Evening Triage Counselor

OVERVIEW:

The Evening Triage Counselor is responsible for providing crisis counseling and responsive care for youth ages 12-21 seeking Center services (Including Counseling, Emergency Housing and Transitional Living) during the hours of Monday - Friday, 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm. The Counselor completes a comprehensive assessment that identifies immediate needs as well as longer term developmental and/or treatment needs. This assessment includes identifying any issues related to substance use/abuse, problem gambling and other risk factors that inhibit healthy youth development.

An initial Individualized Service Plan is developed based upon the assessment and goals identified by the youth, including appropriate prevention activities. This position also provides crisis counseling for families, information dissemination and referral services, as needed.

The Evening Triage Counselor handles crisis phone calls, as well as walk-in clients seeking assistance. The Counselor is additionally responsible for providing community outreach and networking with other agencies/providers to coordinate services for their clients. Additionally, the Evening Triage Counselor will provide supervision, mentoring and support to Volunteer Phone Counselors. The Evening Triage Counselor will conduct training for new Volunteer Phone Counselors as well as group meetings for all the Volunteers Phone Counselors.

This is a full-time, 12-month position.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND EXAMPLE OF DUTIES:

· Triage/ Assessment and Intake

· Assessment of substance use/abuse, problem gambling and other risk factors

· Individual and Family Crisis Counseling

· Crisis Intervention

· Referral Readiness and Referral

· Provide chemical dependency and problem gambling prevention counseling and activities that foster skill development and/or facilitate appropriate treatment referrals

· Youth Advocacy

· Case Management

· Parent Group Facilitation (research/science based curricula)

· Maintenance of Client Confidentiality, consistent with agency policies

· Neighborhood and Community Outreach

· Accurate, Timely Case and Program Record Keeping

· Individual and Group Supervision Participation*

· Staff Meetings and Training Participation

· Transportation of Clients, when required and consistent with agency policies

· Provide supervision and training for all phone volunteer counselors

· Participation in Community Committees, Coalitions, Task Forces, etc. as assigned

· Other duties, as assigned

EMPLOYMENT GUIDELINES

Candidate must:

· Possess knowledge of and experience in providing chemical dependency and problem gambling prevention counseling

· Adhere to ethical conduct

· Demonstrate professionalism i.e., timely, dependable, responsible, flexible

· Be non-judgmental and respectful

· Model principles of inclusion and tolerance

· Be youth centered and positive

· Be family friendly

· Establish effective working relationships with supervisor and co-workers

· Develop positive relationships with all key stakeholders

· Have strong literacy skills (i.e., reading, writing, comprehension)

· Have excellent communication skills (verbal and written)

· Conduct research and apply best-practices and evaluation methods

· Effectively promote knowledge and skill development and positive behaviors

· Provide leadership and/or work independently as requested

Candidate must possess significant knowledge of -

· Adolescent development including: positive youth development, asset development, risk reduction and protective factors

· Youth serving systems

· Community resources

· Client advocacy

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

The Center delivers services to youth and families from many racial, ethnic, cultural, social and life style groups. We value differences in people and strive to understand diverse cultures, ethnic origins, sexual orientations, abilities and beliefs. To this end, all staff are required to attend professional development trainings and to continually enhance their understanding of cultural diversity. Staff are expected to respect and honor cultural and human diversity.

The annual Performance Appraisal provides an opportunity for staff to evaluate how they are integrating culturally competent practices into their…