Clinician, FFT

EMPLOYER INFORMATION
Clifford Beers is a mental health clinic serving children and families. Our mission is to provide  integrated services addressing mental, physical, and social determinants in order to improve  health, resiliency and quality of life for children, families and communities. 

PURPOSE
The implementation site uses the Functional Family Therapy (FFT) modality with (target  population(s) – (each) with its own referral and reporting requirements. This program operates  under the direction of the director FFT. The therapist will provide, at a minimum, weekly one hour, home-based family therapy sessions to clients. Therapists will utilize the FFT model with  families who have adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18. Therapists will be required to carry  a caseload of 10 to 15 families, providing services anywhere from eight to 26 weeks. This position requires flexibility in hours to meet families when they are available. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Deliver Evidence-Based Therapy: Implement the FFT model with youth and their families to reduce conflict, improve communication, and change problem behaviors.
• Conduct Home and Community Visits: Meet with families in their own homes, communities, or occasionally in an office setting. 
• Assess Dynamics & Plan Treatment through assessment of patterns, family system, assess safety and risk, and develop targeted behavioral goals.
• Provide Crisis Intervention: Manage acute behavioral flare-ups and help families build emergency safety and coping plans.
• Maintain Documentation: Track treatment progress, submit detailed session notes, and input data into specialized clinical databases in a timely manner as required. 
• Coordinate with Stakeholders: Collaborate closely with child welfare agencies (like DCF/ACS), the juvenile justice system, schools, and other involved professionals. 
• Ensure to maintain model fidelity to the specific FFT treatment phases (Engagement, Motivation, Relational Change, and Behavior Change).
• Cultural Competency: Ability to engage respectfully with families from diverse backgrounds.
• Strengths-Based Focus: A non-judgmental approach that empowers the family to identify their own dynamics and drive their own change.
• Perform other duties as requested by direct supervisor and agency leadership.
• Responds in a positive and respectful manner to diversity around the agency’s services, client and family population and staff. 

TRAVEL

• This role may require travel throughout the Greater New Haven area each day.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS 

• Indoors, Environmentally controlled with occasional exposure to outdoor weather
• Close physical proximity to coworkers and clients 

COMPETENCIES:
Must demonstrate the following competencies:

Diversity and Inclusion: 
Foster an environment in which all members of the CBCCC community, from staff to partners and clients, are treated equitably and are able to contribute fully and meaningfully to the mission of CBCCC.  Employees must make every effort to:

• Treat others with respect
• Practice cultural humility
• Elicit and welcome different points of view

Integrity: 
Act ethically with honesty and consistency regardless of the situation.  

Employees must make every effort to:

• Be accountable for his or her own actions
• Make decisions based on what is better for the families and employees
• Build and maintain trust among co-workers and our families
• Uphold honesty in all actions 

Excellence: 
Commitment to deliver outstanding practices in both managing the organization, service delivery, and collaborating with partners.  Employees must make every effort to:

• Utilize data and research to provide the highest quality of care 
• Regularly participate in professional development to stay abreast of most recent and progressive practices
• Promote continuous quality assessment and improvement

Communication: 
The ability to express oneself clearly and professionally both in writing, conversations, and in nonverbal communication with others.  Employees must make every effort to:

Oral Communication

• Speak clearly and in an organized manner that can be easily understood
• Express ideas concisely and respectfully
• Summarize or paraphrase his/her understanding of what others have said to verify understanding and prevent miscommunication
• Hold themselves accountable for pitch, speed, tone and volume of voice while speaking
• Show understanding of professional and cultural implications of body posture, stance, gestures, proximity to listener, facial expressions and appearance

Written Communication

• Write clear and concise sentences devoid of grammatical and spelling errors
• Tailor writing style to the audience of the message
• Write in a respectful and tactful manner

AAP Statement
Clifford Beers Community Care Center (CBCCC), is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We conform to all the laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We strongly encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply to all of our job openings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability status, Genetic Information & Testing, Family & Medical Leave, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity or Expression, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit Retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or otherwise oppose discrimination.
 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

• A Master's degree in Social Work (MSW), Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, or a closely related field.
• Licensure: Often requires an active, license-eligible status (e.g., LMSW, LCSW, LMFT-A, LMFT LPC-A, LPC, or equivalent).
• Preferred experience: Experience working with adolescents, complex family systems, or the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. 

SKILLS
Must exhibit knowledge and or proven ability in delivering developmentally appropriate services  according to the program being supported, while demonstrating the following skills:

• Ability and willingness to work with families in their own homes 
• Flexibility: The ability to schedule evening or weekend sessions to accommodate the families' availability. 
• Ability to work independently, as well as contribute to a team 
• Very good interpersonal/communication skills 
• Strong clinical skills 
• Ability to internalize and work within the FFT philosophy and model 
• Ability to work with adolescents 
• Ability to work with respect for cultural diversity 
• Ability to engage families who may not want the service 
• Ability to adapt and individualize program interventions to utilize family strengths and  skills 
• Commitment to empowering families to solve their own problems 
• Belief in the capacity of people to grow and change 
• Ability to establish a mutually respectful relationship, in which the family is a full  partner, empowered to solve their own problems 
• Ability to intervene decisively, when necessary, to protect family members
• Ability to set appropriate boundaries and limits for best practice 
   

Salary : $55,000 - $70,000