Associate Marriage & Family Therapist Position - Job Description & Details

Number of openings: 3
Location: Remote/Teletherapy Only
Expected hours per week: 15 - 20
Schedule: Choose your own hours
Pay: $42.50 - $82.50 per hour

PatrickLyra (Patrick+Lie-rah) Wilder LMFT (they/them) seeks several skilled postgraduate/pre-licensed Associate Marriage & Family Therapists (already registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences) eager to begin building their own thriving teletherapy private practices.

PatrickLyra Wilder, LMFT requires MFT Associates to obtain and maintain a minimum of ten (10) direct service clients each week and attend one weekly, two-hour group supervision Wednesdays 1 PM - 3 PM. Client notes are to be submitted within 24 hours of each appointment, for review by PatrickLyra. If needed, additional individual supervision will be provided.

Ideal applicants will:
*Bring 6 - 10 existing clients with them into this position/practice (though not required at time of application).
*Have an independent website already built.
*Have sufficient LGBTQIA+ competency and some experience with LGBTQIA+ patients.
*Have sufficient competency in supporting Black, Indigenous and additional clients of color and some experience with BIPOC clients.
*Maintain consistent curiosity about social systems of oppression that shape our patients’ lives and our own lives as clinicians.
*Be asked to practice regular cultural humility and self-reflection when occupying a dominant group identity (Christian, white, heterosexual, cisgender, etc.).
*Approach patients via an eclectic therapeutic style, including at least one body-based lens (more than just cognitive approaches).
*Have some in-person experience with patients.
*Be eager to network and build new professional connections, in service of increasing and maintaining a consistent client load.
*Be self-starting, insightful, curious, accountable, non-defensive, open to direction, respectful of existing protocols and policies.
*Understand they are operating under another clinician’s license and therefore are not free to act independently in all clinical decision-making.

Associates will advertise individually and direct potential clients to visit their own website (a requirement that Associates create and maintain) - utilizing PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT’s existing intake processes to onboard client matches. Associates must carry their own professional liability insurance and be able to guarantee a private, HIPAA-protected remote workspace. PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT and Associates do not accept insurance; Associates will be trained in issuing Superbills that clients may use in pursuit of insurance reimbursement.

PatrickLyra will offer administrative and managerial consultation as well as business coaching to Associates to support them in building an efficient private practice and in finding their unique voice as a therapist approaching licensure. We look forward to hearing from you - and to helping the next generation of inclusive, embodied therapists step into their practice, their power, and their presence!

Please note: this is an “AT-WILL,” REMOTE/TELETHERAPY ONLY position. Associates will be employed by PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT under a 50% profit-sharing agreement based on client per-clinical-hour-payments received for services rendered. Associates will negotiate session fees with clients on a sliding scale of $85 - $165 (translating to $42.50 - $82.50 Associate take home range). Client payments will be made to PatrickLyra Wilder, LMFT and Associates will be paid via a payroll service on a monthly basis.

Additional Requirements:
*Must be familiar with DSM-V as a means of diagnosis.
*Literacy and skill in utilizing Google Drive and Google Suite.
*Knowledge of social service agencies, state regulations, and professional board standards as is related to Associate scope of practice, patient rights and confidentiality.
*A careful, boundaried digital/social media presence that actively guards against dual relationships with patients.

TO APPLY:

Send resume and answers to the below questions to hello@patricklyra.com. Please note: unanswered/incomplete questions result in immediate rejection from the candidate pool.

(1) Do you have a valid MFT/PCC Associate Number (registered with the BBS)? If yes, please share your #.
(2) What is the highest level of education you have completed?
(3) What's one therapeutic modality you appreciate utilizing with patients?
(4) Please attempt to describe the difference between gender identity, sexual orientation, and medically assigned sex at birth?
(5) Based on your existing knowledge, how might you generally describe "somatic or body-based psychology"? Do you use any somatic approaches in your work (note: cognitive-based mindfulness work does not constitute a somatic modality).
(6) What was your most impactful graduate or continuing education course - and when did you take it?
(7) Specifically how many hours toward your MFT License have you gained thus far?
(8) Have you had a teletherapy clinical placement before/clinical placement with at least 75% of your caseload via teletherapy?
(9) Do you have existing private pay clients who could “follow you” into this Associateship? If yes, how many?

