Andrew Watson
Summary
A highly collaborative professional with background affecting positive systemic and service delivery outcomes, finding creative solutions to operational and clinical issues, and eliciting motivation in others. Brings to the table 15 years of experience in progressive leadership roles, including 13 years experience working in the behavioral health and substance use fields through social service and behavioral health programs.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Clinical Supervisor
Southcentral Foundation
07.2021 - Current
- Provide clinical voice and leadership to outpatient clinic serving ages 3+ through modalities of individual, family, couple, and group therapy and including services to address behavioral health and substance use
- Work collaboratively with operational leadership to ensure day-to-day functioning and future direction of clinic operations align with clinical philosophy or programming
- Maintain and enhance relationships with other company departments and programs and with the multidisciplinary team, including psychiatric providers, medical, case management, and administrative support personnel
- Complete regular audits of documentation and processes to ensure standards for accreditation, company policy/procedure, and billing are met
- Enhance team collaboration through regular staff meetings, case conferences, and training sessions
- Develop and implement processes to promote effective management of caseloads, ensuring timely assessments, treatment planning, and progress monitoring
- Ensure compliance with regulatory standards, such as CARF, by conducting regular audits of clinical records and procedures and adjusting processes as necessary
- Participate in yearly budget forecasting and strategic planning
- Participate in performance development, performance improvement and corrective actions of personnel as appropriate
- Implement programmatic and individualized performance improvement initiatives focused on enhancing client experience, access to care, and service quality
- Provide supervision to therapists, offering guidance and feedback, monitoring adherence to ethical guidelines, and supporting their ongoing professional growth
- Optimize scheduling processes that promoted efficient use of time in order to maximize clinician availability for direct patient contact and to ensure maximum utilization of resources
- Hire and train staff, providing direct supervision, ongoing staff development and continuing education to employees.
Mental Health Clinician II
McLaughlin Youth Center
11.2018 - 07.2021
- Maintained clinical and therapeutic direction on the most secure unit in the state with youth who experience neurodevelopmental and serious mental health challenges as well as histories of violent crimes and substance use issues
- Worked collaboratively with unit operational leadership to develop special programming to meet youth’s needs
- Implemented trauma informed, evidenced based, and strengths-based approaches in line with Department policies
- Wrote for grants to fund new/existing initiatives and maintained grant monitoring and reporting expectations.
- Supervise master’s level clinical interns and providers seeking CDC certification
- Develop and deliver State-wide department training for interdisciplinary staff on youth development, trauma-informed care, and Motivational Interviewing skills
- Writing, developing, and implementing new treatment programming, including groups focused on Trauma Narrative Exposure Therapy, Youth Leadership Development, Dialectical Skills Therapy, Addressing Drug Dealing Behaviors
- Engaged in crisis management, including de-escalation, coordinating needed care, assessing for harm and providing recommendations
- Completed suicide risk assessments and make appropriate recommendations for levels of care and specific needs
- Provide individual, group, and family counseling.
Clinical Director & Counselor (Recovery Program)
Wisdom Traditions Counseling Services
07.2016 - 11.2018
- Championed innovation within the clinic setting by promoting research-driven practices and adopting emerging healthcare trends
- Ensured operational and clinical functioning of substance use programming, including PHP, IOP (adults and youth), OP level of care.
- Cultivated a positive organizational culture that supported employee engagement, teamwork, open communication, ethical behavior, accountability
- Streamlined documentation processes, reducing administrative workload for clinicians and improving efficiency while maintaining clinical integrity
- Developed a comprehensive clinical training program for new hires to ensure consistent quality of care
- Developed improvement plans to solve problems and improve lagging areas
- Led accreditation efforts, resulting in successful audits and continued compliance with regulatory standards
- Developed, implemented, revised, and evaluated policies and procedures
- Developed and implemented strategic plans enabling facility to meet budgetary and quality assurance goals
- Implemented new policies and educated staff on changes
- Spearheaded and implemented new projects to expand scope of engagement
- Provided regular group and individual clinical supervision of CDC, masters and PsyD level providers
- Promoted and maintain relationships with community partners
- Provided individual, group, family, and couples counseling services
- Mentored staff members through professional development opportunities, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth
- Conducted regular performance evaluations for clinical staff, identifying areas for improvement and providing constructive feedback for growth
- Improved overall clinic functioning by creating standardized processes and procedures for daily operations.
Counselor (Intern)
Innovative Counseling Solutions
05.2015 - 05.2016
- Provided individual and group counseling services to individuals receiving sex-offender treatment
- Provided evidenced based interventions and supports to help clients living with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities, substance use disorders, sexual orientation/identity development, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, psychotic disorders, paraphilic disorders, criminal histories and more
- Maintained quality and accuracy in clinical documentation
- Conducted basic assessments and participate in intakes.
Administrator of Special Projects
Community Pathways, Inc.
05.2015 - 05.2016
- Enhanced agency efficiency by streamlining processes and implementing time-saving strategies to promote higher levels of care to customers.
- Developed comprehensive project plans, ensuring thorough communication of expectations and deadlines to team members.
- Identified potential risks and implemented mitigation strategies to minimize project delays and disruptions.
- Ensured compliance with organizational policies and industry regulations throughout the entire project lifecycle (including State of OR regulations and statutes, federal statutes)
- Interpreted OR State & Federal policies, guidelines and regulations and translate into accessible formats for employees
- Provided quality assurance of case manager tasks, work, and performance in relation to Medicaid, Medicare, State, and Federal guidelines
- Wrote a comprehensive manual for training and reference
- Created training materials and conduct internal training for employees based on administrative needs
- Established internal policies and procedures in response to systemic changes established by agency and State.
