient.
  • In consideration of all services to be rendered by Counselor to the Employer, the Employer shall pay to said Counselor a 60/40 split (60% to Counselor / 40% to Shining Hope Farms) of any payments received on a bi-monthly basis for direct services rendered.
  • Additional duties performed will be at a rate of $15 per hour.
  • Counselor may be provided with the option to perform administrative duties for the Employer (based on availability) at a lesser rate of pay to be determined on a monthly basis depending upon the current budget and funds available.
  • Pay will be determined based upon a review of what has been paid to Shining Hope Farms by the 15th and 31st of each month. Everything else will be paid the next pay-period.

For more information, or to apply for this position, visit our contact us page.

Additional Opportunities

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Provide guidance and oversight to the COTA or occupational therapy assistant related to the delivery of occupational therapy services and the facilitation of professional growth and competence. It is the responsibility of the occupational therapist and the occupational therapy assistant to seek the appropriate quality and frequency of supervision to ensure safe and effective occupational therapy service delivery.

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)

The Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) evaluates patient’s needs, creates a treatment plan based on each client’s evaluation, maintains physician prescriptions and client medical information, gives treatment to patients in a clinic setting and in an arena setting using the horse as a treatment tool with a PATH Instructor and volunteer Session Assistants, documents all treatment sessions, and maintains PATH Intl. Standards, Shining Hope Farms’ Facility Rules, and the American Hippotherapy Association’s Standards while keeping each client’s safety a priority.

Therapeutic Riding Instructor

This position will be responsible for providing onsite support as a registered therapeutic riding instructor or instructor in training as required by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH). Reporting to the Executive Director, the Therapeutic Riding Instructor will carry out the duties as required for the instructors.

Physical Therapist (PT)

The Physical Therapist (PT) evaluates patient’s needs, creates a treatment plan based on each client’s evaluation, maintains physician prescriptions and client medical information, gives treatment to patients in a clinic setting and in an arena setting using the horse as a treatment tool with a PATH Instructor and volunteer Session Assistants, documents all treatment sessions, and maintains PATH Intl. Standards, Shining Hope Farms’ Facility Rules, and the American Hippotherapy Association’s Standards while keeping each client’s safety a priority.

Occupational Therapist (OT)

The Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluates patient’s needs, creates a treatment plan based on each client’s evaluation, maintains physician prescriptions and client medical information, gives treatment to patients in a clinic setting and in an arena setting using the horse as a treatment tool with a PATH Instructor and volunteer Session Assistants, documents all treatment sessions, and maintains PATH Intl. Standards, Shining Hope Farms’ Facility Rules, and the American Hippotherapy Association’s Standards while keeping each client’s safety a priority.