Residential Counselor

Work Location: Holyoke, MA

• Bilingual Candidates Encouraged to Apply

• EOE M/F/D/V

The Gándara Center provides residential, mental health, substance abuse, and preventive services for children, adults, and families across the Pioneer Valley and eastern parts of Massachusetts. We believe in our communities and value cultural diversity and strive to provide culturally competent, innovative services to a diverse community. Our mission is to promote the well-being of Hispanics, African-Americans, and other culturally diverse populations, through innovative, culturally competent behavioral health, prevention, and educational services –Changing Lives one family at a time.

Duties and Responsibilities

• To share all expectations of Recovery Specialists/DCI.
• To maintain direct supportive contact with persons served to continually assess their individual needs, especially during stressful/crisis situations.
• To provide advocacy services whenever appropriate for each person served.
• To develop and maintain a working relationship and knowledge of other social service agencies in the community.
• To develop strong, supportive relationships with the persons served.
• To provide for care and safety of all persons served.
• To interact with all persons served in order to assess needs, provide information, discuss problems, set limits, and encourage growth and development.
• To participate in persons served recreational activities
• To notify supervisory staff immediately in the event of a persons served experiencing a crisis, suspected illegal activity, or any behavior constituting an incident in the program.
• To maintain updated group notes and reporting in accordance to established record keeping procedures.
• To participate in all staff meetings and other required meeting identified by the supervisor.
• To assist program administration with the completion of toxicology screenings
• To provide orientation of services to persons served family members and community interest groups.
• To provide crisis intervention
• To provide trauma informed approaches.
• To arrange and provide transportation for persons served to outside appointments when public transportation is not available or recommended.
• To participate in training programs (both external and internal), regularly research materials relative to chemical abuse, mental illness and treatment approaches.
• To acquire and maintain current necessary certifications mandated by the Agency and funding sources.
• To adhere to program and agency policies and procedures.
• To perform other duties as assigned by the Program Director.

Benefits

• Retirement Plan 403(b)
• Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• Paid vacations
• Paid holidays
• 8 discretionary days
• Mileage Reimbursement

The Gándara Mental Health Center provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.