Director of Under 18 Group Therapy

Weekly outpatient therapy isn't always enough, and a trip to the ER isn't the only answer. Patients and their families rely on Compass Health Center when in crisis – every day, we help people overcome depression, anxiety, suicidality, obsessions/compulsions, trauma, chronic pain, and other obstacles in order for our patients to live freely.

About This Role 

Compass Health Center is seeking an experienced Director of Under 18 Group Therapy to provide strategic clinical leadership for group therapy services across our Child and Adolescent programs. If you are passionate about leadership, program development, staff supervision, and direct clinical involvement to ensure consistency, innovation, and excellence in group therapy, you would be a great addition to our team. 

Our state-of-the-art facility in Oak Brook is modern, bright, and creates an inviting therapeutic space for both patients and employees alike.

What You'll Do 

• Provide leadership and oversight of group therapy services across all Under 18 programs, including Mood & Anxiety, OCD & Complex Anxiety, School Refusal, and Mental Health & Substance Use.
• Directly supervise Group Therapy Managers and group therapy staff and support their ongoing professional development.
• Oversee the Under 18 milieu, including day to day operations, clinical quality of groups and crisis management.  
• Partner with Program Directors and Associate Directors to ensure alignment of group therapy programming with program objectives and patient needs.
• Lead the continued development, refinement, implementation, and standardization of group therapy curriculum across Under 18 services.
• Ensure group therapy programming incorporates evidence-based modalities including CBT, DBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, and other effective treatment approaches.
• Monitor quality, effectiveness, and consistency of group therapy delivery across programs.
• Identify staffing needs and participate in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and retention efforts for group therapy staff.
• Conduct performance evaluations, coaching, and performance improvement planning for direct reports.
• Provide clinical supervision for staff pursuing licensure, as appropriate.
• Collaborate with senior clinical leadership on strategic initiatives, program growth, operational improvements, and clinical innovation.
• Lead implementation of Compass-wide initiatives related to Access to Care, Optimal Outcomes, Continuity & Excellence, and Patient & Family Engagement.
• Respond to clinical crises and support escalation and consultation processes as needed.
• Audit charts as appropriate to ensure strong and timely documentation.
• Participate in community outreach, professional development, and organizational initiatives.
• Conduct clinical intakes, group therapy, individual therapy, and family therapy as needed.
• Coordinate care with patients, families, and outside providers to support continuity of care.
• Maintain accurate and timely clinical documentation.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, clinical excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Other duties as assigned. 

 Who You Are 

• Master's or Doctoral degree in a behavioral health field.
• Active clinical licensure required (PhD, PsyD, LCSW, LMFT, or LCPC).
• 6+ years of post-licensure clinical experience working with children and adolescents in behavioral health settings.
• Demonstrated experience leading clinical teams, supervising licensed and pre-licensed clinicians, and managing clinical operations.
• Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating group therapy programming and curriculum.
• Strong knowledge of CBT, DBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, and evidence-based treatment approaches for youth.
• Experience working with patients in crisis and supporting clinical decision-making in complex situations.
• Ability to lead across multiple programs and collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams.
• Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Passion for clinician development, program innovation, and delivering exceptional patient care. 

We know job descriptions can be intimidating, so if this sounds like an opportunity for you, please don't hesitate to apply! 

Who We Are 

Compass Health Center is a recognized leader in crisis-level mental health, bringing passion, connection, and patient-centered care to the Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient space (PHP/IOP). Based in Chicagoland, we serve hundreds of patients every day, ranging from ages 5 through adulthood, in our onsite facilities or through our flourishing virtual programming. Compass fills a critical gap between outpatient and inpatient care through an intermediate level of Behavioral Healthcare.  

A few more things we want you to know: our values are super important to us, and hopefully will be to you, too. Cultural humility, teamwork, continuous improvement, connection, patient centered care, passion, innovation, and agility should be your power sources. Joining Compass is an opportunity to feel fulfilled through a joint mission towards healing our communities. 

Benefits & Perks 

We know that you will be dedicated to your purpose here. We look at that investment as a two-way street. We are proud to offer plenty of space for growth, and opportunities to pursue continuous development within our organization. 

For eligible positions, our other benefits include: comprehensive medical/dental/vision plans, 401k program with company matching, generous PTO (including competitive parental leave after 1 year of employment), and continuous training through CEU seminars and volunteering opportunities.  

What’s Next? 

Compass is committed to cultivating diverse and dynamic teams who exude passion for their craft, so whether or not you check all the boxes, we encourage you to apply – we’d be grateful to hear from you!