Youth Justice Therapist - Term-Limited

TITLE: Youth Justice Therapist/Psychotherapist

DIVISION: Justice Division and Counseling

SCHEDULE: M-Friday 10-6pm, in person position (occasional evening & weekend hours as needed)

SALARY: $76,000 $3,640 Bilingual Premium (Spanish, Cantonese or Mandarin)

STATUS: Term-limited for One Year, Exempt, Union/ Full-time, 40 hours per week

SUPERVISOR: Division Director-Youth Justice & HYP Clinical Director (LMFT)

AGENCY DESCRIPTION:

Huckleberry Youth Programs (HYP) is a critical provider of essential safety net services for high-needs youth and their families in San Francisco and Marin County. For over 50 years, HYP has developed and maintained prevention programs that promote the health and leadership of youth, and, as a result divert youth from violence, crime and gang involvement, as well as other harmful behaviors, including running away, drug/alcohol abuse, risky sexual activities, and involvement in the juvenile justice systems. HYP’s mission is to work in solidarity with young people and their families to advance their personal growth and social equity. Our programming focuses on the core areas of safety, health, justice, and education.HYP employs approximately 75 employees and operates on a $9 million annual budget. We offer excellent employee benefits, including full medical/dental/vision/acupuncture and chiropractic coverage and generous vacation time. For more information about our various programs please go to our website at www.huckleberryyouth.org.

POSITION & JUSTICE DIVISION SUMMARY:

The primary responsibility of this position will be to provide individual and/or family therapy, clinical case management and linkage to services for youth (ages 12-24) who are victims/survivors of a crime, directly impacted by the juvenile justice system or are experiencing school pushout. The therapist may also be utilized to provide basic needs, crisis support & intervention for youth at the point of arrest and clinical consultation to the justice team staff in collaboration with the Justice Division leadership. Young people are referred through the SF District Attorney’s Office: Victim Services Division, HYP Justice Division staff and the HYP Clinical Director.

Huckleberry provides services to youth ages 12-24 and their families with four main service areas of HEALTH, SAFETY, JUSTICE and EDUCATION. Within the Justice Division there are currently two main programs: the San Francisco Community Assessment and Referral Center (CARC) and SEEDS of Change. CARC is California’s only assessment center which functions as a single point of entry for assessment, arrest, and crisis intervention, service integration, justice system navigation and individualized referrals to community-based organizations for youth ages 12-18yrs who are arrested in San Francisco. CARC is San Francisco’s community-based diversion program and supports youth who are cited but return back to their community and youth who are detained at the Juvenile Justice Center. CARC makes referrals to agencies funded by the Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF) to serve as Justice Services Care Coordinators(JSCC). The JSCC CBO partnerships include: Bay Area Community Resources (BACR); Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ); Mission Neighborhood Centers (MNC); Sunset Youth Services (SYS); and Young Community Developers (YCD). CARC also subcontracts with Instituto Familiar de la Raza (IFR) and Community Youth Center (CYC) for additional culturally responsive services.
SEEDS of Change, a program within the San Francisco Youth Justice Initiative (SFYJI) is dedicated to disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline by empowering middle school students and their families to reconnect with school, ensuring a smooth transition to high school, and providing the necessary tools for a successful path toward graduation while avoiding involvement in the juvenile legal system. SEEDS has four main program components: Individualized Case Management, Academic Assistance, Social and Emotional Learning/Development and Mental Health Services, Caregiver Education & School-system Navigation Support. This initiative includes a collaborative partnership with Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, Young Community Developers (YCD), Legal Services for Children, Disability Rights California, and Youth Law Center.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide individual and/or family therapy and/or clinical case management to young people (ages 12-24)
• Receive direct referrals from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Victim Services Division
• Conduct assessments with youth, including the CANS and the TESI to ensure youth are linked to additional supportive services as appropriate. This may include psychiatric care, substance use disorder treatment, case management, and primary medical care
• Ensure youth feedback is obtained by utilizing the PCOMS (Partners for Change Outcome Rating Scale) at the beginning & end of each session, and giving youth surveys (SF County BHS & funders)
• Utilize healing-centered, trauma-informed practices, restorative justice, harm reduction, holistic and youth development practices
• Seek to reduce barriers to accessing mental health services, by demonstrating flexibility in approach and location of service delivery.
  • Location of services can include but are not limited to the Justice Division site, other HYP program sites, school partner sites, the Juvenile Justice Center or in the community
• Provide consultation and/or training to Justice Division staff, including in moments of crisis at the center
• Attend & participate in all program & embedded therapist specific and agency required meetings that may be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually
  • This includes clinical & program specific supervision & support
• Maintain a fluid caseload and consistent, accurate, thorough and timely electronic documentation of contacts with youth, their families and other service providers within EPIC and Salesforce data entry systems
• Demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skill in conducting biopsychosocial assessments, evaluating and responding to clinical risks, creating diagnostic formulations, developing treatment/goal plans and choosing and applying effective interventions to bring about therapeutic change
• Develop rapport, engagement and retention of youth in services in a manner that demonstrates awareness of the impact of sociocultural factors on experiences, values, learning and counseling needs
• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of legal and ethical issues and apply this vigilantly to clinical practice; consistently maintain appropriate boundaries with clients and staff
• Consistently work to advance clinical skills and knowledge of self and the clinical team by actively engaging in group and individual supervision, pursuing training opportunities and sharing knowledge
• Co-facilitate behavioral health groups like Parent’s Turn or presentations as directed
• Manage clear and timely communication with system and community partners such as but not limited to Instituto Familiar de la Raza (IFR), Community Youth Center (CYC), Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, Young Community Developers (YCD), Legal Services for Children, SFUSD, SF Victim Services Division, & the SF Juvenile Probation Department
• Participate & engage in personal & professional development trainings focused on best practices in the school to prison pipeline, diversion, therapeutic modalities, youth development and more.

