Treatment Director at Residential Treatment Center

The Treatment Director is the clinical leader of the operation and is responsible for the overall treatment program, including clinical responsibility for the management of the operation's therapeutic interventions (26 TAC §748.603). The Treatment Director provides direction and overall management of the treatment program, oversees the treatment of every child receiving treatment services, supervises the Case Manager and clinical contractors, and works alongside the Licensed Child Care Administrator to keep the program safe, compliant and effective. This is a full-time, exempt position; 26 TAC §748.601 requires the Treatment Director to be a full-time employee of the operation.

Key Responsibilities
•Lead the treatment program: set treatment philosophy and practice standards, implement and sustain the TBRI model, and ensure trauma-informed care across every shift.

•Review and approve admission assessments, treatment goals in each child's service plan, plan reviews and updates, discharge and transfer summaries, and any restrictions on a child exceeding seven days, on family contact, or on a room or building exceeding 24 hours (§748.565).

•Lead clinical staffings at least monthly and whenever a child's condition changes; develop behavior support plans and suicide, self-harm and elopement safety plans; complete suicide risk screenings (C-SSRS/ASQ) after every crisis and before re-entry from hospitalization.

•Provide individual, group and family therapy as licensure allows, and oversee contracted therapists, psychiatric and psychological providers and STAR Health services.

•Oversee psychotropic medication management with the prescribing physician and Medical Coordinator, including informed consent, side-effect monitoring and Psychotropic Medication Utilization Review responses.

•Review every emergency behavior intervention and serious incident clinically, participate in root-cause reviews, and direct follow-up in the child's plan.

•Provide clinical supervision to the Case Manager and clinical guidance to caregivers; deliver or arrange pre-service and annual training on emotional disorders, de-escalation, suicide prevention and TBRI; conduct fidelity observations.

•Serve on the QA/QI committee, conduct clinical record reviews, and ensure treatment documentation meets 26 TAC Chapter 748, DFPS/SSCC contract and STAR Health standards.

•Participate in pre-admission screening to confirm the program can meet each child's needs, and approve clinical discharge summaries and aftercare recommendations.

•Report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation immediately to the Texas Abuse Hotline and the LCCA; maintain confidentiality; maintain licensure and continuing education.
Minimum Qualifications
Candidates must meet one of the following:

•Licensed psychiatrist or licensed psychologist; or

•Master's degree in a human services field (social work, counseling, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or related) from an accredited college or university AND three years of experience providing treatment services to children with an emotional disorder, including at least one year in a residential setting; or

•Current Texas license as an LMSW, LCSW, LPC or LMFT AND three years of experience providing treatment services to children with an emotional disorder, including at least one year in a residential setting.

In addition: eligible background check determination from the HHSC Centralized Background Check Unit (a provisional determination does not permit designation to this role); negative pre-employment drug screen; tuberculosis screening; completion of orientation, normalcy, emergency behavior intervention and suicide prevention training within the time frames required by Chapter 748; and the ability to document three years of qualifying experience with employer verification.
Preferred Qualifications

•LPC, LCSW or LMFT with experience in a residential treatment center, psychiatric residential facility or children's psychiatric hospital.

•Experience serving youth with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities; a candidate who also meets §748.605(a) (licensed, or TEA-certified educational diagnostician with a master's degree and three years' IDD/autism experience) is strongly preferred as the program adds an IDD/Autism service package.

•TBRI Practitioner training or willingness to complete it (employer-paid); training in TF-CBT, DBT-A or similar evidence-based models.

•Working knowledge of DFPS/SSCC placements, T3C service packages, STAR Health and Health Passport, and Casebook or a comparable electronic record.

•Experience supervising staff and leading quality improvement.