Associate Marriage & Family Therapist Position FAQs

In this position would I be considered an employee (W2) of your practice, or an independent contractor (1099)?
In this position, you are considered an employee (W2) - receiving a monthly paycheck out of which standard taxes, SSI, etc., will be taken.

How many Associates are you looking to hire?
PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT will be hiring up to 3 Associate MFTs.

My availability is mainly evenings from 5 PM to 8 PM - is that enough time for the position?
Associate MFTs are required to uphold a caseload of 10 clients (or more). If working only weekdays from 5 - 8 PM, that allows 15 hours total for clients and clinical notes - so that availability works.

What is the process of negotiating my hourly rate with each client?
Utilizing a pre-set sliding scale, under PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT’s guidance, Associates will practice offering the fullest hourly fee first - then assessing when/if clients need an accommodated fee level.

Can I accept clients’ insurance as an Associate MFT?
All clients will be private pay (cash or card accepted). The unfair burdens of processing insurance (extra paperwork, being approved with a panel, the lower levels of compensation relative to cost of living) aren't feasible within PL Wilder LMFT’s private practice. (Note: as a licensed clinician they do contract though with a larger group practice to ensure fiscal diversity in their clients - but this is not an option for AMFTs).

What % of that fee will go toward PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT’s business/supervision costs?

50% of each hourly fee will return to PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT to mostly cover payroll expenses, business costs, and clinical supervision - with a significantly smaller percentage of that 50% returning to PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT as income. Note: in the AMFT job description, the listed payscale of $42.50 to $82.50 is based off of an average client sliding scale of $85 - $165 (50% to AMFT, 50% to PL Wilder LMFT).

What training will I receive in this position?
All Associates will be required to complete LGBTQIA+ 101 (with a strong focus on Transgender Identities) provided by PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT. In Clinical Supervision areas of focus include best practices for LGBTQIA+ mental health, beginner body-based/somatic interventions, for working toward trauma resolution, and for serving as a thoughtful allied therapists to targeted minority clients.

Does PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT have a brick-and-mortar office I can use?
PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT is based out of the Los Angeles area and does not have a brick-and-mortar office for Associate use. This is a remote only position that requires each Associate to have an confidential space to work out of from home.

How will I get clients?
You will get clients via your own networking and outreach. Each AMFT is required to have a website (outside of PsychologyToday.com) - flexing the muscle of self-marketing and outreach. Note: this is not a non-profit organization or center with a built in client rotation/referral process. A proactive approach is required to build your caseload!

Is there a deadline for the time at which I should be at full capacity (ten clients)?
Some AMFTs may have current clients who can “follow” them to this position. Occasionally when PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT’s own caseload is full - and clients reach out with interest in working with PL - they will refer clients to AMFTs to help with caseload maintenance. Note: this should not be relied upon as a significant client source. Preferred applicants will be those who currently have an existing caseload of clients they may bring with them into their private practice Associateship with PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT.

What types of client treatment units am I able to pursue?
AMFTs are able to pursue treatment units within the MFT scope of practice: individuals, couples, families, and groups. If running a group, the hourly fee per group session (even for a session-limited run of a group) will need PatrickLyra Wilder LMFT’s approval as with all client fees.

Do you have a sense of a hiring timeline?
For those selected to move into the first interview stage - we hope to complete first round interviews by no later than end of third week of April; with second rounds completed by end of first week of May. Ideally, final candidates will be chosen by mid-May for onboarding in late May/early June.

Please note this timeline is somewhat flexible and may be adjusted up or back as needed. That said, we'll communicate clearly throughout the process with you - knowing that too many job application processes these days are exploitative, ambiguous, and activating! We want to be the opposite of that for you.