• Support the team with administrative responsibilities as needed such as reception, filing, organizing supplies, office cleaning, etc.

• Other assigned duties as needed to run effective youth justice programming

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• A master’s degree in social work or counseling
• A clinical license or registered with BBS in pursuit of license
• At least 2 years of experience providing individual therapy and/or youth development services to youth ages 12-18 and/or Transitional Age Youth & Adults (TAYA)
• Willing & able to work & partner with law enforcement representatives on a regular basis
• Excellent critical thinking, problem solving, oral and written communication skills, & organization

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bilingual capability in Spanish, Cantonese or other San Francisco Threshold languages is strongly preferred; stipend provided
• Thorough knowledge of community-based organizations serving adolescents in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Ability to work in a mobile, crisis, fast-paced and collaborative environment.
• Committed to managing multiple projects/tasks, working independently as well as being able to work cohesively in a culturally diverse team environment
• Experience with Medi-Cal documentation, especially use of EPIC
• Experience, awareness and knowledge of cultures of San Francisco youth and families and demonstration of cultural sensitivity and responsiveness
• Experience with telehealth and/or other non-traditional modalities

THERAPISTS RECEIVE:

• Weekly individual clinical supervision
• Group clinical supervision (3x/month team meeting)
• BBS hours if needed
• Ongoing training and support in a genuine learning environment
• Agency commitment to addressing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma
• The opportunity to work with a wide range of clinical issues within a diverse client population

WORK ENVIRONMENT: This position primarily works out of our center located at 44 Gough St. in San Francisco. The role also requires providing services at the Juvenile Justice Center (including juvenile hall), local schools, community based organizations, other Huckleberry programs and in the community. This role occasionally includes driving and transporting youth. The position also includes the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. The office is located in the Hayes Valley/Civic Center neighborhoods of San Francisco and is accessible by public transportation but also has a parking lot for staff.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: This role requires the ability to talk, hear and sit, to drive your personal and agency vehicles, to be able to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds unassisted.

ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY QUALIFICATIONS:

• TB clearance
• Valid CA driver’s license, clear DMV record, and reliable transportation
• Two years driving experience
• Fully vaccinated for COVID-19

SECURITY CLEARANCE:

Must pass the DOJ/FBI background check. Due to our requirements with licensing, candidates with backgrounds including items on this non-exemptible crimes list
will not be eligible for exemption at this time.

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:

Huckleberry Youth Programs is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal opportunity to its employees and applicants for employment without discrimination on the basis of race; color; ethnic background; religion; gender; gender identity or expression; sexual orientation; national origin; ancestry; age; marital status; pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical condition; disability, including HIV- related conditions; or status as a covered veteran. This policy applies to every aspect of employment, including but not limited to: hiring, advancement, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, compensation, benefits, training and working conditions.

FAIR CHANCE: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.