Personal Agent (Case Manager)
Community Pathways, Inc.
09.2013 - 05.2015
- Provided community and administrative case-management to individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities
- Conducted State of OR Adult Needs Assessment to calculate client disability related support needs
- Adhered to all state of Oregon rules, regulations, and policies
- Created Individualized Support Plans and help client identify personal goals
- Coordinated with care-providers and other agencies
- Linked and refered to community resources
- Coordinated emergency services and safety planning.
Director or Social Service Programs
Salvation Army Moore St. Corp
05.2013 - 09.2013
- Oversaw operational and care delivery components of social services department of Moore Street Corp., including food pantry, youth and family programming and other direct service/support initiatives
- Developed a 5-year strategic plan for the department in collaboration with higher leadership
- Conducted quality assurance tasks and completed reports for funding entities
- Ensured adherence to established budgets
- Supervised employees and volunteers
Program Director
Lutheran Social Services of AK
11.2011 - 05.2013
- Developed and maintained high-impact programs that provided direct services to over 40,000 annually, including those experiencing behavioral health and substance use challenges
- Focused on strategic planning, consistent execution, and quality care to attain optimal results
- Researched and wrote grants for submission and delivered reporting requirements for grants received.
- Provided direct case management
- Execute minor accounting tasks, and monitor and maintain budgets.
- Delivered outstanding program results by setting clear objectives and proactively addressing potential challenges.
- Spearheaded fundraising efforts to secure resources necessary for program sustainability and success.
- Collaborated closely with executive leadership to develop strategic plans for long-term growth.
- Advanced community outreach efforts by forging strong relationships with local partners.
- Developed and implemented marketing strategies to promote program awareness and participation.
Team Lead: Starbucks
Target
05.2011 - 11.2011
- Managed operations and personnel of Starbucks coffee shop inside Target store including monitoring of revenue and ensuring revenue targets were met
- Completed inventories and order materials and goods.
- Improved team productivity by implementing efficient project management strategies and streamlining communication channels.
- Enhanced overall team performance by providing regular coaching, feedback, and skill development opportunities.
Chapel Producer
George Fox University
05.2010 - 04.2011
- Oversaw direction of campus-wide chapels services, occurring 3 times per week and serving up to 1000 participants weekly.
- Provide innovative approaches to delivery of services, while ensuring sustainability of implementation flows and while adhering to university policies and procedures
- Manage interdisciplinary efforts necessary for successful events, including maintaining strong communication with various departments of the university
- Spearheaded creative development for projects, leading brainstorming sessions and guiding the team in conceptualization efforts.
- Managed budgets and resources effectively to reduce production costs while maintaining high production value.
- Built strong relationships with university and external partners, fostering a positive working environment and promoting long-term partnerships.
- Implemented innovative marketing strategies to maximize exposure for completed projects across various platforms.
- Negotiated contracts with third parties and talent, securing favorable terms that contributed to the overall success of productions.
- Supervised junior staff members, providing guidance on best practices for effective project management and professional development support as they supervised their own teams.
Student Chaplain
George Fox University
05.2009 - 05.2010
- Guided direction of weekly evening chapels services and other services provided by spiritual life department for students’ spiritual development, including ongoing programming and events
- Provided innovative approaches to delivery of services, while ensuring sustainability of implementation flows and while adhering to university policies and procedures
- Lea and supervised a team of 6, responsible for different components of spiritual life services; each of these 6 oversaw their own team.
Education
MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling -
George Fox University
BA Writing/Literature -
George Fox University
Skills
- Process Improvement and Implementation
- Multidisciplinary Team Collaboration
- Clinical Quality Improvement
- Developing Training Programs
- Behavioral health and substance use treatment
- Trauma-Informed Care
- Empathy and Compassion
- Program Development
- Experience navigating CARF, 1115 Waiver, while in leadership roles
- Strategic and Budgetary Planning
- Advanced clinical training in evidenced based trauma and substance use treatment interventions
Community Engagement
- Board of Directors, Lutheran Social Services of Alaska, 2016-Nov 2022
- Previous consulting member of Organization Development Network Oregon, which provides organization development services/consulting to non-profit organizations in need.
- Writer of Transformational Peer Supports, a training curriculum. One of 7, 40 hour training curriculums approved by the AK Division of Behavioral Health to be used in certification training of Peer Support Specialist.
Certification
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), AK, 136552
- LPC Board Approved Supervisor (LPC-S), AK, 163843
- Chemical Dependency Counselor I (CDCI), AK, 4326
Timeline
Clinical Supervisor
Southcentral Foundation
07.2021 - Current
Mental Health Clinician II
McLaughlin Youth Center
11.2018 - 07.2021
Clinical Director & Counselor (Recovery Program)
Wisdom Traditions Counseling Services
07.2016 - 11.2018
Counselor (Intern)
Innovative Counseling Solutions
05.2015 - 05.2016
Administrator of Special Projects
Community Pathways, Inc.
05.2015 - 05.2016
Personal Agent (Case Manager)
Community Pathways, Inc.
09.2013 - 05.2015
Director or Social Service Programs
Salvation Army Moore St. Corp
05.2013 - 09.2013
Program Director
Lutheran Social Services of AK
11.2011 - 05.2013
Team Lead: Starbucks
Target
05.2011 - 11.2011
Chapel Producer
George Fox University
05.2010 - 04.2011
Student Chaplain
George Fox University
05.2009 - 05.2010
MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling -
George Fox University
BA Writing/Literature -
George Fox University