General FAQ
LifeWorks NW's rich past goes back to 1961 when we began as a child guidance center. We've grown and evolved as the needs of the communities we serve have changed. We are proud of our innovative and clinically effective programs and believe that they are a testament to our staff, who consistently receive high marks from those we serve.
LifeWorks NW provides comprehensive services and programs to:
- Infants, children, teens and their families who need prevention, mental health or drug and alcohol counseling.
- Adults who struggle with an addiction and/or mental health issues.
- Older adults and their caregivers.
We have outpatient and residential sites across the tri-county Portland metro area. Our Locations page has more information about each outpatient site and the services provided there.
In 2017, we provided services to more than 22,000 people of all ages.
LifeWorks NW is committed to serving the Latino/Latina community, and we have bilingual staff at all of our locations to help people get the services they need.
Our partnership with the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center also offers on-site mental health screening and consultation services to Spanish-speakers.
To provide the best possible service, we have also counselors fluent in Russian, Filipino, Chinese and other languages, and continually seek ways to expand our staff’s language abilities. We also use translation services when we are unable to match a consumer with a counselor who is fluent in their language.
Our team totals more than 700 people, including counselors, peers, medical providers, administrative staff, and other caring team members.
We’re proud to report through board oversight and the diligence of our senior management team, we keep our administrative costs low. As of FY18, our program services as percent of total expenses was 88 percent, ensuring that as much of our funds as possible go directly to client care.
LifeWorks NW is funded through a variety of sources, including Oregon Health Plan, client fees, government grants, private foundations, and the generous contributions of corporations and individuals.
Career FAQ
You will be redirected to a “thank you” webpage and receive a confirmation thank you email.
If you were redirected to the thank you webpage, but did not receive the email, please check your junk mail and spam filters before contacting us to verify whether we received the application.
If you were not directed to the “thank you web page” then your application was NOT submitted.
Common reasons for this include:
- Using an internet service that lost internet connection or timed out.
- If you clicked the submit button and were directed to a page that lists any errors or missed field, you must scroll down. Using the back arrow button causes application to lose your web session.
- If you navigated away from the web page to look up something and then used the back button to go back to our application. Using the back arrow button causes the system to lose your web session. [Use “tabbed browsing” or open another session of your internet browser to view other web pages.]
- If you took more than the 60 minutes allotted to fill out the application.
To avoid having the system timeout, we strongly encourage you to write your cover letter and descriptions for each position before you begin your application, so you can paste the information into the specified field. Remember to refresh the application before you begin entering information so that you “restart” the 60-minute timer.
LifeWorks NW posts all open positions online and will keep the positions posted until they are filled.
When we fill a position we will notify all applicants via email. Due to the volume of applicants, please do NOT call to check the status of your application.
Your cover letter will be included with your online profile. Due to the constraints of the online application system, we highly recommend that you target your cover letter toward your work with LifeWorks NW generally and not a specific position.
The timing of multiple applications/cover letters can override prior submissions, which makes targeting a specific position difficult.
It is LifeWorks NW's policy to keep all positions posted for a minimum of one week until the position is filled. A position could be open anywhere from one week to several months.
Managers receive the resumes from ALL qualified applicants and select the candidates that best match the desired qualifications to interview.
The hiring manager checks the references of the most qualified candidate and creates an employment offer.
Once the offer is made, Human Resources will remove the position from our website.
Due to the volume of applicants checking the status of applications, we will be unable to direct these calls to the hiring managers.
Our applicant tracking system accepts resumes and attachments in the following formats: RTF, PDF, TXT, DOC, DOCX, HTML. Our system rejects all other formats.
Please, do NOT download any resume templates online.
Due to LifeWorks NW’s computer security/firewalls we are unable to view any formats other than those listed above.
Apply only for positions that “fit” in your desired career path.
Highlight examples of work that are specific to the position in your resume.
The CADC is a certification awarded by the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO). The CADC requires specific addiction treatment classes, supervised experience hours, and the successful completion of a written examination. For more information visit: https://www.mhacbo.org/en/certifications/
Interested applicants can fulfill the MHACBO education requirements through a community college or through Daystar, an online, nonprofit addictions treatment education provider. You can visit Daystar at: www.daystared.com/html/continuinged.htm
The State of Oregon closely regulates which individuals are qualified to administer mental health services and provide treatment to clients with Medicaid.
According to the State of Oregon, only QMHAs may perform certain positions. QMHA is not a certification, it is a definition created by the Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs 309- 016-0005-58).
A QMHA is defined as a person who delivers services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) and meets the following minimum qualifications:
- A bachelor's degree in a behavioral sciences field; OR a combination of at least three year's relevant work, education, training or experience.
The person must also have experience that demonstrates all of the following competencies:
- Communicate effectively.
- Understand mental health assessment, treatment and service terminology and be able to apply the concepts.
- Provide psychosocial skills development and to implement interventions prescribed on a treatment plan within the scope of his or her practice.
The State of Oregon closely regulates which individuals are qualified to administer mental health services and provide treatment to clients with Medicaid.
According to the State of Oregon, only QMHPs may perform certain positions. QMHP is not a certification, it is a definition created by the Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs 309- 016-0005-59).
A QMHP is defined as a Licensed Medical Practitioner (LMP) or any other person meeting one of the following minimum education requirements:
- Graduate degree in psychology.
- Bachelor's degree in nursing an licensed by the State of Oregon.
- Graduate degree in social work.
- Graduate degree in a behavioral science field.
- Graduate degree in recreational, art, or music therapy.
- Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and licensed by the State of Oregon.
The person must also have experience that demonstrates all of the following competencies:
- To identify precipitating events.
- To gather histories of mental and physical disabilities, alcohol and drug use, past mental health services and criminal justice contacts.
- To assess family, social and work relationships.
- To conduct a mental status examination.
- To document a multiaxial DSM diagnosis.
- To write and supervise a treatment plan.
- To conduct a comprehensive mental health assessment.
- To provide individual, family, and/or group therapy within the scope of his or her practice.
Didn’t find an answer to your question in the FAQ? Please email jobs@lifeworksnw.org, and we will do our best to answer your question.