What is involved in the role of a therapist at Recovered Living?
Therapists hold a caseload of 2-4 clients and see each client 3 times a week.
Therapists also provide group therapy ranging from talk therapy to CBT/DBT principles. Part of the therapist role is providing meal and snack support to clients.
At times being a therapist in a residential facility can be very fast paced in comparison to working with outpatient clients in a time structured setting. The therapist role requires the ability to be dynamic, moving from meal support, to running group therapy, to individual sessions sometimes one after the other. At other times there will be quiet periods with space to complete notes and communicate with outpatient providers.
Commitment
Our preference for therapy positions is 4-5 days per week.
Shifts
RLNZ is open 365 days a year and runs seven days a week. A full time roster is typically Tuesday - Saturday or Sunday - Thursday. We have a summer and winter roster with a variance of 1-2 hours for a start/end time ie starting at 8:15am in the winter on some days, compared with 9 or 10am in the summer).
Typical shifts are:
- Approximately 9am – 5:30pm
- 12 – 8:30pm (we typically ask full time therapists to cover at least 2 evening shifts each week)
- One weekend shift a week
- Wednesdays at least 10 – 5 is a requirement of working at RLNZ as this is our weekly MDT meeting
What does a typical day look like?
A typical shift between the hours of 9am and 5:30pm includes:
- Checking the communications log for the day to get up to date with the clients since your last shift
- Running a therapy group either by yourself or co-facilitating
- Eating meals or snack with clients (full training provided)
- Providing scheduled therapy sessions with clients
- Providing in the moment support to clients if struggling (this may be 5 minutes or 30 minutes depending on the level of distress)
- Writing therapy notes
- Communicating with whanau or outpatient providers
- Relationship building with clients in down time – playing games, talking, assisting clients with recovery assignments
- At times accompanying clients on outings to purchase new clothes, food outings or other excursions
- Driving clients may occasionally be part of the role. We have a small car and if taking all clients, a 6-seater van. Full training will be provided.
What training is provided?
All of our staff complete the Carolyn Costing Institute Level 1 and 2 Training. This training is designed for staff working in residential eating disorder treatment centres and provides a foundation for our philosophy and culture.
We have a comprehensive internal induction process which typically takes 2-3 weeks.
We have a weekly MDT that connects our Psychiatrist, GP, Nursing team, Therapists, Dietitian and a Recovery Coach representative to share knowledge and participate in client treatment planning.
What type of people are you looking for?
We are looking for people who are personable, intuitive, show initiative, and thrive in a dynamic environment. Some days will have quiet patches which are ideal to schedule supervision and participate in CPD. Other days will be fast paced if clients are needing 1:1 support, and the day will be all go as you move from one part of the programme to another.