Couples Therapist

Job Description

Do you want to join an amazing team of dedicated and supportive therapists working collaboratively to serve families in our community? Would you like to work in a warm and cozy atmosphere where everything you need to do your job is provided for you and you have the flexibility to make your own hours and focus on your clients? Then you are for us! 

We are seeking to connect with talented couples counselors who have or are willing to acquire specialized training and experience in the core services we provide to our clients through Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy: marriage counseling, couples therapy, premarital counseling, divorce counseling and individual therapy. A passion and desire to work with couples is a must.

We would prefer to partner with practitioners that are excited about becoming valued, long-term colleagues in our vibrant group practice. Our ideal candidates are available to grow their caseload to “full time” with us (approximately 20-25 clients per week), who are available to meet with clients in-person at our West Knoxville office location. We are extremely selective about who we hire. We aim to employ the best of the best clinicians and support them in their professional journey with the hope that they’ll opt to work with us long term.

Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter to be considered.

Flexible Hours

You create your own schedule within available hours at our offices. Office space and all necessary scheduling and documentation systems will be provided for you. Our ideal candidate would be able to accommodate the scheduling preferences of our professional clients and be open to offering some evening and weekend availability as well as daytime hours.

A note from the owners

“As the practice owners of Healing Hearts Counseling, it has been our passion to provide couples in the Knoxville community not just a safe place, but a competent place to deal with the painful issues that occur in marriage and family life. In building this practice it has been our goal to provide the utmost quality care for couples. It has also been our passion to grow a group of therapists that share this vision and have a place to grow and be supported as a therapist finding fulfillment in doing the work they love.” Dana Vince, Owner and founder of Healing Hearts Counseling. Adam York, Co-owner of Healing Hearts Counseling

What we do

At Healing Hearts Counseling we are trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. Our therapists are at various stages of learning and training and the practice founder is a certified supervisor who offers ongoing training and support to all practice members and in the community beyond.

EFT provides a language for healthy dependency between partners and looks at key moves and moments that define an adult love relationship. The primary goal of the model is to expand and re-organize the emotional responses of the couple. New sequences of bonding interactions occur and replace old, negative patterns such as “pursue-withdraw” or “criticize-defend.” These new, positive cycles then become self-reinforcing and create permanent change. The relationship becomes a haven and a healing environment for both partners.

The process reduces couples’ conflict while creating a more secure emotional bond. Couples learn to express deep, underlying emotions from a place of vulnerability and ask for their needs to be met. Partners begin to view undesirable behaviors (i.e., shutting down or angry escalations) as “protests of disconnection.” Couples learn to be emotionally available, empathic and engaged with each other, strengthening the attachment bond and safe haven between them.

EFT has many strengths as a therapeutic model. First, it is supported by extensive research. Second, it is collaborative and respectful of clients. It shifts blame for the couples’ problems to the negative patterns between them, instead of the couples themselves (or the partners). Finally, the change process has been mapped into a clearly defined process consisting of nine steps and three change events that help guide the therapist and track progress. To join our practice, you must be trained in, or willing to train in Emotionally Focused Couples and/or Family Therapy.

Responsibilities

  • Provide evidence-based Emotionally Focused Therapy for individuals and families with an emphasis on couples.
  • Perform and document clients’ screenings, assessments, and progress in a timely manner.
  • Collaborate and coordinate with practice staff to provide quality care to all practice consumers.
  • Attend scheduled clinical, supervision, peer group, and administrative meetings for collaboration, team building and support.
  • Maintain licensure at all times.
  • Perform other duties as required.

Qualities

  • Demonstrate exceptional customer service in all activities by placing the client first.
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively via oral or written means.
  • Ability to present a friendly and positive demeanor to families, staff, supportive services personnel, and the general public.
  • Ability to remain calm and maintain self-control in the midst of difficult circumstances and with high conflict couples. Ability to adapt to change. Ability to respond in a professional manner in all situations.
  • Interest, desire, and passion for providing high quality evidence-based care to the clients we serve.

Professional Qualifications

We bring our clients meaningful, valuable help by providing excellent, ethical, and compassionate care from highly educated, well-trained experts who practice evidence-based forms of counseling using the Emotionally Focused Therapy Model. To ensure that our clients receive the best, we partner with practitioners who have:

  • A Master’s or Doctoral degree in Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy or a related field, from a CACREP, COAMFTE or APA accredited university.
  • Licensed or eligible for licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Psychologist, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
  • In addition to competence with couples counseling, our ideal candidates also possess general practitioner abilities to assess and effectively help clients with a wide variety of presenting concerns such as addictions, anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, spiritual struggles and infidelity.
  • Competence with technology, electronic record-keeping systems, online video conferencing and online correspondence
  • Excellent relationship building skills, professionalism with clients and colleagues, strong organizational and time management skills, strong written and verbal communication skills, and responsiveness to team members and clients.
  • Commitment to personal growth and professional development opportunities.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $60,000.00 – $90,000.00 per year