Prevention Specialist

At St. Vincent Family Services, it is our job to help families build bright futures.  

Make it your job too!  

 We offer competitive wages, comprehensive benefits, 401K matching & a generous PTO package.  
 These benefits are just a few reasons to join our team. 

SUMMARY

The Prevention Coordinator is responsible providing a range of prevention activities that promote social and emotional health and well-being, as well as alcohol, tobacco and drug intervention initiatives to youth, families and community members within schools, churches and the community.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Contributes to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our clients, colleagues and community partners from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Integrates principles of Trauma Informed Care in all aspects of work.
• Is sensitive to the children’s culture and socioeconomic characteristics that delivers the best possible care to the youth and families served.
• Collaborate with schools, parent-teacher groups, churches, and other youth and community entities to identify mental health prevention and/or alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention services. 
• Provide prevention and early intervention services in the school based, after school summer camps/programs.
• Select prevention curriculum, design prevention activities and coordinate program implementation while ensuring compliance and referring agency’s standards are met.  Provide agency staff training as needed. 
• Maintain accurate documentation of direct and indirect services provided in accordance with OHHAS, ADAMH and agency standards.
• Assist in the management of crisis situations with the exclusion of restraint. 
• Embrace and implement Trauma Informed Care strategies.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to the cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of the children and families served.
• Assist children and their families with social, emotional, education adjustment and development.
• Gather statistical and research information to include evidence-based prevention approaches. 
• Provide advocacy, monitoring, and linkage to services for families.
• Coordinate, facilitate and document group and individual consultations that foster mental health, alcohol, drug and/or tobacco wellness. 
• Participate in alcohol, tobacco or other drug awareness campaigns such as Red Ribbon Week, Great American Smoke Out, etc. 
• Participate in health fairs, business expos, parades and other community events for the purpose of providing anti-substance use messages. 
• Assist in providing orientation or information sessions for parents, teachers, staff or administrators in target area schools and community sites when requested. 
• Document all program actives as required and submit program reports and records according to the agency’s established deadlines. 
• Assist in maintaining and updating the agency’s community resource list, video reference list, curriculum inventory, program materials inventory, and physical inventory. 
• Attend training, seminars, workshops, and classes to achieve and maintain required credentials and continuing education as required by the agency, regulatory and licensing standards.  
• Other duties as assigned or requested.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE 

• High School Diploma or GED required
• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology or related discipline preferred
• Prevention Certification (Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist Assistant)
• Minimum 6 months experience in mental health or AOD prevention 
• Valid Driver’s License, Vehicle Registration and Proof of Auto Liability Insurance Coverage.
• Proficiency with MS Windows and Outlook
• Minimum two years of experience working with children and families.

• Ability to work evening and/or weekend hours due to the service delivery and administrative needs of SVFC clients and families. 
• Ability to complete and turn in paperwork in a timely fashion. 
• Ability to maintain high degree of empathy and compassion in meeting the needs of our clients and client families.  
• Ability to build strong bonds with employees and managers to foster open, honest and candid communication. 
• Ability to multi-task and maintain organization in a fast paced, changing environment. 
• Ability to manage change in an organization reengineering its culture and approach to workload management. 
• Ability to create and maintain highest levels of confidentiality when dealing with client information, SVFC proprietary information and sensitive situations.
• Ability to work and contribute as member of team.

LANGUAGE SKILLS 

• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from clients, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community. 
• Ability to complete, interpret and respond to clinical documentation inquiries.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to client families and employees.

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk and listen. 
• The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. 
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. 
• Ability to complete crisis intervention training and successfully pass course for certification and perform techniques to a satisfactory level. 

Work Environment

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 
• May experience loud, verbal displays of outbursts from potentially distressed children seeking treatment. 
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time.   
• Building temperature may vary during each season and the work environment may be unseasonably cold or warm during the year.