Director of Mental Health & Community

InnerCity Weightlifting's (ICW) mission is to reduce gun violence by amplifying the voice and agency of people who have been most impacted by systemic racism and mass incarceration. 

We partner with program participants through case management and careers in and beyond personal training. Individuals are elevated as experts in fitness and the social issues they've lived. ICW is a culture and community in which power dynamics are flipped, social capital is bridged, and new leaders emerge in the fight to combat long-standing inequities. 

Position Overview:  The Director of Mental Health & Community leads the development and oversight of mental health programs and services across the organization. This role is also central to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and values-based community culture.

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical:

• Provide individual psychotherapy for program participants, ensuring confidentiality within the organization 
• Provide coaching for staff in need of additional support navigating the challenges of their work
• Engage in evidence-based de-escalation intervention for both participants and staff
• Facilitate and build a referral pipeline for participants and staff who prefer to other trusted clinicians
• Perform program evaluation and needs assessments, providing high-quality, ethical service delivery
• Develop a list of community partners who can earn trust of participants and understand broader context of what the population experience
• Design and instruct psychoeducational programs, training, and workshops for participants and staff (ex. anti-sexual harassment, conflict resolution, anger management, young fatherhood, etc.)
• Ensure compliance with all licensing, ethical, and regulatory standards

Organizational Leadership:

• Instill the values, philosophies, and ensure the integrity of our ICW mission among workplace culture; ensuring organizational values and behaviors align with mental health goals
• Promote a culture of openness, equity, and belonging through training, dialogue, and policy development
• Successfully builds trust and has the respect of staff and participants based on knowledge, personality and/or lived experience
• Work with staff to understand the reality of the work, to become better at reaching goals, outcomes, and earn trust
• Instill a culture of learning, of accountability starting as an inward reflection of improving what's within each person's individual control
• Build a culture that understands that punishing someone isn't the same as supporting someone; A culture that focuses on meaningful solutions, and understands that environmental factors are the primary source of blame - that prison can cater to toxic masculinity - and that meaningful solutions often lie in acting, modeling, and sticking with a new set of circumstances that supports people and builds appreciation rather than hurt and pain
• Work with the CEO to set organization goals, to support people at ICW, and strategy to reach stated goals
• Develop and deliver training for staff, volunteers, and community members on mental health equity, anti-oppressive practice, and self/community care
• Can have credible conversations about building and running the gyms 
• Can have direct and influential difficult conversations community members, regardless of role
• Able to serve as host or spokesperson for ICW during internal workouts, tours and events or represent ICW at external events

People Leadership:

• Work with People & Operations Manager to lead screening and hiring conversations and practices
• Supervise onboarding and ongoing professional development for people at ICW - staff, trainers, participants
• Lead initiatives that cultivate an inclusive, supportive, and psychologically safe environment
• Builds bridges between people despite potential divisions based on backgrounds or roles
• Settle unhealthy disagreements, and tensions that have gone too far - and, teach people how to leverage disagreement and tension in healthy ways
• Help the team understand each other and engage in disagreement in order to arrive at understanding (not necessarily agreement) across a diverse set of perspectives, experiences, and skills

Qualifications:

• Doctor of Clinical Psychology,  Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (must have graduated from an accredited program and is currently licensed to practice in the state of Massachusetts. This position cannot support a pre-licensed clinician.)
• 5 years of experience in mental health, organizational development, DEI, or culture-building roles, with leadership experience preferred
• Utilizes a strength-based and liberation psychology lens in all clinical work
• Maintains an appropriate malpractice insurance policy (1,000,000 incident/3,000,000 annual)
• In-”office” and easily able to move between all sites (Cambridge, Dorchester and Savin Hill)
• Experience working with individuals impacted by incarceration and systemic oppression
• Deep understanding of mental health equity, racial justice, and community-based approaches to healing
• Interest in social justice and passionate about ICW mission
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Must be able to work both collaboratively and independently to help advance the mission

Benefits:

• A private space off-site for clinical work to be conducted
• HIPAA compliant medical record system
• Annual $500 stipend for continuing education
• Reimbursement for annual malpractice insurance
• A partially matching SIMPLE IRA retirement plan
• Reimbursement of health insurance of up to $250/month, or $500/month with dependents 
• Generous paid holiday policy
• 15 days paid vacation for years 1 and 2 of employment, and 20 days for years 3 of employment 
• Employees accrue sick/medical leave time per the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Laws
• 24/7 access to gym spaces 
• Year-round “summer Fridays”; closing at 2pm

Salary : $250 - $500