Dear Reader,
I’m Adrian Hickmon, the Director of Capstone Treatment Center. This job description is going to be written like a personal conversation between you and me. It will give you your first sample of what I’m like and what Capstone is like. The reason that I go into such depth in describing the job position and Capstone is that there is no good that can come to you, Capstone, or the boys and families that we work with if the wrong people become therapists. I want to be real with you and let you take a real look at yourself including your heart, your talents, your dreams, and your personal situation. This way, if we connect and you end up on the team at Capstone, we can have a long, fulfilling, and productive relationship. So, thanks for your interest.

Education We require a minimum of a Masters degree in a counseling field including but not limited to Marriage and Family Therapy, Substance Abuse Counseling, Social Work, Psychology. Applicants must understand that addiction is a developed disease as well as the nature of recovery. Recovery is not an elimination of the addiction; that is impossible. Instead recovery is learning how to live a life that is healthy, fruitful, and fulfilling in the presence of an addiction.

Licensure Applicants need to be licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, a Licensed Psychologist, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, or to be capable of taking the respective examination and working toward the completion of one or more of the above licensures.

Thinking: Capstone Therapists must be systems thinkers, not just be someone who goes into therapy and tries to make them selves think systemically but someone who sees the world systemically. Really, I think the best therapists were already thinking this way before they were trained as a therapist. I was a systems thinker as a football coach. So, I’m sure that there are professionals out there who are not MFT trained but who are systems thinkers.

Character At Capstone, we believe that the most important component in therapy is who you are, not how smart you are, your degree or license, or your ability to execute therapy models. People see through façades and subsequently disconnect or distance. Adolescents are the world’s best hunting dogs from this angle, and with their sensitive nose, they can smell out a fake or a false self in an instant. Capstone therapists connect in real relationship with our residents and their families. Therapy is not done mechanically and at a distance. Therapy is not done in a sterile office one hour per week. It is done in a residential setting where the residents live 24/7 for three or more months. Therefore, if a person is hiding a part of him/herself, residents will see it; they will not respect or connect, and therapy will fail. We ask, inspire, and motivate Capstone boys to be real as they search for their true selves, their real manhood, and their divine purpose in life. Therefore if you are a person that is not on the same search being real along your journey, you will not fit in here. This is kind advice. The worst thing you could do if you’re a false self is to try a job like this and be exposed by the residents. The biggest repercussion of this tragedy is not to you, but to the residents you’re working with. It’s my job to see that they don’t go through such experiences.

Life Focus Capstone is a Christ-centered treatment program. The core of what we do is spiritual warfare. If you are looking for a just a job, then you probably don’t want to apply here. Capstone therapists have good jobs, good salaries, good teammates, and a very fun place to work. Capstone therapists are here because they first meet our criteria of talent, character, and professional status; and then second, they are here because they follow Jesus Christ in their lives and are looking to fulfill their life’s purpose in a very strategic battlefield. Seeing a client for an hour per week in a clinic setting can be done for years without real relationship, even though I don’t think it can be done well without relationship. At Capstone, we work with boys and their families for three months or more. We are with the boys all day five days per week. We do intensive individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, adventure therapy (on the ropes course), camping and backpacking, fishing, cookouts, praying, laughing, crying, rock climbing, rappelling, training their lab puppies, five days of family week, and many other activities that demand being together in a lot of different circumstances for a whole lot of time. There is no way to hide here. Our relationships with the boys and their families are real, personal, and professional. Our partnership with the boys and their families are spiritually tied together into a team that fights a battle against evil and for good. This is not your typical therapy setting. It is challenging and inspiring. The rewards are immeasurable. Obviously, if a person were not living a Christ-centered life, this job would make no sense. None of our staff is perfect, but all of our staff is, and must be, growing to be more like Christ.

Abilities Some people are warriors, but are not tender. Other people are tender, but are not warriors. A Capstone therapist, male or female, must be both. The integration of the ability to be empathetic (putting others’ skin on and feeling what it’s like to be them in a given situation) with the ability to confront (to show an adolescent or his Dad or Mom a mirror that tackles a problem) is one seemingly paradoxical ability that we believe is a hand-in-glove fit and an absolute necessity in being a successful therapist.

I suppose that some people would encapsulate the above description into the concept of leadership. I disagree with how most would define leadership. I believe that a person who tries to become a leader is not and will not become a true leader at all. I believe the person that is followed (by me, you, and others) is the person who follows a way of life in a passionate and determined way. In other words, look around. The people that others follow do not strive to become a leader by getting others to follow him/her. People simply see which way the person is going, they like it, they are inspired by it, they want to be a part of that way of life, and so they join in.

Mask-wearers simply just don’t cut it, anywhere I believe, but especially in being a Capstone therapist. We go with our residents and their families through personal, familial, and spiritual crucibles. This cannot happen if we are not the kind of people that are personally involved in struggling to be more like Christ, to be better dads and moms, better husbands and wives, better therapists, and in other words, stronger Christian warriors in all aspects of our lives.

After you’ve read the web page description of Capstone Treatment Center and after you’ve read this job description section, if you think you are a fit for Capstone and Capstone is a fit for you, please do the following two tasks:

• Fill out and send the employment application by either downloading the PDF file and faxing it to us (Fax: 501-729-3537), or by completing this Microsoft Word Document and e-mailing it to:
  info@capstonetreatmentcenter.com.
• Send us your resume via e-mail to:
  info@capstonetreatmentcenter.com or by mail to:
  
  Capstone Treatment Center
  P.O. Box 8241
  Searcy, AR 72145

Sincere thanks and God bless you and your dreams,

Adrian Hickmon PHD
Executive Director of Capstone Treatment Center