Therapy Team Lead - California (Remote)

About Ascend Healthcare

Ascend Healthcare is dedicated to delivering integrated, high-quality psychiatric and behavioral health services with an emphasis on compassion, accessibility, and affordability. Collaborating with external partners nationwide, they provide services including psychiatric medication management, substance use disorder treatment, counseling, peer support, and care coordination to ensure seamless patient care. Their "no wrong door" model welcomes all patient referrals by minimizing exclusionary criteria, promoting better clinician and patient experiences, improved outcomes, and cost savings.

The company fosters an environment grounded in teamwork, a patient-first approach, remote work flexibility, career progression, and ongoing professional development.

Role Overview

The Therapy Team Lead position involves both direct patient care and leadership responsibilities managing a team of Therapists at a designated Community Health Center (CHC) site. This role includes serving as the initial contact for clinical and operational concerns, monitoring team performance through metrics such as schedule utilization, encounter completion, and documentation timeliness, and coordinating with leadership to align team efforts with organizational objectives. The Team Lead also supports onboarding, staff engagement, workflow improvement, and may assist with projects across other service lines.

Primary Responsibilities

• Deliver direct patient care aligned with Ascend’s clinical model, maintaining a schedule reflecting approximately 80-85% clinical time and 15-20% administrative duties, adaptable based on company needs.
• Supervise assigned Therapists by tracking productivity, timeliness of documentation, and efficient schedule use; act as first escalation point for operational issues.
• Assist with onboarding and integration of new Therapists into the team.
• Provide ongoing coaching, carry out bi-annual performance reviews, and facilitate professional development to uphold accountability and care quality.
• Respond to routine clinical inquiries while ensuring adherence to supervision and compliance guidelines.
• Participate in training sessions, orientations, and quality assurance activities such as chart reviews to ensure proper documentation and regulatory compliance.
• Contribute to policy and procedure formulation, compliance efforts, and timely handling of patient complaints.
• Collaborate with Clinical Operations, Clinical Supervisors, CEED, and Therapy leadership to optimize interdisciplinary workflows and training initiatives.
• Perform other leadership or operational tasks as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Active unrestricted independent license as LCSW or LMFT both in the state of residence and California.
• Current service provision to ODCHC patients.
• Minimum of 3 years clinical experience in behavioral health.

Preferred Qualifications

• Board certification for clinical supervision.
• Prior experience in leadership roles.
• Experience in developing policies and procedures.

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

• Ability to sit for prolonged periods during work hours.
• Good manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination for computer and office equipment use.
• Sufficient vision for screen and document reading.
• Clear verbal and written communication skills for virtual meetings and correspondence.
• Adequate hearing for participating in calls or virtual discussions.
• Access to quiet, distraction-free workspace with reliable internet connectivity.

Schedule

• Monday to Thursday, 8 AM to 6 PM PST.
• Tuesday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM PST.

Compensation and Benefits

• Annual salary ranging from $104,000 to $118,000, dependent on experience, state of residence, and language skills.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance.
• Paid time off and company holidays.
• Yearly continuing education unit (CEU) stipend.
• 401(k) retirement plan with matching.
• Supportive and collaborative work environment, remote-first culture.
• Professional development assistance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Ascend Healthcare is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate based on any legally protected characteristic including age, ancestry, color, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, disability, political affiliation, veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other protected factor. Employment is contingent upon successful background and drug screening checks.