JOIN OUR TEAM!
How do I know if this is a good opportunity for ME?
This opportunity is great for someone who:
What are you looking for?
We are always looking for these positions:
Is is Telehealth or In-Person?
That's up to you. If you do in-person however, you'll get paid more and you'll have plenty of work opportunities as people really want in-person!
What if I don't know what a 1099 position is all about?
02 - REQUIREMENTS
What are the basic requirements?
What if I have my Masters but I'm not a Registered Intern (R.I.) yet?
* If you are a therapist, and not yet a RI, you can get the info here at the Florida Board of Mental Health Counseling.
What if my Masters is not in counseling or psychology?
Then we ask that you go through the Register Intern registration with the State of Florida FIRST. If your Masters is not in counseling, you may be asked to take more courses, and such thing cannot be completed in 30 days. Therefore, it is imperative that you FIRST find out IF you can become a Register Intern, so that you don't waste your time.
Do you provide Supervision?
We do not provide supervision for licensure (for your hours). We have a few qualified supervisors, but they are all full and cannot accept any cases. If you need to have a Qualified Supervisor to become a registered intern, we recommend looking in psychology today, or emailing the Board to see if they have a list of people.
For Therapists - Do my Registered Intern hours count?
Yes. Registered Interns are allowed to provide services anywhere (school, community, homes) without a licensed person in the same setting, this is per the FL Board and AHCA, only to apply to Community Mental Health Agencies. (This would not apply to private practices). I have been doing this since 1998, and no Registered Intern has ever said that their hours did not count towards their licensure.
03 - SELF-REFERRING CASES vs BEING ASSIGNED CASES
Can I self-refer cases and build my own caseload?
@ For Therapists - You may either wait for cases to be assigned to you, OR you can self-refer.
@ For Case Managers - Currently, we get TCM-referrals in the Orange/Seminole area. If you are applying in the Orange/Seminole area, we might be able to get you clients, although it is never a guarantee. If you are a TCM wanting to work with us outside of Orange/Seminole (meaning, anywhere else in the state of Florida), we welcome you! But in order to build a caseload, please note that you will need to self-market your services in your local community and self-refer clients. Maybe you are working at another agency and you want to switch things up. Or you are good or have lots of community contacts that can give you referrals; this can be a great opportunity!
Please note - that for Case Managers, if you come on-board with us, you must agree to have at least 5 cases assigned to you. This means that if we get a case that needs to be assigned to someone, you must be willing to take it if we cannot find another Case Manager that's available.
What if I choose self-referrals... can you give me some guidance?
We will provide you with business cards and marketing brochures, and if you need more, we will provide you with the templates to print business cards, brochures, rack cards, on your own too. Some clinicians already have community contacts who can refer clients to them, if you don't, you can always approach daycares, retirement homes, schools, community centers (like YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, etc.), and doctor's offices. Some therapists found success in advertising on psychology today as well.
How many cases will I be assigned?
That's not an easy answer. Although we get referrals each week, the number of referrals may vary greatly. If you are only interested in us assigning you cases, then it takes time to build a full time caseload, please remember that. After your HR process is done, you get to tell our Office Managers how many cases you want. Then we will work towards getting you to that number.
Am I required to have a specific number of cases?
No. We have staff with 1 case per week. Others with 45 cases per week. Case Managers have caps that are required by Medicaid.
04 - BASIC EXPECTATIONS
Communication with us and the clients is a MUST. For example, being assigned a client and not contacting them for 3 weeks is completely unacceptable and unprofessional. When we assign you a new client, you MUST contact them within 48 hours, no exceptions (put yourself in the client's shoes -you would not like for someone to wait 7, 14, 20 days to reach out to you for services! - - We take this very seriously, and we have let-go several counselors in the past for failure to do this).
What are the general expectations?
