Master Correctional Counselor

DOC/Prisons•Dover, DE

About The Position

A class incumbent performs advanced-level professional counseling work, providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders incarcerated in correctional institutions or assigned to Community Corrections. The role includes specialized and general counseling, treatment planning, case management, program evaluation, documentation, referrals, and participation in classification and treatment processes. Employees may be eligible for promotion to the next level upon satisfactory completion of department promotional standards and job requirements. Essential functions are fundamental duties common to positions in the class series, but are not an exhaustive list; incumbents may perform other similar duties.

Requirements

At least three years of experience providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders; OR a master's degree or higher in Behavioral/Social Science and at least one year of such experience; OR a bachelor's degree or higher and at least two years of such experience.
Three years of experience in behavior management, including understanding, explaining, describing, and predicting behavior; studying connections between behavior and its causes; and identifying behavior-modification strategies for individual situations.
Three years of experience in case management, including assessing, planning, developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating options and services to meet an individual's human-service needs.
Six months of experience providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders, including evaluating progress toward goals and adjusting treatment plans; analyzing social and criminal history; and participating in interdisciplinary conferencing.
Six months of experience interpreting laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures.
Six months of experience writing narrative reports.
Six months of experience using an automated information system to enter, update, modify, delete, retrieve or inquire about, and report on data.
Knowledge of staff training.
Successfully complete all phases of the five-week Non-Security Basic Training Course at the Department of Correction's Steven R. Floyd Sr. Training Academy to receive Hazardous Duty A1. The course includes physical, classroom, and hands-on training.
Be legally authorized to work in the United States.
For admission to the Department of Correction Academy after a conditional offer, successfully complete a criminal background check, pre-employment drug test, and medical examination. The applicant pays for the medical examination.
Undergo a pre-employment baseline two-step tuberculin skin test after a conditional offer.

Responsibilities

Identify treatment needs and develop program guidelines, operational procedures, and evaluation methods.
Provide comprehensive, intensive counseling to inmates or clients in an area of specialty.
Train and provide technical guidance to security and treatment staff on specialized program goals, objectives, and treatment methodologies.
Evaluate specialized program effectiveness by reviewing progress reports, case records, and related documentation; recommend program revisions to a superior as needed.
Conduct individual and/or group counseling sessions.
Develop treatment plans using counseling sessions and information from files, records, reports, family members, associates, former employers, counselors, and rehabilitation team members.
Assess inmate or client progress toward resocialization and compliance with recommended treatment plans.
Prepare records, reports, and summary evaluations concerning inmate progress.
Maintain client or inmate files containing supporting documentation, classification reports, social histories, progress notes, and counseling records.
Serve on boards and committees, including multidisciplinary team classification committees and inmate grievance committees.
Recommend appropriate classification levels based on behavioral or attitudinal changes, self-improvement efforts, and compliance with program or institutional requirements.
Participate in case conferences concerning treatment alternatives.
Refer inmates or clients to resources such as drug or alcohol treatment and educational programs.