Family Counselor N

Family Counselor

For over 125 years, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens and currently offers 160-plus programs and services for children, youth, adults, seniors, and those struggling with mental illness.

The CCNS Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team is a multi-disciplinary team that delivers comprehensive and effective services to individuals who are diagnosed with severe mental illness and whose needs have not been well met by more traditional service delivery approaches. Treatment and services are delivered to individuals in their home and community. ACT is an evidence-based practice and provides an integrated set of other evidence-based treatment, rehabilitation, case management, and support services delivered by this mobile, multi-disciplinary mental health treatment team.

As a member of the CCNS ACT Team, the Family Counselor will provide intensive in-home and community-based services to individuals living with severe mental illness, who have a treatment history characterized by frequent use of psychiatric hospitalization and emergency rooms, involvement with the criminal justice system, alcohol/substance abuse, and lack of engagement in traditional outpatient services. Under the supervision of the Clinical Director, the Family Counselor will utilize a person-centered planning process to provide rehabilitation, case management and support services to individuals served by the ACT Team.

The Family Counselor will lead the team in integrating family goals and services with the tasks of all team members. This person will provide family psycho-education individually and in groups. The Family Counselor will conduct assertive outreach and engagement, use motivational interviewing and recovery and trauma-informed approaches when working with individuals served by the ACT team.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with ACT team members and function as a vital part of an interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary community-based treatment team.
• Responsible for providing services to clients in their home environment, community settings, provider offices and additional locations as needed.
• Responsible for providing direct support services to clients with psychiatric diagnoses, co-occurring substance use, chronic physical health problems and complex social needs.
• Assess and provide direct services to participants in the following areas: health and wellness, housing, income support, education, vocational training, employment and social supports, medication support.
• Provide services in developing social connections and strengthening family and other relationships.
• Provide psycho educational services such as information/education on mental illness diagnoses and treatment to families while facilitating communication skills and problem solving.
• Teach coping skills to families and enlist family support in a client's recovery.
• Coordinate with child welfare and family agencies.
• Conduct wellness self-management with a focus on the development of coping skills.
• Complete the ACT Comprehensive Assessment, leading the family and trauma components of the assessment.
• Utilize involvement of family and/or other supports in treatment. Act as an advocate and liaison on behalf of individual receiving services.
• Responsible for integrating family goals with the tasks of all team members.
• Develops wellness interventions, trauma-focused care, family involvement, collateral contact, support with children and families.
• Identify services individuals should receive based on assessment of history, current relationships and supports, and immediate needs; recommend treatment objectives for the individual's service plan.
• Participates in daily treatment review meetings, leading the discussions around family issues and incorporating findings into service plans.
• Coordinates care and develops comprehensive service plans and 6-month service plan reviews in collaboration with individuals, families and natural supports, housing, providers, hospitals, shelter staff, criminal justice personnel, Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), and any additional community partners to promote attainment of treatment and recovery goals.
• Use motivational interviewing, recovery and trauma-informed approaches when delivering services.
• Meet monthly required levels of treatment contacts with at least 80% of contacts occurring in the community.
• Complete and signs progress notes, assessments, care plans,…