About 50% of our staff have other full-time employment, and do this part-time. We are straightforward about this point however, if you are not able to put the dedication and motivation into this contract position, then please do NOT apply. We are only interested in clinicians and case managers who care about the clients and about following simple policies and procedures, even if they do this part-time.
05 - BACKGROUND CHECKS
What about background checks?
If you are already cleared by AHCA as far as background checks, we'll be able to look it up in their system, otherwise you might have to be fingerprinted for clearance.
Do I have to do the Local Background Check Form if I already have a Level-2
Yes! They are completely different things. You will need the local background check and your notarized Affidavit. See forms to download at the end of this page.
What if I live in Alabama, or somewhere outside of Florida?
If you live outside of Florida, you MUST have your FL license or Registered Intern license, to be able to work with us. Should that lapses or becomes inactive, you cannot longer be working for us.
Do I need liability insurance?
You must have professional liability insurance (if you don't currently have any, we recommend www.cphins.com as a possibility) within 30 days of signing your contract.
06 - COMPENSATION
We have monthly direct deposits, usually on the 3rd, 4th, or 5th of each month.
You are paid for your notes* before the insurance reimburses for the claim! (*only exception are notes for which we know there's a billing issue with or longer if the client has a non-Medicaid, commercial, restrictive insurance, or self-pays) >>> as long as your note is submitted on time <<<<
Rates
Our rates are listed below.
That said , if you are CURRENTLY working at another Agency, comparable to what we do (e.g. doing counseling sessions or case management, as a fee-for-service Contractor, working with FL Medicaid plans), then we can look at matching your rate! Simply let us know where you work, your rate, and evidence of such payments, and we will try our best to match it! - While we can't guarantee that we will, we will surely try! This is not a requirement - you do not have to provide this information, it's only optional.
Case Managers - 53-min TCM session:
Therapists - 53-min session:
What is "Need"? - Higher rates are paid for individuals who are "go getters" and who have a positive attitude in making our Agency shine and expand, especially those who possess a qualification which we are currently needing.
Pay Period = Monthly - we'll provide you with a calendar.
We also pay a flat rate for other non-frequent services (biopsychosocials; CFARS, Treatment Reviews) - 50% of Insurance Payment.
Non-Medicaid sessions (e.g. healthy kids, commercial plans), pay differently, usually $35.00 per session; Self-Pay sessions pay 50% of the client's cost.
PSR Sessions are $20.00-$25.00 per hour depending on experience, qualifications, & need
Pro-Bono cases, if available, are $30.00 for a 40-min session.
How can I track everything?
You have a secured link to view your caseload, deadlines, and payments, at anytime you want!
Before you go any further, please make sure you understand the expectations of this position.
# 1 PRODUCTIVITY.
(this applies to Therapists only) - While we let you decide how many cases you carry (anywhere between 1 case and 50 cases), we do require that your cases be seen on a weekly basis. This is not only best-practices for the well-being of the client, but it is also a quality assurance element that insurance companies actually measure (in their own words: if they are not being seen weekly, then why are we paying for this service, which is supposed to be medically-necessary?). Therefore, all of your active cases should be seen weekly for therapy.
You are expected to achieve 80% productivity on your caseload (# of cases x 4 visits per month x 80%)
Exceptions to this should be when (a) a client is stepping down from therapy, or (b) when a client requests such infrequency for personal reasons. However, these should be far-and-between occurrences; the vast majority of your caseload should be seen weekly for therapy.
Your caseload-link tells you how many clients you have, how many possible sessions per week you can have, and the estimated sessions per month that you should have based on your caseload. Please pay attention to this (the estimated sessions are based on your total possible sessions x 80%, since we realize cancellations do happen from time to time).
# 2 COMMUNICATION.
Communicate with our office regularly. Let us know how you're doing. Check your email daily, provide a cell phone number to us, and to the clients. Always call your clients within 24 business hours. If you are contacted by referral sources or community people concerning a referral, please answer within 48 hours.
