Staff Psychiatrist - CARE/EPICS Program

THE PRACTICE

VENTURA COUNTY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH – Ventura, CA

The Ventura County Behavioral Health Department (VCBH) provides mental health and substance use treatment services. VCBH plays an important role as an integrated component of the Ventura County Health Care Agency. VCBH provides support for individuals and families who are in crisis; people considering suicide; or those struggling with mental illness, substance use, or both. Ventura County Behavioral Health is committed to reducing stigma and discrimination. We promote wellness through a whole-person care approach where clients and families are empowered by appropriate, accessible, timely, culturally sensitive, and collaborative behavioral health services.

Qualifications 

• MD/DO with board certification (or eligibility) in Psychiatry through a nationally recognized certifying body. 
• Active, unrestricted California medical license and DEA registration 
• Experience with serious mental illness (schizophrenia spectrum, psychotic disorders) preferred 
• Forensic or justice-involved population experience a plus for CARE Court positions 
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, evolving team culture with fluctuating caseload composition 
• Physician extenders must have a minimum of one year of supervised pre- or post-degree training working with individuals with serious mental illness. 
• Qualifications: licensed by California state law to prescribe medications; board certified or board eligible in Psychiatry 

 Schedule: four 8-hour days per week; no on-call, after-hours, or weekend coverage required. 

Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Court Psychiatrist 

What to Expect 

This is a newer, growing program within VCBH, so the role includes some flexibility and evolving scope as workflows mature — including likely expansion into court-related duties (progress hearings, capacity assessments for treatment planning) and field-based contact as the program builds toward full team-based fidelity. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Providing psychiatric care to a team-based caseload of clients referred primarily through the justice system under California's CARE Act. 
• Attend daily morning team meetings to provide diagnostic clarification and collaborate on treatment planning with the multidisciplinary CARE team 
• Provide psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, and medication management for an actively growing caseload, including frequent new-client intakes 
• Review jail records and collateral clinical history (via county liaison) to inform care for justice-referred clients 
• Coordinate with the CARE Team Lead and program psychologist on case planning, court-related clinical reports, and continuity of care for clients across residential placements (e.g., board-and-care, transitional housing) or reincarceration 
• Contribute psychiatric input to CARE petition documentation and clinical evaluations as needed 
• Complete disability and supportive housing documentation for clients 
• Maintain clinical documentation in SmartCare under the CARE program record 
• Participate in field-based client contact as capacity and program needs evolve 

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Psychiatric Care Provider — EPICS Program 

What to Expect 

EPICS follows the TMACT fidelity model for Assertive Community Treatment, which shapes the structure of this role — including a shared caseload, daily team coordination, and field-based client contact. As the program continues to grow, expect scope and workflows to evolve alongside it. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Provide psychopharmacologic treatment and at least monthly assessment of clients' symptoms, medication response, and side effects 
• Deliver brief therapy as clinically indicated 
• Provide diagnostic and medication education to clients using a shared decision-making approach 
• Monitor clients' non-psychiatric medical conditions and medications in coordination with the team 
• Communicate directly with inpatient psychiatric providers when clients are hospitalized to ensure continuity of care 
• Conduct home and community visits as part of a field-based treatment model 
• Share overall clinical responsibility with the Team Leader for monitoring client treatment and team service delivery 
• Educate non-medical staff on psychiatric and non-psychiatric medications, side effects, and related health conditions 
• Attend the majority of treatment planning meetings 
• Attend daily team meetings, with attendance proportional to caseload and team size 
• Maintain clinical documentation in SmartCare 
• Actively collaborate with team nursing staff 

 THE BENEFITS

• $340,000.00 Annually for Adult Full-Time (40 hours per week) W-2 Employees
• Comprehensive Benefits Package
• Attractive 401K and Competitive Company Match
• PTO and CME Accrual

 THE AREA

• Ventura County comprises the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area. It is also considered the southernmost county along the California Central Coast. There are 555,953 acres (224,986 ha) outside of national forest land in Ventura County. North of Highway 126, the county is mountainous and mostly uninhabited, and contains some of the most unspoiled, rugged and inaccessible wilderness remaining in southern California. Small coastal mountains rim Ventura County on its landward side. They range in elevation from 50 feet (15 m) along the coast south of the coastal plain, to about 3,100 feet (940 m) in the Santa Monica Mountains. The Santa Ynez Mountains, the Topatopa Mountains, and the Piru Mountains make up the northern boundary of the coastal plain, the Santa Susana Mountains are alongside the eastern boundary of the county, and the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains are along the southern border with Los Angeles County