Job Title: Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMHC / LPCC / LISW) — Detox & Residential Treatment

Job Overview

Ascend Recovery Centers is seeking a skilled and compassionate Licensed Mental Health Therapist to join our clinical team at our detox and residential substance use disorder treatment facility in New Mexico. In this role, you will provide evidence-based individual and group therapy to adults navigating addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions in a structured, trauma-informed residential environment. You will serve as a core member of our multidisciplinary treatment team, helping patients build the clinical and coping foundations essential to sustained recovery. If you are passionate about behavioral health, skilled in working with complex dual-diagnosis populations, and thrive in a close-knit clinical culture, this is the opportunity for you.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments upon admission to establish clinical diagnoses, identify co-occurring disorders, and develop individualized treatment plans in accordance with ASAM criteria and New Mexico BHSD standards.
• Provide individual therapy sessions using evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Trauma-Focused approaches tailored to each patient's stage of recovery.
• Facilitate structured group therapy sessions across a range of clinical topics including relapse prevention, trauma processing, emotion regulation, grief, family systems, and co-occurring mental health conditions.
• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team — including physicians, APRNs, LPNs, case managers, and peer support specialists — in weekly treatment team meetings to review patient progress and adjust care plans accordingly.
• Monitor patients for psychiatric decompensation, suicidal ideation, and acute behavioral health crises; coordinate crisis intervention and higher level of care referrals as clinically indicated using tools such as the CSSRS.
• Develop and maintain individualized treatment plans, progress notes, discharge summaries, and all clinical documentation in the facility EMR system in compliance with HIPAA, NMDOH, and BHSD licensing requirements.
• Conduct family sessions and facilitate family education on addiction, co-occurring disorders, healthy boundaries, and the recovery process as clinically appropriate.
• Assist in developing and implementing discharge and continuing care plans, including coordination with outpatient providers, sober living programs, community mental health centers, and community-based recovery supports in New Mexico.
• Participate in clinical supervision, peer consultation, staff training, and quality improvement initiatives to support ongoing program development and clinical excellence.
• Maintain a trauma-informed, culturally responsive therapeutic approach that honors the diverse backgrounds and lived experiences of the populations served across New Mexico.

Qualifications & Experience

• Active, unrestricted licensure in the State of New Mexico as an LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor), LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker), LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist), or equivalent independent clinical licensure; associate-level licensure considered with appropriate supervision available.
• Master's degree or higher in counseling, social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or a related clinical field from an accredited program.
• Experience providing clinical services within a substance use disorder, detox, residential, or behavioral health treatment setting strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated proficiency in evidence-based treatment modalities including CBT, MI, DBT, and trauma-focused approaches; EMDR certification or training is a plus.
• Familiarity with ASAM criteria, CIWA/COWS withdrawal protocols, and co-occurring disorder treatment frameworks.
• Experience completing biopsychosocial assessments, DSM-5 diagnostic formulations, and individualized treatment planning documentation.
• Knowledge of New Mexico BHSD licensing standards, Medicaid (Centennial Care) documentation requirements, and managed care authorization processes preferred.
• Experience working with diverse and underserved populations; cultural humility and awareness of the specific social determinants affecting New Mexican communities is strongly valued.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to maintain timely, accurate clinical documentation under the demands of a residential treatment environment.

Ascend Recovery Centers is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse, inclusive team dedicated to whole-person recovery.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $65,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person