I cannot stress how important this is. If you get a new case, you MUST contact the family within 48 hours (unless someone else is doing your intake assessment). We had to let-go of good people because they did not follow this in the past. Lack of communication will not be tolerated.
Even though you are independent, it doesn't mean you can just disappear. Clients, probation officers, referral sources, etc., they may all contact our office directly with questions, and if it's something that you need to answer, and we can't get a hold of you, that's a big problem.
Please understand that if you get an email from our office, requesting clarification or information, or even asking you to perform better regarding productivity, communication with clients, or writing notes, etc... it is not because we are being "difficult". It is because we an obligation to fix or improve whatever is missing. As a matter of fact, our culture policy has always been to let staff do-their-thing with as little intervention as possible (we don't want to micromanage), but again, sometimes we need to fix/improve a certain standard, so please respond quickly to any request.
# 3 KEEPING TRACK OF UNITS AND DUE DATES
Keep track of your units. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. If you are authorized for 104 units of IT per fiscal year, monitor them to ensure that you are utilizing wisely so that you do not run out unexpectedly. To monitor, look at your spreadsheet (that we provide for you), and update it as you go along. If you ever get lost in the numbers, email the office and we will tell you how many units are leftover and when the review is due.
Keep track of your bill code "end dates". These are the dates that units expire. Most of them will expire on June 30th, but not all. Keep track of your treatment renewals. Complete your treatment plan reviews WITHIN a month from when it's due and renew consent forms on a bi-annual basis. Again, I keep the spreadsheet updated on when these items need to be done.
# 4 NO DRAMA
No drama. I think that’s self-explanatory, but just in case, let me explain. Always conduct yourself in a professional manner. Nobody here (from management to administrative staff to other counselors and case managers, nobody is here to create drama or to engage in anything of the sort). Always write emails in a professional manner. Disrespect will not be tolerated at any time. We thrive on a culture of easy-going processes and common sense approaches. If you are an individual who has been shown to engage in “drama”, your time with us will be very limited I am afraid. We are all here to serve our clients, and to be independent practitioners.
@ Download the following 2 documents (SEE NEXT SECTION)
(they're on 1 file called "Affidavit & Local"), print them, and sign/complete them.
@ If you have an NPI, get an NPI printout from this site: https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/ (see PDF below for more info). Otherwise, see page 4 or 5 in the PDF at the bottom of this page (PDF is called Look Up Your NPI) if you've never had one before, you can sign up for a free NPI there. https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov/#/
@ For Therapists - College diploma (with conferred degree) or transcripts
@ For Case Managers - College diploma (with conferred degree) AND transcripts
@ For Licensed or Registered Intern Therapists - License (LMHC, LMFT, LCSW, Reg interns) - copy of license (okay) OR printout from the Board's site (preferred).
@ For Registered Interns - You will need the phone number, email, and name of your Qualified Supervisor when you fill out the forms. If you don't yet have one, that's okay, leave blank, but make sure you get one within 90 days.
@ Any specialty Certifications, if applicable (TCM, CAP, CANS, play therapy, sex therapy, etc.)
@ Copy of driver’s license (current & valid)
@ Proof of professional liability insurance (now or within 30 days of hire date) - some options are www.cphins.com or www.hpso.com
@ FARS and CFARS certificates (if you do not have FARS/CFARS numbers, please take the trainings here: https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/samh/samh-providers - WE NEED BOTH!
@ Two (2) reference letters or forms. Please note these must be forms or letters of recommendations, not simply emails of references. There is a PDF below (SEE NEXT SECTION) to download in case you need one.
@ If you are planning on having cases in Orange/Osceola/Seminole - Training Certificates for DCF General Information courses. These you must turn in within 30 days of starting! Certificates are only valid for one year and all contractors are required to renew every July. If you have certificates from another employer, we will accept them if they were completed AFTER July 1st.
http://www.myflfamilies.com/general-information/dcf-training
