Associate Case Manager - Restoring Futures

Colorado Dream Foundation•Denver, CO

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Restoring Futures Associate Case Manager (A-CM) is an early-career clinician and core member of the LiftED Horizons clinical team at the Colorado LiftED Foundation (CLF). Associate Case Managers deliver accessible, culturally affirming, trauma-responsive, and healing-centered therapeutic and case management services to systems-involved and system-at-risk youth and their families across community, school, and partner sites. This role integrates direct therapeutic support with intensive care coordination to reduce barriers, strengthen protective factors, and support long-term stability. The A-CM works closely with caregivers, schools, and system partners to support reintegration into community settings and help youth safely transition out of system involvement. This position is designed for professionals pursuing clinical licensure in Colorado who seek to develop their practice in a supportive, learning-oriented environment. Preference is given to candidates who completed their clinical internship with LiftED Horizons at CLF. This role lives all five CLF values: A Seat at the Table— You will actively center youth and family voice in every service plan — conducting planning as a collaborative process, not a clinical prescription, so that the young people you work alongside are genuine co-authors of their own care. Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer— You will stay connected with youth and families across system transitions and beyond formal case closure, planting seeds of relationship that outlast any program, placement, or grade level. An Inch Wide, A Mile Deep— You will carry a focused caseload and invest fully in each young person and family, knowing every youth by name, by story, and by what they are working toward, bringing depth over breadth to every interaction. Whatever It Takes— You will be a persistent, creative problem-solver for youth navigating probation, child welfare, housing instability, and other systemic barriers — refusing to accept access gaps as fixed and advocating fiercely when systems fall short. We Not Me— You will build and sustain collaborative partnerships across schools, behavioral health providers, probation officers, child welfare workers, and community partners — understanding that no single clinician can do this work alone, and that coordinated care is not optional, it is the strategy.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy, or a related field.
Eligibility for or ability to obtain Colorado licensure (LSW or LPCC) within 90 days of hire.
Minimum of one year of experience providing individual or group therapy.
Minimum of one year working with high-risk, systems-involved, or justice-involved youth and families.
Demonstrated ability to apply holistic, trauma-responsive, and culturally affirming therapeutic approaches — not just trauma-informed awareness, but active responsiveness in practice.
Persistent Problem-Solving: A “whatever it takes” orientation to the barriers that appear in community mental health work — creative, tenacious, and unwilling to accept access gaps as fixed.
An Inch Wide, A Mile Deep practice: A demonstrated commitment to depth over breadth in therapeutic and case management work — you would rather know a small caseload fully than serve many surface-deep.
A Seat at the Table orientation: Demonstrated practice of shared decision-making that positions youth and families as co-architects of their care — not just recipients of services.
Long-Term Commitment: A genuine belief that CLF’s relationship with a young person doesn’t end when a case closes — you stay connected across transitions and remain a resource even when formal contact has ended.
Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills; ability to maintain healthy boundaries and manage multiple priorities.
Ability to pass a fingerprint background check and a DMV driving background check.
Ability to transport youth to and from sessions and meetings when needed.
Willingness to work evenings, weekends, or special events as needed.
Deep commitment to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and the CLF mission.
Values Alignment: Demonstrated belief in and lived practice of CLF’s core values: A Seat at the Table, We Not Me, Whatever It Takes, An Inch Wide / A Mile Deep, and Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer — with a track record of translating those values into role-specific decisions.

Nice To Haves

Spanish fluency is preferred.
Preference is given to candidates who completed their clinical internship with LiftED Horizons at CLF.

Responsibilities

Provide direct therapeutic services for systems-involved youth using accessible, culturally affirming, trauma-responsive, and healing-centered approaches.
Deliver individual and small-group interventions focused on emotional regulation, coping skills, stabilization, and resilience.
Conduct screenings, assessments, and service planning in genuine collaboration with youth and caregivers — not as a clinical prescription, but as a shared process where their priorities drive the plan (A Seat at the Table).
Support crisis response, safety planning, and stabilization in coordination with clinical leadership when needed.
Utilize community-based, flexible service delivery models that meet youth and families exactly where they are, physically and emotionally.
Provide intensive case management to support youth and families in reducing barriers to stability, access, and long-term success.
Connect youth and families to vital resources — including transportation, basic needs, benefits, and community services — with the persistence and creativity that Whatever It Takes demands.
Coordinate care across schools, behavioral health providers, probation, child welfare, and community partners, knowing that no one system holds the full picture.
Develop and monitor individualized service, transition, and reintegration plans that support school return, attendance stabilization, and continuity of care.
Build deeply trusting relationships with caregivers by name, by need, and by circumstance — providing psycho-education and coaching that strengthens home stability.
Advocate for youth and families within partner systems to promote equitable access and appropriate support, naming barriers and pushing back when systems fail.
Complete timely and accurate service documentation, case notes, and care coordination records.
Maintain documentation consistent with organizational, grant, Medicaid, and partner requirements.
Track service delivery, referrals, and outcomes to support program evaluation and continuous quality improvement.
Participate in regular individual supervision with Clinical Leadership to strengthen practice, deepen cultural responsiveness, and align with trauma-responsive standards.
Partner with interns and fellows by modeling best practices and contributing to a supportive, learning-oriented clinical environment — bringing a We Not Me orientation to team growth.
Maintain strong working relationships with partner schools, agencies, and referral sources; represent Restoring Futures and CLF with consistency and integrity in community collaborations.
Contribute to an inclusive, collaborative culture rooted in CLF’s values and commitment to equity and belonging.
Participate in all-staff meetings, organizational events, and professional development.
Conduct service planning as a collaborative process, not a clinical prescription — ensuring youth and families are genuine co-authors of their own plans, with their priorities, their risks, and their definitions of success driving the work (A Seat at the Table).
Sustain relationships with youth beyond formal case closure where appropriate — because CLF’s commitment doesn’t end when a case does. Once a dreamer, always a dreamer.