Job Title: PRIMARY CLINICIAN II
Department: Clinical Services
Reports To: Clinical Director and/or Lead Therapist
Classification: Full-Time
Compensation: 68-80k Salaried + Benefits
Location: Ava Health — Grand Junction, Colorado
POSITION SUMMARY
The Primary Clinician II is an experienced, independently licensed behavioral health clinician responsible for providing high-quality clinical care while serving as a senior clinical resource within Ava Health’s interdisciplinary treatment team.
Primary Clinician II team members maintain a clinical caseload and provide individual, group, and family-based services while demonstrating advanced competency in assessment, case conceptualization, treatment planning, documentation, crisis response, and clinical decision-making.
In addition to direct client care, the Primary Clinician II may provide clinical supervision to interns, candidates, substance use counselors, or other developing clinicians when permitted by the clinician’s license, credentials, training, and applicable Colorado requirements. Primary Clinician II team members are expected to contribute to staff development, clinical consultation, quality improvement, and the overall strength of Ava Health’s clinical programming.
This is a senior clinical role and does not inherently include personnel-management responsibilities unless separately assigned.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Advanced Clinical Care
- Maintain an assigned caseload and provide individual therapy, group therapy, and other clinical services within professional scope.
- Conduct comprehensive clinical assessments and develop individualized treatment recommendations.
- Develop, implement, evaluate, and update treatment plans based on client needs, progress, medical necessity, and level-of-care criteria.
- Provide clinical services to clients presenting with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
- Utilize evidence-based and evidence-informed approaches including Motivational Interviewing, CBT, DBT, ACT, trauma-informed care, and other clinically appropriate modalities.
- Demonstrate advanced case conceptualization and clinical decision-making.
- Identify changes in risk, functioning, symptoms, and treatment needs and coordinate appropriate interventions.
- Participate in crisis assessment, safety planning, and higher-level-of-care coordination when clinically indicated.
- Support effective transitions between levels of care and comprehensive discharge planning.
Documentation & Clinical Quality
- Complete accurate, timely, clinically meaningful documentation.
- Maintain treatment plans and clinical records that clearly demonstrate individualized care, client progress, barriers to treatment, interventions, and medical necessity.
- Model strong documentation practices for developing clinicians.
- Participate in chart review, documentation improvement, quality assurance, and clinical compliance initiatives.
- Support Ava Health in maintaining high standards for ethical, regulatory, payer, and accreditation compliance.
Clinical Leadership & Consultation
- Serve as a clinical resource to colleagues regarding case conceptualization, treatment planning, therapeutic interventions, crisis management, and documentation.
- Provide consultation to developing clinicians while maintaining appropriate professional and supervisory boundaries.
- Model effective therapeutic boundaries, communication, feedback, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Assist with clinical onboarding, training, competency development, and professional development initiatives.
- Support a learning-oriented clinical culture in which staff can ask questions, receive feedback, and continue developing their clinical skills.
- Provide leadership within treatment team meetings and clinical case consultation.
Supervision & Mentorship
When qualified and formally assigned:
- Provide clinical supervision to interns, provisionally licensed clinicians, substance use counselors, or other developing professionals.
- Maintain supervision documentation consistent with applicable regulatory and organizational requirements.
- Support supervisees in developing clinical judgment, ethical practice, documentation skills, case conceptualization, and professional identity.
- Evaluate supervisee competency and provide clear, timely, constructive feedback.
- Escalate clinical, ethical, performance, or safety concerns to clinical leadership when appropriate.
Clinical supervision responsibilities are dependent upon the clinician’s license, credential, qualifications, and applicable Colorado requirements.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Collaborate closely with clinical leadership, psychiatric providers, nursing, case management, utilization review, admissions, residential services, and other members of the treatment team.
- Participate actively in treatment team meetings, clinical meetings, case consultation, and program development.
- Communicate significant changes in client presentation, risk, treatment needs, and level-of-care recommendations.
- Coordinate with outside providers and client supports when clinically appropriate and authorized.
- Help maintain continuity of care across Ava Health programs and levels of care.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Master's degree or higher in counseling, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychology, or a related behavioral health discipline.
- Current independent Colorado behavioral health license appropriate to assigned clinical responsibilities, such as:
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC), when the individual's education, credential, scope, and assigned responsibilities meet position requirements
- Other comparable independently practicing behavioral health license as applicable
- Demonstrated experience providing behavioral health treatment.
- Demonstrated competency in assessment, treatment planning, individual therapy, group facilitation, clinical documentation, and crisis response.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Primary Clinician II team members are expected to demonstrate advanced competency in:
- Therapeutic relationship building
- Individual and group psychotherapy
- Case conceptualization
- Assessment and diagnosis within scope
- Individualized treatment planning
- Clinical documentation
- Crisis assessment and intervention
- Ethical and independent clinical decision-making
- Co-occurring disorder treatment
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Professional boundaries
- Clinical consultation
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Mentorship and staff development
AVA HEALTH CLINICAL APPROACH
Ava Health provides person-centered, attachment-based, and DBT Skills centric behavioral health care emphasizing accountability, connection, and meaningful change. Primary Clinician II team members are expected to model Ava Health's clinical standards and contribute to a culture of strong therapeutic relationships, professional accountability, interdisciplinary collaboration, ongoing learning, and high-quality client care.
