JOB TITLE: Bilingual Mental Health Counselor

REPORTS TO: Director of Student Supports

COMPANY: The Excel Center for Adults, founded in 2014, is the first free public charter high school in Texas that provides adults ages 18-50 the opportunity to earn their high school diploma, complete an in-demand professional certification, and begin post-secondary education. The Excel Center offers programming that is specific to the adult learner experience such as accelerated academics and flexible scheduling, special programs, and resources, and supportive services to help students remove barriers they may encounter during their educational journey. Currently, The Excel center has three Austin-area campuses that serve both day and evening students in addition to four Justice Education campuses, located in Lockhart, Henderson, Overton, and Diboll, TX. Work. Empower. Transform. Join the team whose work empowers people to transform their lives.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Mental Health Counselor will serve as one of two clinical interventionists for the Goodwill Excel Center, with the ultimate goal of reducing maladaptive behaviors and improve the health, daily functioning, and emotional well-being for students so that they can make progress toward achieving educational goals and career pathways. The Mental Health Counselor will work from a trauma-informed approach to provide evidence-based individual and group counseling sessions to students. They will assist in program development for mental health services, including program referral processes, ongoing documentation, and data collection, and both qualitative and quantitative evaluation of student outcomes both immediate, ongoing, and longitudinally. The Mental Health Counselor will also provide individual or joint crisis intervention with other team members via triage and will assist participants in finding appropriate outside resources based upon individual need.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Utilize specialized clinical knowledge and advanced skills to assess, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, conditions, and addictions for students at the Goodwill Excel Center.

2. Provide appropriate trauma-informed, person-centered, systematically focused, evidence-based, best practice therapeutic interventions to participants.

3. Provide treatment methods and interventions for youth and adults that include but are not limited to individual and group therapy with potential opportunities for couple, marital, or family therapy.

4. Perform interviews and utilize various diagnostic assessments to identify presenting problems and gather relevant psychological history and facts that will assist in determining most appropriate intervention(s).

5. Collaborate with students to identify therapy goals and develop treatment plan.

6. Provide individual and group counseling in accordance with evidence-based practices with a focus on issues related to education and employment such as stress management and parenting skills.

7. Facilitate therapeutic and psychoeducational groups around student issues such as domestic violence, grief and loss, trauma, self-harm, reintegration for formerly incarcerated individuals, resource navigation for refugee students, and other high risk issues.

8. Remain on call for crisis intervention throughout school week and on scheduled school days according to current school calendar and bell schedule.

9. Work collaboratively with external and internal entities to ensure appropriate referral and facilitate participant’s success in achieving and maintaining the maximum possible level of independent functioning to achieve academic and socioemotional metrics.

10. Appropriately conduct termination as students exit program to refer clients to community counseling resources for identified mental health issues that require longer term treatment.

11. Develop and present training seminars that are tailored to clients and employee of the Goodwill Excel Center and Goodwill Central Texas.

12. Develop school-specific processes and protocols for intakes, assessments, case notes, community contacts, services rendered, treatment plans, and discharge planning.

13. Document all assessments, sessions, and planning in a timely, ethical, and quality manner in Electronic Clinical Database.

14. Effectively manage data at all levels to demonstrate educational and mental health outcomes for students enrolled (current, prior, or alumni) in the Goodwill Excel Center as a result of therapeutic and crisis interventions.

15. Conduct regular metrics with students served to demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative in nature.

16. Analyze data outcomes on individual, group and school-wide levels to inform current and future practice.

17. Prepare thorough, accurate, and timely reports that demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative student data that can be presented to school and company boards as well as grant funders and other community funders.

18. Creatively conceptualize development and growth of mental health services and service provision at the Goodwill Excel Center for current and future students.

19. Use personal vehicle to drive to community locations to facilitate and coordinate wraparound care for students and/or participate in position-related trainings and collaboration.

20. Function as a member of the counseling team at the Excel Center, collaboratively assessing and serving mental health needs of students districtwide.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Maintain participant confidentiality and prepare reports as requested.

2. Maintain licensure, attend professional development trainings, and adhere to Code of Ethics as required by licensing board.

3. Read and understand complicated and detailed correspondence and reports, regulations, and policy directives.

4. Participate in required internal clinical trainings with Manager of Goodwill Counseling Services and clinical team.

5. Work a varied/flexible schedule to best meet the needs of Goodwill Excel Center Students.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

This position does not have any formal supervisory responsibilities. May temporarily supervise interns from local partner universities, depending on need and as agreed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. LCSW or LPC. LMSW or LPC-I with less than a year from full licensure will be considered.

2. Texas Driver’s License, good driving record, liability insurance and vehicle in good working condition.

3. Minimum 2 years of experience working in social services and/or counseling.

4. Must be able to understand work instructions in English.

5. Must be bilingual.

6. Must have good analytical, critical thinking, interview, interpretation and communication skills.

7. Must be efficient in computer operation, networking, and communication.

8. Must be an energetic self-starter, comfortable working in a busy, diverse environment.

9. Able to successfully pass background check and fingerprinting requirement.

10. Possess an in-depth knowledge of community crisis intervention and post-counseling service referral sources.

11. Must possess understanding of marginalization and how it impacts those Goodwill serves and employs.

12. Exhibit respect for diversity of thought and have experience to advance it in teams/organization.

13. Must demonstrate a maturity of practice using the 7 pillars and principals of servant leadership.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Experience working with high school age students in urban, non-traditional, and/or adult education setting.

2. Experience with counseling/mental health provision in the school setting.

3. Bilingual in Spanish or Arabic and English.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: DOE and Qualifications

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or other legally protected status.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Work setting:

• In-person

Education:

• Master's (Preferred)

Work Location: In person