Teen Counselor

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Full time – 40 Hours per week 

The Teen Counselor provides crisis intervention and counseling services to at-risk youth and their families. Services are provided at the office as well as in schools, in the community, and/or through the 24 hour crisis hotline as needed. The Counselor will assist in the performance of all related activities such as outreach to the community, representation of agency in the community, and program development.

 

COMPENSATION/BENEFITS

  • Salary: starting at $50,000
  • ReadyKids pays 100% health, dental, and life insurance premiums for employee only plans
  • Voluntary vision and supplemental insurance
  • Generous paid vacation and sick leave; paid holidays
  • Employer-matched retirement plan

Open until filled. ReadyKids is seeking a diverse pool of applicants; all are encouraged to apply. Email CV/resume and cover letter to Ashley Wood at awood@readykidscville.org.  ReadyKids is a drug-free workplace. EOE/ADA/AA.

ReadyKids is committed to a diverse and equitable workplace. We believe diversity of identity, thought, approach, and experience provide the optimal environment for our growth, learning, and success. We aim to create a safe space where everyone belongs and can contribute to the organization in a way that is authentic and genuine to them.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master’s degree in psychology, counseling, social work, or related area
  • Minimum two years experience working with youth and families
  • State License or license eligible in designated field.
  • Knowledge of theory and practice in the area of adolescent development and age-appropriate intervention strategies
  • Competency in strength-based models of intervention with adolescents
  • Skills in outreach methods appropriate to at-risk adolescents, their families and child-serving agencies
  • Ability to provide direct service with a minimum of supervision
  • Ability to organize time effectively to meet assigned work demands
  • Ability to express and transmit ideas and knowledge clearly
  • Current and valid driver’s license and maintain at all times a motor vehicle insurance policy that carries at least the minimum limits of liability of $300,000 combined single limit or $100/300/100 split limits ($100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 per accident for bodily injury, $100,000 per accident for property damage)

 

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Human Service Knowledge and Abilities

  • Keep informed of the developments in the field of clinical practice, mental health, child development, child abuse/neglect, the needs of at-risk youth and/or related fields.

Clinical Services

Counseling and Support

  • Conduct crisis and non-crisis assessments of at-risk youth and their families.
  • Develop treatment plans, including setting treatment goals and delineation of services to be provided, and evaluate the progress towards goals.
  • Provide crisis prevention and crisis intervention to youth and their families.
  • Make appropriate referrals for long-term interventions for youth and family as needed.
  • Provide on-call coverage of the crisis hotline as scheduled and during business hours.
  • Provide preventive group counseling as needed.
  • Ability to evaluate own performance, capabilities, limitations and biases with reasonable self-reflection.
  • Collaborate with families to develop individualized plans to meet family needs.

Hotline Services

  • Respond promptly and professionally to calls received during assigned on-call hours.
  • Conduct crisis and non-crisis assessments of at-risk youth and their families.
  • Take steps if needed to address any safety concerns of the caller.
  • Make appropriate referrals for long-term and short-term interventions for youth and family as needed.
  • Maintain appropriate paperwork including Hotline documentation and PM System data entry, due within one business day of service.
  • Assess youth and their families for shelter and/or consider alternatives and refer appropriately.
  • Counselor will be paid $25/per night of service Monday-Thursday
    • Night refers to 5pm-9am following day
  • Counselor will be paid $125/per weekend of service Friday at 5pm-Monday at 9 am.
  • Counselor will be paid $20/holiday –when ReadyKids offices are closed.

Community Collaboration and Outreach

  • Provide outreach to youth as needed.
  • Collaborate and work cooperatively with community partners and referral sources.
  • Recruit and coordinate Youth Council Members to participate in outreach activities.
  • Assist in the development and coordination of programs as requested.
  • Participate in community collaborations including but not limited to: the FAST Team, Charlottesville/Albemarle Coalition for Healthy Youth, and the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless.

Supervision

  • Use supervision effectively to plan and guide service delivery
  • Meet with Program Manager on a weekly basis to discuss program activities, current clients, outreach activities, and other pertinent information.
  • Participate in all agency clinical group.
  • Be prepared for and provide input at team and other agency meetings.

Reporting/Documentation

  • Participate in agency data collection and analysis, specifically Performance Measurement System.
  • Enter all data within one week of service delivery.
  • Develop and maintain treatment plans, including setting treatment goals and delineation of services to be provided, and provide assessments according to program requirements within one week of service delivery.
  • Respond to non-hotline emails and phone calls within 48 hours.
  • Conduct and coordinate evaluation of the program according to program requirements in order to improve and advance service delivery and outcomes.

 

CORE COMPETENCIES

All ReadyKids Employees will…

Relational:

  • Actively promote vital connections between children, caregivers, staff, and our community partners.
  • Resolve issues with the person(s) most directly involved by sharing your thoughts and feelings directly and respectfully, remembering that others have thoughts and feelings, too.
  • Recognize each person’s uniqueness and strengths. Treat people in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual, cultural and ethnic differences.
  • Be respectful in verbal and written communication to and about participants and colleagues.
  • Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with participants, colleagues and donors.
  • Protect privacy and confidentiality of participants, colleagues and donors.

Engaged:

  • Fully embrace our mission and vision, actively contribute to meeting them, and serve as an ambassador to engage the community in our efforts by providing clear and accurate information regarding the agency’s function and current programs.
  • Participate in the decision-making process as opportunities are available to inform agency and program decisions.
  • Participate in scheduled agency and other team meetings.

Adaptable:

  • Recognize that one way does not work for everyone and stay flexible in our approach and thinking. Maintain flexibility in order to change when things change.
  • Present solutions along with problems with the goal of getting to yes. Stay open to new ideas and offer suggestions for new ways of doing things.
  • Be proactive; give and receive input and seek solutions that balance the needs of the individual, program, agency, and community.

Driven:

  • Maintain the highest integrity in all aspects of agency and program operations and duties.
  • Utilize evidence-based and best practice models and strategies to provide the best opportunity for success.
  • Set appropriate priorities and make progress toward performance-based goals established for self, program, and agency.
  • Be accountable for individual and program results and give and receive feedback to improve individual, program, and agency performance.
  • Seek and utilize all available sources of data on an ongoing basis to inform decision-making in completion of all job duties.
  • Reflect on individual, program and agency results for continuous learning and quality improvement.

You:

  • Participate in professional development and supervision to seek guidance, expand knowledge, and develop use of best practices.
  • Maintain passion and commitment to the agency’s work and participants.
  • Do your part to ensure the health and well-being of the entire organization.
  • Respect and protect agency-owned property and assets and use agency resources for business-appropriate purposes.

 

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