Position Summary: Provide trauma informed, culturally sensitive, therapeutic services for children and adolescents, ages four to eighteen, referred by DPFS and/or who are placed in Residential Programs at High Sky (foster care, adoption, emergency shelter, and GRO homes). 

Provide therapeutic consultation, support, and education for program staff, caregivers, foster and adoptive families, and service providers.  

Provide client-centered therapy to children from ages four years to eighteen years old. 

Utilize various modalities such as art therapy, play therapy, sand tray therapy, EDMR, etc. to best meet the client’s needs. 

Provide individual, group, and family therapeutic treatment and intervention for emotional and behavioral issues stemming from sexual, physical, or emotional abuse and/or neglect which result in running away, self-destructive behaviors, food disorders, aggression, impulsivity, etc.

Work closely with the residential program treatment teams to ensure youth’s mental and emotional needs are met.

Coordinate and consult with residential program treatment teams to create therapeutic intervention, strategies, behavioral plans, and treatment modalities to support foster youth in achieving therapy and treatment goals. 

Help youth clients process and cope with trauma histories and move toward healthier functioning across environments.

Maintain at least monthly contact with youth’s Case Manager to provide updates on progress and provide input to service plan goals, strategies and behavioral interventions.

Perform assessments and provide education with potential foster and adoptive families, and caregivers, as requested.

Discuss assessment findings, recommendations, and progress toward treatment goals with approved team members.

Provide initial, on-going, and in-home training and education for foster/adoptive families, caregivers, and staff as requested.

Provide on-call support for crisis intervention and conduct Risk Assesment, when needed.

Maintain and create treatment plans, accurate and thorough documentation of counseling sessions, progress notes, and termination notes on each client.

Fulfill documentation and communication requirements of various contracts. 

Refer and coordinate support services to supplement treatment and counseling for children and adolescents as needed.

Additional duties as assigned.

Maintain current professional licensure.

Maintain current personal liability insurance. 

Continuing Education in counseling best practices, evidence based treatment, and current therapeutic techniques.

Attend scheduled trainings in order to develop professional skills.

Perform special assignments, projects and other duties as required.

Requires the ability to relate positively, influentially, and sensitively to a broad spectrum of persons in a variety of multi-tiered relationships and settings.

Requires the ability to make discretionary decisions related to the safety and well-being of children; exercise sound independent judgement when making recommendations to foster/adopt parents and the managing conservator of the child; ability to testify in court, as required.

Requires the ability to exhibit and maintain professional work habits, appropriate punctuality, grooming, dress, manner, language, and positive attitude and demeanor in interactions with children, families, co-workers, providers, and the community at large.

Requires the ability to travel to various geographic locations.

Requires the commitment to highest ethical principles, both personal and professional.

EDUCATION REQUIRED: 

Master’s degree in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work or closely related field

LICENSURE REQUIRED: 

Fully Licensed in the State of Texas as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker, (LCSW), or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

EXPERIENCE:

Minimum of two years of full-time experience providing counseling services to children and adolescents.

Experience and training in therapeutic modalities specifically for children such as play therapy, sand tray, art therapy, etc. 

Professional written and verbal communication

Attention to detail

Learning ability

Accountability

Professional, interactive, and approachable

Strategic and critical thinking skills

Integrity, morals, and ethics

Adaptive, cooperative, and collaborative

Crisis and conflict management skills

Outcome driven and team focused

Self-governance, autonomy, insight, and initiative

Sound judgement and discretion

Prioritization and task management

Leadership and influence

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Requires ability to use up to 100 pounds or more force occasionally and/or up to 50 pounds of force regularly to move objects and/or people.  This happens frequently when working with children ages 5 and under. Requires the ability to hear and receive verbal instructions, answer phones, and communicate with people in situations with some background noise.

Work deals mostly with areas such as preparing and reading data and figures, records, reports, visual inspection involving small details. Although important, depth perception and field of vision (peripheral) are not as critical as the ability to distinguish small details and markings very near to the observer. Requires sufficient good health to properly discharge duties. Employees shall not be permitted to work who have infectious disease or skin lesion for the duration of the communicability.

POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK
A full-time position, with regular hours of work; however, it can occasionally require long hours and weekend work.

TRAVEL

Requires ability to drive High Sky owned vehicles or personal vehicle, with appropriate valid state license, following all laws applicable. Must provide proof of liability insurance and a reliable vehicle or be eligible to be insured under High Sky’s insurance policy, including being 25 years of age or older.