Lead Behavioral Health Therapist (Evening Program) at Alvarado Parkway Institute – La Mesa, California

Step into a leadership role where your clinical expertise, confident problem-solving, and independent judgment directly shape patient outcomes. As Lead Behavioral Health Therapist for Alvarado Parkway Institute’s La Mesa Outpatient Evening Program, you’ll guide a harm-reduction focused, mood and chemical dependency program serving both in-person and remote patients, providing advanced clinical care and crisis management in a supportive, collaborative setting. This role is ideal for a licensed clinician who thrives as a self-starter, is excited to lead and evening program, enjoys leading groups, and staff in a dynamic environment, and is committed to delivering evidence-based treatment for individuals with co-occurring mood and substance use disorders.

About Alvarado Parkway Institute (API):

Alvarado Parkway Institute (API) is a 66-bed free-standing psychiatric hospital in La Mesa, California, home to San Diego’s largest and most comprehensive outpatient program. Our three Intensive Outpatient and Partial Hospitalization Programs are designed to help individuals restore stability, independence, and hope. Guided by a patient-centered philosophy, API focuses on symptom management, community integration, and relapse prevention to support long-term wellness. We believe in treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—through evidence-based care, compassionate support, and value-added services that truly enhance each patient’s treatment experience.

About this job:

Alvarado Parkway Institute is seeking an experienced, licensed behavioral health professional to serve as Lead Behavioral Health Therapist (Evening Program) for our La Mesa Outpatient Services. In this role, you will oversee the evening program on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, providing direct clinical care, leading groups, and managing crises, while also supporting the day program on Tuesday and Thursday by reviewing and signing documentation, ensuring clinical quality, and covering groups as needed. The ideal candidate brings strong independent clinical judgment, excellent crisis management skills, and experience treating both mood and substance use disorders within a harm reduction framework. This position offers the opportunity to function as a key clinical leader—mentoring team members, ensuring high-quality documentation and care, and helping to maintain a stable, patient-centered, and operationally efficient outpatient program.

You must complete an application online at our website to be considered for possible employment: https://apibhs.com/careers

Lead Behavioral Health Therapist Responsibilities:

• Completes comprehensive psychosocial assessments to document relevant patient history and independently establish diagnostic impressions and clinical formulation by interviewing the patient and members of their support network.
• Provides individual and group process-oriented therapies, utilizing evidence-based treatment modalities; models advanced clinical skills and interventions for staff and trainees.
• Develops, coordinates, and clinically approves individualized treatment plans based on physician orders, patient-derived data, interdisciplinary team input, prior treatment records, and collateral information; ensures treatment plans meet medical necessity and regulatory standards.
• Provides clinical oversight and consultation to treatment team members, including guidance on complex cases, diagnostic clarification, and treatment interventions; serves as a clinical resource for high-risk or escalated situations, in addition to program leadership
• Reviews, edits, and co-signs clinical documentation completed by associate clinicians as required; ensures documentation meets organizational, payer, and regulatory standards.
• Provides clinical supervision to registered associates, trainees, and/or interns in accordance with BBS requirements (if qualified and approved); supports development of clinical competencies and ethical practice.
• Assists Director and/or Assistant Director in managing psychiatric and behavioral crises, providing leadership in risk assessment, de-escalation, and safety planning; guiding staff in appropriate crisis response.
• Attends and may lead treatment team meetings (if qualified and approved) to provide clinical perspective for whole person care; ensures clinical integrity of team recommendations and alignment with legal and ethical standards.
• Maintains oversight of group programming structure and therapeutic milieu; ensures groups are clinically appropriate, balanced, and aligned with patient needs (may collaborate on scheduling logistics as needed).
• Identifies and assesses community-based resources to support continuity of care; ensures clinically appropriate discharge planning, including level-of-care determinations and coordination of transitions.
• Partners with Program Director and/or Assistant Program Director to support clinical quality initiatives, program development, and staff training, while deferring administrative and operational authority to program leadership.
• Demonstrates cultural humility and responsiveness in all clinical and team interactions; promotes an inclusive and ethical treatment environment.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Written and oral communications skills, skills in case management, time management, and crisis intervention common to patients with acute psychosis as well as to non-violent crises intervention practice.
• Knowledge of acute adult psychological disorders
• Advanced principals of abnormal psychology as specifically applied to adults.
• Familiarly with follow-up resource services available to adults
• Skills in conducting individual and group psychotherapy.
• Ability to lead and train supervisees.
• Skills in maintaining information as highly confidential.
• Must demonstrate the ability to treat other age populations as needed or have the capacity to develop skills through the organization's cross-training, orientation program. In the absence of these qualifications upon hire, must demonstrate ability to learn these concepts and develop these skills within reasonable time frame.
• Ability to clearly summarize pertinent clinical information via written correspondence and medical records documentation.
• Must be able to concentrate on work amid distractions such as noise, conversations, and foot traffic; must be able to consistently meet deadlines regardless of case load; must be flexible in work hours in order to meet patient and organization operating needs.
• Must maintain self-control in volatile or hostile situations such as when verbally or physically confronted.
• Must be able to set therapeutic limits and maintain therapeutic distance with clients; maintains therapeutic boundaries with patients during treatment and following discharge.
• Must be able to address and prioritize multiple task demands within established time frames.

