Youth Counselor - Night Shift

Eckerd Connects•Manson, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Eckerd Connects is hiring a Youth Counselor for its Girls Residential Academy at Kerr Lake in Manson, North Carolina. The role supports at-risk girls ages 13–17 in a 20-bed, short-term juvenile justice residential program. The program provides a gender-responsive rehabilitative experience lasting four to six months, helping young people build skills for reintegration with their families and communities through individualized treatment and academic plans, experiential education, community service, behavioral health services, and family counseling. The Youth Counselor serves as a positive, supportive role model and helps ensure the progress, welfare, and safety of each client and the group. Counselors lead daily activities, provide group and individual counseling, and use strength-based development and rational-living cognitive behavioral therapy to help youth set and pursue life goals while identifying thinking errors and faulty cognitions. The position includes staff-secure supervision during afternoon, evening, and sleeping hours, and may involve shift work. The position is scheduled from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The hourly rate is $17.51, with opportunities for leadership development, professional growth, and advancement. The job requires working outdoors, traveling across wilderness terrain, participating in aquatic activities, and meeting physical and crisis-response requirements. Employees must also meet Eckerd’s auto insurance requirements and be able to drive for business purposes.

Requirements

Must be at least 21 years old, per DJJ guidelines.
High school diploma or equivalent and at least two years of relevant experience working with youth are required.
Two or more years of college in social or human services may substitute for the youth experience requirement.
Able to travel across the property through wilderness terrain.
Able to pass an evaluation of crisis intervention and physical restraint techniques and a written certification exam, and use approved techniques as needed.
Able to participate in aquatic activities.
Able to stand, sit, or walk for extended periods.
Able to meet Eckerd’s auto insurance requirements and drive for business purposes.
Valid and appropriate driver’s license or state identification required.
Must pass a drug screen in compliance with the Substance Abuse and Drug-Free Workplace policy.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in social/behavioral services or outdoor recreation specialties preferred.
Direct care experience in a therapeutic or rehabilitative setting preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a positive, supportive role model who guides and influences group activities to enhance youth confidence and self-esteem.
Support the progress and welfare of each client and the group through therapeutic programs.
Provide staff-secure supervision during afternoon, evening, and sleeping hours, with supervision potentially involving shift work.
Lead groups of youth through daily activities.
Provide group and individual counseling with an emphasis on strength-based development.
Use rational-living cognitive behavioral therapy to help youth define and achieve life goals, identifying thinking errors and faulty cognitions along the way.
Supervise clients and maintain their overall safety.