Masters Level Clinician | Fitchburg

Gandara Center•Fitchburg, MA

20h

About The Position

Family Support and Stabilization (FSS) provides services to families that receives support from the Department of Children and Families, with the intent of strengthen parenting capacity, improvement of family dynamics, ensure children safety, prevent out-of-home placement and assist for a successful reunification process. FSS assists families learning and getting connected to appropriate community services, including mental health and substance use programs for all members of the family.

Requirements

Possess a master’s degree in a human service field (including Social Work, Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, Family Therapy, and other related fields) from an accredited college/university.
Have training in family therapy as well as training and working experience with youth and families.
Have experience navigating any of the child/family-serving systems and advocating for family members who are involved in the behavioral health system.
Demonstrate ability to be innovative, creative, analytical and decisive in problem solving.
Demonstrate strong communications, administrative and organizational skills.
Have the ability to work effectively with diverse populations and community agencies such as school districts, DMH, DDS, DYS, Juvenile Court, etc.
Understand and be will to be part of a program that support youth and families 24 hours per day, 365 days a year.
Have an active driver’s license, and availability of a motor vehicle to support program needs.

Nice To Haves

Preferable Bi-Cultural and Bi-Lingual (English/Spanish is a must, English/Portuguese and Cape Verdean a plus). Language needs will variate by office location.

Responsibilities

Provide quantity and quality of services to families involved with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in accordance with the specific FSS models (Comprehensive or Family Stabilization).
Work with the parents/caregivers to achieve the goals established by DCF in the referral.
Complete an assessment to determine strengths and needs, and establish long-term services.
Development a person-centered treatment plan in collaboration with the client, and/or parent/caregiver(s); with the required consents, in consultation with DCF and other providers.
Review and modification of treatment plan as established in policies and procedures.
Provide or arrange transportation for the client(s) to appointments, crisis/respite services, community agencies, etc. if needed.
Review/development of a risk management/safety plan in collaboration with the client and/or parent/caregiver(s).
Work on child safety and welfare issues in the context of community connections to resources, school advocacy, law enforcement and legal matters, as well as behavioral and medical health needs.
Identification of community resources and development of natural supports for client and parent/caregiver(s) to support and sustain achievement of the treatment plan goals and objectives.
Provide or secure support and crisis/emergency services for the client and family members. This may be done through face-to-face contact, phone contact or by emergency on call system.
Assist the client and/or parent/caregiver(s) to establish and maintain collaboration with other necessary individuals the client and family may have contact with, such as Case Managers, Probation Officers, Judges, District Attorneys, Attorneys, Teachers, Physicians, etc.
Report to direct supervisor or designee of all emergencies or critical incidents related to the client and/or parent/caregiver(s).
Provide additional visits and wraparound services to support the client and parent/caregiver(s) for emergency support in accordance with the FSS models.
When On-Call ensure families in crisis received the adequate support, either in person or telephonically.
Ability to be flexible when scheduling visits with families, available to provide services evening and weekends, if needed.
Engage in ongoing collaboration with mental health providers, DCF social workers, school, law enforcement and other providers within the community.
Participate from DCF meetings to discuss ongoing concerns, challenges and recommendations.
Participate from Utilization Reviews when required, frequency may variate per case and DCF Area Office.
Maintain a detailed record of the work done with the family, including progress notes, and collateral contact notes.
Maintain regular communication with the DCF team (may variate from area office) by providing regular weekly updates about engagement and progress in treatment.
Assist in providing specific information on topics such as appropriate discipline and setting schedules; as well as focusing on stressors unique to the Hispanic/Latino, Cape Verdean and Portuguese populations including acculturation process.
Assist parents/caregivers in improving parenting skills and decreasing behaviors that adversely affect the child’s safety in the home.