Community Clinician

Kaleidoscope is a charitable organization located in Chicago with a mission to enhance child and family wellbeing by delivering innovative, individualized care and strengthening community connections. We are looking to build our Enhanced Clinical Community Support Program and are seeking individuals to fill the position of Community Clinician. In addition to our competitive compensation and benefits package, we are also offering a $3,000 signing bonus!

Kaleidoscope's Enhanced Clinical Community Support (ECCS) program provides immediate, short-term services to stabilize youth in care of DCFS in their home after inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. A Community Clinician works with the family team to ensure that the young person receives the intensity of services they need in a community-based, family setting, by securing continuity of care and maintaining positive relationships with important adults. The role of a Community Clinician is a unique opportunity to provide both clinical services and advocacy for youth and their caregivers. This is achieved through weekly in-person caregiver support sessions focused on trauma informed psychoeducation and therapeutic parenting coaching, clinical consultation with all providers serving the youth, facilitating frequent and clinically informed team meetings, and training other professionals on the treatment team on trauma informed models.

At Kaleidoscope, we value our employees and seek to provide them with opportunities for professional growth. We offer our employees flexible work schedules, competitive pay, and an excellent benefits package, including 26 days of PTO. In addition to agency trainings on trauma and attachment, the Enhanced Clinical Community Support Program receives training on clinical topics including the Attachment, Regulation, Competency (ARC) Framework, Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART), and Theraplay.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide direct clinical support services to caregivers, caseworkers and support teams (ex: therapist, mentor, legal advocates) for a caseload of 7-10 youth in care.
• Organize and facilitate monthly clinical team meetings with youth, caregivers, and caseworkers, as well as other supports in the youth's life.
• Facilitate consistent and ongoing communication with assigned casework agency and all relevant parties to identify family needs, child needs, and system barriers.
• Provide counseling and coaching to caregivers on trauma, addressing trauma behavioral symptoms and the promotion of healthy and secure attachments.
• Collaborate with the child and family team to develop, review, and modify a personalized plan outlining objectives for the child, caregiver(s), assigned casework agency, and other collaterals as needed.
• Utilize trauma informed interventions such as ARC, SPACE, SMART, or other evidence-based models that meet the various clinical needs of children, youth, families, and collaterals on assigned caseload.
• Ensure documentation of all admission, ongoing and closing activities in a timely manner using approved forms. This includes, but is not limited to progress notes, treatment plans, and the CANS 2.0.
• Provide ongoing clinical consultation to case management staff and caregivers regarding children and youth's functioning and appropriate treatment approaches to be used by staff/caregivers in supporting the child to meet his/her/their treatment needs.
• Provide clinical case management support to help identify referrals for therapy, obtaining psychotropic medication, etc.
• Advocate for youth needs and services in various spaces, such as DCFS Clinical Staffings, child and family team meetings, school-based meetings, etc.
• Consult regularly with supervisor and other service entities to ensure mental health, permanency, safety, and wellbeing needs of youth and family are being met.
• Travel throughout Cook County for weekly in-person sessions with families.

General Requirements

Minimum Degree Required: Master's Degree in social work or social service related degree

Licensure: LCSW or LCPC licensure preferred, not required

Information Technology Skills Required: Microsoft Office Proficiency

Schedule: This job requires a flexible schedule and the ability to work evenings (example: 10am-6pm, 11am-7pm)

Other requirements:

• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication and time management skills.
• Must be able to use Word, Outlook, and video conferencing services.
• Full time use of minimally insured operating automobile and valid driver's license is required.

EEO Statement

Kaleidoscope Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Inclusive/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, military discharge status, age, marital status, parental status, or source of income.