Youth Specialist II (3262)

Position Summary: 

Youth Specialist II’s are responsible for guiding young male-identifying youth in grades 6 – 12 to learn, internalize, and practice social skills, make responsible decisions for their future, and become positive members of their school and community. Drawing on their academic training in psychology, social work, or counseling, BAM Youth Specialist II’s use evidence-informed practices, trauma-informed engagement, and culturally responsive approaches to support the personal growth of youth. Youth Specialist II’s do this by providing the youth with the mindsets, values, and abilities they need to develop into healthy, responsible young men and thrive.  

• Work in collaboration with BAM Sr. Youth Specialist, Curriculum Specialist, and school administration to identify, recruit, and build relationships with up to 60 school-based youth to participate in the BAM. 

• Lead and facilitate 4 – 5 weekly BAM groups during the school day, utilizing youth engagement, clinical counseling, and men’s rites of passages skills. 

• Provide individualized support to all BAM participants, and provide individual, family, and crisis counseling sessions to students on an as-needed basis. 

• Provide trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate support to BAM participants, including one-on-one check-ins, case management, and goal setting as needed.  

• Participate in monthly staff development training and team meetings on the evidence-based BAM curriculum and other topics relevant to working with youth. 

• Participate in supervision and coaching to ensure fidelity of program delivery. 

• Deliver crisis intervention, risk assessments, and short-term individual interventions to students as needed, in alignment with best practices in adolescent mental health care and school-based clinical protocols. 

• Document all interactions with youth, including group and individual case notes, clinical assessments, brief encounters, special events, program consents, pre/post surveys, and monthly program narratives based on program protocol (within 24 hrs). 

• Work jointly with Sr. Youth Specialist and leadership to manage an annual program budget to plan and execute field trips and special events for students throughout the school year and summer. 

• Collaborate with school administration, teachers, and other Youth Guidance programs to provide, and participate in professional development sessions. 

• Collaborate and/or coordinate services with the Local School Council, Youth Guidance Parent Family Engagement team, and school-parent engagement team. 

• Participate in Journey to Self-Discovery Rites of Passage Training 

• Other duties as needed. 

• Bachelor’s degree required from an approved accredited university in the field of social work, counseling, psychology, criminal justice, or similar related field 

• Master’s degree in social work, counseling or a related human service field from an approved accredited university and one year of youth engagement experience preferred 

• Minimum of two years of youth engagement experience. 

• Minimum of two years of experience providing supervised group counseling. 

• LPC, LSW, or eligibility preferred. LCPC, LCSW or LMFT plus. 

Skills/Abilities 

• Knowledge of advanced psychological concepts (e.g. CBT, Clinical Processing, Modeling and Group Development) 

• Ability to commit to working in at risk environments 

• Ability to commit to the continuous improvement of service quality and the organization’s mission 

• Effective communication skills: Written and verbal 

• Ability to function well in group and team settings 

• Ability to demonstrate interpersonal skills that excel in cultural sensitivity and respect for differences 

• Willingness to occasionally participate in youth sports activities 

• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office products (outlook, word, excel, power point) 

Core Competencies

• Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with internal staff, teams, and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening
• Client orientation: Recognizes needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service orientation, to ultimately maximize the impact
• Equity mindset: Understands and is committed to goals of equity, consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace
• Growth mindset: Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if the change is required, demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn
• Ownership and quality of work: Effectively manages own work, and work of the team to ensure delivery of high-quality work
• Supervisory skills: Effectively manages and develops others
• Mission drive: Demonstrates commitment to the missing of the organization as a whole and alignment with organization values

Physical Demands 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

Benefits
Youth Guidance offers a competitive benefit package for eligible full-time employees including the option to participate in medical, dental, and vision plans as well as short-term disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, pet insurance, 401k, a wellness program and more. You may also quality for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
 

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This job operates in a professional office environment, school setting and working with the public.
•  Occasional local travel 

Our Values
At Youth Guidance, we believe that creating a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and respected is fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We acknowledge that many systems and institutions intended to support youth do not provide fair treatment or access for everyone. We strive to celebrate the unique qualities of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences. 

Youth Guidance is an equal opportunity employer. Youth Guidance does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
 

Salary : $60,000 - $66,000