Job Summary

Clinicians conduct mental health assessments and provide ongoing individual and group counseling services, screen for human trafficking concerns, and provide crisis intervention services. The position will also provide clinical guidance to case managers, participate in, and provide expert/professional support in treatment concerning mental health issues and behavior management. Clinicians provide professional opinions/recommendations to the team regarding UACs that are essential to making clinical decisions concerning the treatment and welfare of the clients. Clinical Counselors work as primary mental health caregivers for their patients. The clinical counselor includes conducting mental health assessments, developing individualized treatment plans, leading individual or group therapy sessions, running preventative mental wellness classes or workshops, and making treatment referrals. The clinical Counselor team must follow the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) regulations and guidelines.

Essential Functions:

• Responsible for general oversight and coordination of clinical counselor services.
• Collects data about clients through interviews, case history, psychological tests, and/or observational techniques; evaluates data to identify causes of problems and to determine proper therapeutic approach or referral to other specialists.
• Identify and build relationships with primary care providers, in multiple disciplines including behavioral health.
• 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 and/or arrange for therapeutic interventions as appropriate for patients or 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 unit 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 coordinating clinical counselor services to include the safe and timely release of UC in accordance with ORR policy and procedures.
• Supports development and implementation of service planning to ensure that all youth have access to diverse and meaningful program offerings.
• 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.
• Provides effective communication across departments and programs to ensure consistency of expectations, as well as works effectively as a member of the interdisciplinary team.
• Coordinates with the case managers staff, specialty services staff and other staff in provision of services and programs for clients through the therapeutic team approach.
• Advocates for the timely completion of specialized services as needed by the youth, including psychiatric and substance abuse evaluations, to include coordination with community-based resources if necessary.
• Integral in the orientation process for clinical counselor staff to teach clear expectations of the position and how it fits in the agency, provide ongoing support in the milieu to continue the orientation in the unit.
• Maintain effective working relationships with families, children/youth, colleagues, consultants and community agencies.
• Develop and maintain emotional intelligence for effective self-care and the role-model for youth, staff, and families the essence of Trauma Informed Practices.
• 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. transportation, crisis support, behavior management and education.
• 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.
• Assist in the provision and facilitation of department and agency wide training opportunities.
• Develop progress reports in order to ensure proper reporting procedures as outlined by guidelines.
• 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.
• 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.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Level: Master’s Degree in Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Clinical Counseling, Human Services or other relevant behavioral science required with direct clinical experience in the program or clinical employment experience. Additional degree/course work in related fields desirable.
• Equivalent Education/ Work Experience: Bachelor’s degree in psychology, sociology, or other relevant behavioral science which 3 years of clinical employment experience in the program.
• Will be licensed to provide clinical services or eligible for licensure and will have experience in or be trained to work with cultural competencies.
• LCSW, LPC or equivalent in their respective fields is preferred.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish- Read, Write, and Speak (Required)
• PLEASE NOTE: MUST BE WILLING TO BE TRAINED AT OTHER LOCATIONS (77033 AND 77035) - LENGTH OF TIME TO BE DETERMINED UPON HIRE

Working Conditions/ Physical Effort

Work is performed mostly in an office setting. Some overnight travel, public s peaking, evening and weekend work are requirements of the position. Regular computer works also required. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand; walk; sit; finger, handle, or feel objects, or controls; reach; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, or crouch; talk and hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The physical demands and work environment characteristics described above are representative of the physical capabilities that must be met by an employee and the working conditions that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of t he position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.

We participate in E-Verify.