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SalaryPOSITION DESCRIPTION:
Assistant Lead Clinical Counselors are responsible for assisting in the coordination of the clinical services, train new clinicians, and supervise clinical staff. Assistant Lead Clinical Counselors are responsible for the preparation of goal-oriented diagnostic assessments, individual and group counseling, and program enrichment. Clinical Counselors work as primary mental health caregivers for the client. The Clinical Counselor functions are performed as part of a multi-disciplinary team and include development and implementation of client therapeutic plans, facilitating transfers, and reunification planning. Assistant Lead Clinical Counselors will assist in the supervision of Clinical Counselor in their duties for the clinical program and will ensure that the Clinical Counselor team is in compliance with Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) regulations and guidelines.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential Functions:
- Provide support on general oversight and coordination of Clinical Counselor services. Coordinate clinical services by providing oversight, supervision, and training of staff clinicians, monitoring clinical services documentation, and developing and maintaining ongoing partnerships with community-based providers.
- Responsible for conducting mental health assessment and counseling intervention services, developing individualized treatment plans, leading individual or group therapy sessions, running preventative mental wellness classes or workshops and making treatment referrals, as well as continually monitoring and documenting clients’ mental well-being and overall adjustment to the program.
- Conduct intake, admission, and diagnostic assessments with clients, and document results according to CFRC standards.
- Provide Clinical Counselor coverage for cases as needed during periods as needed.
- Provide counseling, therapy, and/or psychotherapy to children as appropriate to the position; prepare treatment plans, discharge plans, and follow-up care programs; provide therapeutic crisis intervention and emergency services as required.
- Provide weekly one-to-one counseling and crisis intervention as needed. Facilitate psycho-educational and therapeutic client groups.
- Collect data about client through interview, case history, psychological tests, and/or observational techniques; evaluates data to identify causes of problems and to determine proper therapeutic approach.
- Provide and/or arrange for therapeutic interventions as appropriate for clients in a crisis situation.
- Determine reliability and validity of treatment used; make recommendations regarding modification to services and service delivery.
- Responsible for working collaboratively with program administrators to ensure that the collaborative process between the supervisors, case managers and clinical staff occurs on a consistent and on-going basis to ensure that unit programming is developed, implemented, and maintained within the lens of integrative treatment design.
- Responsible for ensuring Clinical Counselors comply with all aspects of youth and sponsor assessment practices, and that the Clinical Counselor team maintains consistent communication with program personnel to promote the positive adjustment of the youth to the program.
- Responsible for coordinating Clinical Counselor services to include the safe and timely release of UC in accordance with ORR policy and procedures.
- Provide training for Clinical Counselor regarding responsibilities within the Children First Residential Care Program, including agency, state and federal policy updates and changes.
- Ensures accurate and timely completion of documentation as required by state and federal regulations, to include ensuring that all services provided to youth are documented in the client record and required databases in accordance with state and federal regulations.
- Provide oversight in the development/implementation of policies, procedures, and reports to assure effective department functioning and documentation of activity and performance outcomes.
- Review and evaluate progress reports and final reports in order to ensure proper reporting procedures as outlined by guidelines.
Other Functions:
- Develop corrective action plans or disciplinary memos to address performance or conduct issues of Clinical Counselor staff in collaboration with Program Management Team.
- Responsible for providing regular feedback and annual evaluation for Clinical Counselor and program mental health personnel.
- Support development and implementation of service planning to ensure that all youth have access to diverse and meaningful program offerings.
- Provide effective communication across departments and programs to ensure consistency of expectations, as well as works effectively as a member of the interdisciplinary team.
- Advocate for the timely completion of specialized services as needed by the youth.
- Involved in interviewing and orientation of new employees for the department when needed.
- Maintain effective working relationships with families, children/youth, colleagues, consultants, and community agencies.
- Ensures that treatment services are provided to all youth and families 24/7 in keeping with the agency standards. Ensures that there is an effective and efficient system of coordination for staff utilization related to the complexity of youth and families, i.e., crisis support, behavior management and education.
- Assist to monitor performance and determine the need for improvements.
- Assist ensuring program operations and activities adhere to legal guidelines and internal policies.
- Discover ways to enhance efficiency and productivity of procedures.
- Attend organizational required trainings and facilitate trainings as needed.
- Attend departmental and program meetings to ensure that up-to-date information is received and/or provided and to ensure that changes to policy or practice are implemented and adhered to.
- May serve as the Lead of the Clinical Counselor Department in the absence of the LCC.
- Assist in the evacuation of youth as needed due to inclement weather conditions, natural disasters, or other unforeseen occurrences.
- Maintain a safe, clean, and hazard-free work area.
- Keep management informed with detailed and accurate reports or presentations.
- Other task and responsibilities as assigned.
- This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Level: Master’s Degree in Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Clinical Counseling, Human Services or other relevant behavioral science required. Additional degree/course work in related fields desirable. Two years of postgraduate direct service delivery is required.
Equivalent Education/ Work Experience: Ph.D. in psychology, sociology, or other relevant behavioral science in which clinical experience is a program requirement, plus two years of postgraduate direct service delivery experience OR a bachelor’s degree plus five years clinical employment experience in the behavioral sciences.
Assistant Lead Clinicians also have supervisory experience, are licensed to provide clinical services, and will have experience in or be trained to work with cultural competencies.
Must be bilingual (English/Spanish) – speak, read and write
LCSW, LPC or equivalent in their respective fields. Candidates eligible for licensure will be considered.
Other Specialized Training and skills:
- Experience of Clinical Counselor experience with youth and children.
- Ability to read, write and converse proficiently in Spanish and translate written Spanish into English
- Strong management, organizational and leadership skills
- Demonstrates adaptive leadership through supportive coaching and mentoring to direct care, supervisory staff and Clinical Counselor through regular administrative supervision and training opportunities. Integral person responsible for the professional development of the department, recognizing the importance of addressing vicarious trauma for staff.
- Demonstrates an understanding of the value of cultural diversity, including the ability to develop systems and practices that are inclusive of diverse staff members and responsive to the cultural needs of the client population served.
- Demonstrate familiarity and working knowledge of evidenced-based practices.
- Strong writing, organizational and interpersonal communication skills
- Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office, SharePoint, OneDrive) with the ability to learn new software.
