THRIVE Family Specialist

Youth Villages•Jackson, TN

53d•$52,000 - $60,000

About The Position

Youth Villages is a nonprofit organization striving to help troubled youth and families live successfully. We are a team of 5,000 individuals who’ve come together across 29 states to change the landscape of child welfare and juvenile justice across the country. Our work involves providing an array of counseling and treatment services to youth with severe emotional and behavioral problems. Eighty-eight percent of those who go through treatment are succeeding two years after leaving our program. These youth are living at home, remaining in school, and are not experiencing trouble with the law. We believe strongly in investing in and supporting our employees. We offer candidates opportunities to develop a career and be part of a positive change in our country’s treatment of at-risk youth and families. Our Thrive program, a less intensive alternative to Intercept, is an in-home program that works with the child and family to divert youth from further involvement in the juvenile justice system, intervening at the critical point after they first encounter the system. The youth admitted to this program would be at risk of probation and court involvement but less at risk than youth served in Intercept and MST. The in-home approach, which incorporates the family in treatment, addresses drivers for juvenile delinquent behaviors without out-of-home placement. Thrive utilizes two evidence-based interventions to help youth remain safely in their communities: Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Work with youth and families that have been (or are at risk of being) involved in the juvenile justice system Carry caseload of 8-12 families Hold family sessions with each family once a week scheduled at the convenience of the families 3 supervision meetings a week Web-based documentation (voice recognition technology in most locations) Provide on-call availability to families on a rotating schedule Counselors provide treatment in individual families' homes in a wide array of settings and communities Schedule is non-traditional, but flexible and based around clients’ availability. Since counselors are heavily involved with each family, long hours may be required. Counselors must have their own vehicle to use for work purposes as well as have liability insurance. Counselors are reimbursed for mileage.

Requirements

A Bachelor's degree in a social services discipline is required
Degrees that can be considered include: social work, drug and alcohol education or counseling, psychology, criminal justice, guidance counseling, or marriage and family therapy. Other degrees will have to be evaluated further to determine if they meet the qualifications.
Experience working with individuals or families in need of crisis intervention is preferred
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
Excellent written, verbal, and oral skills
Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
Basic computer knowledge
Ability to maintain a flexible schedule
Counselors must have their own vehicle to use for work purposes as well as have liability insurance.

Responsibilities

Work with youth and families that have been (or are at risk of being) involved in the juvenile justice system
Carry caseload of 8-12 families
Hold family sessions with each family once a week scheduled at the convenience of the families
3 supervision meetings a week
Web-based documentation (voice recognition technology in most locations)
Provide on-call availability to families on a rotating schedule
Counselors provide treatment in individual families' homes in a wide array of settings and communities