VPI Therapist

Violence Prevention & Intervention Therapist

Casa Central's Violence Prevention & Intervention (VPI) program provides high-quality, culturally and linguistically attuned, trauma-informed therapy and support services to individuals and families impacted by domestic violence, child abuse/neglect, and other traumas.

The Therapist provides clinical/therapeutic intervention for children ages 0-5, and their families, who have been exposed to violence or experienced trauma, and individual adult counseling for adults impacted by domestic violence. The Therapist employs individual, family, and/or group counseling modalities, and also provides supportive services, including case management, crisis intervention, safety planning, psychoeducation, and information/referral services and linkage support. The Therapist may be called upon to support program staff in program development;

engage in evaluation and performance quality improvement tasks; provide public awareness/education programming and community-based trainings on themes related to domestic violence, Childhood Exposure to Violence (CEV), and early childhood trauma; support program staff in managing walk-in/crisis intakes and assessment; support Safe Start Coalition development and maintenance efforts; participate in community coalitions; and to participate in funder, accreditation, and other meetings.

Include the following, other duties as assigned:

Participant Service Delivery/Participant Care

Maintain a caseload of approximately 16-18 clients and their families. Design and implement therapeutic or psycho educational group services. Implement timely crisis intervention and safety planning strategies to help victims/survivors of domestic violence. Provide individual, family, and/or group counseling services according to best practices and evidence-based treatment approaches, with a particular focus on Child Parent Psychotherapy; services provided in-office, via Telehealth and in the community.

Accompany victims/survivors of domestic violence to the police department, clinics, court, and other arenas as deemed necessary. Advocate on a survivor's behalf with a third party after execution of necessary release of information, including advocacy with Department of Children and Family Services, victim's employer, housing provider, Illinois Department Human Services, etc. Engage in multidisciplinary efforts to support the provision, collaboration and continuity of care for families;

this may include participation in clinical staffings, Child and Family Team meetings and court proceedings; may require collaboration with early childhood professionals, medical professionals, legal personnel, judicial personnel, child welfare professionals, other mental health professionals, etc.

Legal Advocacy

Assist survivors with completion of paperwork to petition for an Order of Protection from the Domestic Violence Court of Cook County and/or other steps necessary to petition for an Order of Protection. Accompany survivors to court for emotional support, advocacy, and clarification of information such as law and court process. Assist survivors with petitioning for Stalking No Contact Orders (SNCO) or Civil No Contact Orders(CNCO).

Advocate on survivor's behalf in family court and other court activity related to the gender-based violence case.

Intake & Screening

Conduct timely intakes and assessments of clients' needs (for individuals referred for domestic violence services as well as children and families referred for therapy services secondary to exposure to violence and other traumas), including gathering information over the phone and in-person related to individuals being referred to the programs; collect comprehensive data sets from families; maintain and monitor the program waitlists as indicated, including providing periodic check-in phone calls to families waiting for services to update them on their wait list status and offer any additional community-based resources and referrals.

Establish rapport with clients; foster environments and relationships that provide clients to feel safe and secure within the therapeutic…