Working with the Division of Youth Services is more than it seems. You will be working with staff to create a safe, therapeutic, and educational environment for youth in our day treatment and residential programs. To succeed in this position you will need to be empathetic, nonjudgmental, cooperative, encouraging, able-bodied, professional, and respectful; you must be able to communicate clearly, honestly and openly. We also offer a variety of great benefits including health, dental, vision, paid holidays, cafeteria plans, retirement, and more. Join us and help make the difference for our youth today!

This is a specialized professional position in conducting family therapy sessions for families referred to the Missouri Division of Youth Services. This position will coordinate and evaluate a variety of specialized treatment programs, counseling services, and community resources.

The following tasks are the responsibility of the Youth Services Coordinator (Regional Family Specialist):

• Receives referrals of families from the juvenile courts, Youth Services staff, Children's Division, and the Family Support Division; assesses the families' need for therapy in an assigned region.
• Schedules and conducts family therapy sessions with family members; develops and implements a therapy plan for each family; conducts follow-up evaluations.
• Reviews video tapes of the family therapy sessions in order to evaluate behaviors, detect problems, and plan for the next session.
• Assists in training of other agency staff in the area of family therapy; observes and evaluates their performance in therapy sessions.
• Provides consultation to other staff who are involved in interaction with families.
• Maintains caseload records and prepares reports regarding diagnosis, interventions used, and family progress.
• Attends training sessions, conferences, and workshops on family therapy to keep abreast of current developments in the field.
• Achieves objectives and maintains efficient operations; receives general supervision from a designated administrative supervisor.
• Develop/facilitate Group Leader meetings that provide didactic and experiential training.
• Provide training, overview, monitoring and the successful completion of the AGFC for participants.
• Conduct ongoing assessment of group meetings and provide feedback and training based on the assessment.
• Tape group meetings/treatment sessions for use in assessment, training and providing feedback to pertinent staff and supervisor.
• Assist regional programs with treatment training and development.

A Bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of youth treatment experience and 150 hours of training in family therapy provided by the Division of Youth Services or by an American Association for Marriage and Family therapy certified instructor, or completion of a training program of comparable length and content. (If not already obtained, the150 hours of training must completed within the first year of employment)

(24 earned graduate credit hours from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Guidance and Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, or Criminal Justice may substitute on a year-for-year basis for a maximum of one year of the required experience. A Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Clinical Psychology, or Counseling Psychology may substitute for the required 150 hours of training in family therapy.)

Lack of post-secondary education will not be used as the sole basis denying consideration to any applicant.

Special Requirements: Possession of a valid vehicle driver's license.

The State of Missouri offers an excellent benefits package that includes a defined pension plan, generous amounts of leave and holiday time, and eligibility for health insurance coverage. Your total compensation is more than the dollars you receive in your paycheck. To help demonstrate the value of working for the State of Missouri, we have created an interactive Total Compensation Calculator. This tool provides a comprehensive view of benefits and more that are offered to prospective employees. The Total Compensation Calculator and other applicant resources can be found here.

If you experience an accessibility issue while applying at mocareers.mo.gov, please contact courtney.a.hall@dss.mo.gov or call 573-526-0416. If you have questions about this position please contact: hrc@dss.mo.gov.

The State of Missouri is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.