Required Education, Experience, and Certifications:

• Master’s degree or higher in a recognized mental health field and current CA BBS licensure (LCSW, LMFT, or LPCC), required.

Preferred Education, Experience, and Certifications:

• Experience in outpatient or inpatient setting preferred.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, this position is frequently required to do the following:

• Use standard office equipment and access, input, and retrieve information from a computer.
• Use computer keyboard with manual and finger dexterity and wrist-finger speed sufficient to perform repetitive actions efficiently for extended periods of time.
• Communicate effectively in person or via telephone in a manner which can be understood by those with whom the person is speaking, including a diverse population.
• Give and follow verbal and written instructions with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Perform complex mental functions and basic arithmetic functions; interpret complex laws, regulations, and policies; collect, interpret, and/or analyze complex data and information.
• Vision sees details of objects at close range.
• Coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Reach forward, up, down, and to the side.
• Sit or stand for minimum periods of one hour at a time and come and go from the work area repeatedly throughout the day.
• Walk and/or stand for long periods of time (3/4 of the workday).

Conditions of Employment

In compliance with API’s policies and guidelines, all API employees are required to adhere to the following:

Background/Reference Check & Licensure/Certification

• Completion of a satisfactory background and reference checks.
• Employee signed employment non-compete/confidentiality agreement
• Individuals whose position may require licensure, registration or certification must maintain such as current and valid. It is the employee's responsibility to send updated copies to Human Resources before the expiration date. It is the employee's responsibility to notify Human Resources of any changes or proposed changes in status to licensure, registration, or certification. Failure to do so could result in employee suspension.

Covid-19 and Flu Vaccinations; Medical

• Provide a copy of COVID-19 Vaccination OR have an Exemption Request (Deferred Pregnancy, Medical, or Religious) approved by the API HR Director; and those who have an approved Exemption must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing and observe all other infection control requirements, including face coverings.
• Annual Flu vaccination is required as a condition of hire and ongoing employment. Only those who are allergic to the vaccine or meet contraindications as indicated on the current CDC Vaccine Information Statement shall be exempt from this condition of hire and ongoing employment but are required to wear a mask while inside an API owned or operated building or vehicle during influenza season, Employees must provide physician documentation to support any reported allergy or contraindication. Flu season typically runs between November and March.
• Pass drug and alcohol test performed by Concentra.
• Clear TB skin test or Chest X-Ray at Concentra.
• Complete a satisfactory physical examination at Concentra designed solely to determine your ability to perform the duties of the position being offered.

EEO Statement

API provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.