Clinician, Community-Based

Center for Justice Innovation•New York, NY

1d•$61,000 - $78,500•Onsite

About The Position

Brooklyn Justice Initiatives (BJI), the largest operating project of the Center for Justice Innovation, seeks to re-engineer the experience of criminal court in Brooklyn, New York, by providing judges and attorneys meaningful alternatives to bail, fines, and jail sentences. Operating out of Kings County Criminal Court and community-based offices, BJI is a team of social service providers, court-based resource coordinators, mental health practitioners, compliance specialists, and others who seek to improve the quality of justice. Supervised Release offers an alternative to jail by providing pretrial supervision, case management, and voluntary social services to people charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses, and in doing so, uses an arrest as a window of opportunity to change the direction of a participant’s life, avoiding the harmful effects of incarceration. Program participants are monitored to ensure their appearance at court dates and mandatory programming, and receive referrals to services like job training, drug treatment, and mental health counseling. BJI seeks Community-Based Clinicians for the borough’s Supervised Release Program (SRP). Reporting to the Clinical Manager, Clinicians are the front line of service delivery and key to ensuring that the program meets its mandate. Clinicians play a key role in providing timely emergency referrals, delivering crisis intervention and de-escalation support, and conducting intakes and assessments for participants. Clinicians also work with participants to identify and address barriers to compliance and court attendance; conduct outreach to participants, court stakeholders, community-based service providers, and collateral contacts; lead cognitive behavioral therapy-informed sessions and other suitable programming; connect participants to appropriate services in the community to support their stabilization; and ensure accurate and timely court reporting on participants’ compliance with program requirements. Accurate and timely data entry is a core responsibility for this position.

Requirements

Master's degree in a mental health field and 3 years direct practice (e.g. therapeutic or case management or counseling) experience required
Experience with crisis intervention and de-escalation required
Must be detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management skills
Must be able to work effectively independently and as part of a highly interdependent, multi-disciplinary team within a fast-paced and dynamic work environment
Professional demeanor and ability to work collaboratively and effectively with a variety of program stakeholders, including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, court staff, and site partner agencies
Openness to work collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally-competent manner

Nice To Haves

LMSW or mental health license preferred
Experience working in pretrial, court-based, or criminal legal system strongly preferred
Experience working with people needing substance use treatment, mental health services, or other services related to co-occurring disorders, or adolescent development, strongly preferred
Experience using trauma-informed and strength-based approaches, Motivational Interviewing and CBT strongly preferred
Comprehensive knowledge and experience with local social service providers preferred
Bilingual (English-Spanish) preferred

Responsibilities

Conduct intakes and holistic assessments
Create voluntary service and resource plans that address criminogenic needs and responsivity factors
Make referrals to address immediate needs
Provide assistance to participants to support engagement with referrals made, as needed
Provide participants with information regarding any additional court mandates, including, but not limited to, mandatory programming and Tactics and Choices class
Work with supervisors to complete and submit mandatory programming recommendations to court
Determine case assignments and facilitate warm handoffs to case managers
Schedule participants for their first check-in with their assigned case manager
Case conference with case managers to discuss participant needs and/or service and resource plans and/or mandatory programming, as appropriate
Facilitate mandated and voluntary evidence-based practice sessions to enhance motivation for change and engagement in services
Develop and facilitate group and individual programming to address participant needs and court mandates
Provide comprehensive, clinically informed case management services
Orchestrate internal and external resource allocation and service referrals
Work with participants to identify and address barriers to compliance with supervision requirements and court attendance
Monitor participants’ compliance with supervision requirements
Conduct outreach to participants, their collateral contacts, and defense attorneys to maximize compliance with supervision requirements
Provide de-escalation and emergency intervention in response to incidents occurring in the courthouse and offices
Maintain accurate and timely data entry and case documentation aligned with the program model, court reporting obligations, and best practices
Submit accurate and timely reports to court within designated time frames, including compliance, noncompliance, rearrest, and mandatory programming court notifications
Maintain professional, productive, and positive relationships with external stakeholders, including court staff, judges, and attorneys
Consistent and effective cross-team communication and collaboration to proactively identify successes, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen programming, create opportunities for meaningful collaboration, and maximize internal and external resources and expertise
Participate in individual, group supervision, and regular staff trainings to develop program expertise and related skill sets
Attend project events, community events, and meetings after hours, as needed
This role is eligible for clinical hours
Additional relevant tasks, as necessary