Program Support Specialist

Position

Description:

Agency Mission &

Purpose:

Roy Maas Youth Alternatives (RMYA) creates brighter futures for children in crisis by promoting individual success and healthy relationships in a safe, healing environment, giving children and families the tools to end the cycle of abuse. RMYA provides youth with basic living needs, including food, clothing, shelter, hygiene, education, vocation, transportation, recreation, and extracurricular needs. We provide treatment programs for traumatized youth who most often are victims of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse and who present behavioral and mental health needs.

RMYA uses trauma‑informed techniques and relationship‑based approaches to create safe environments that provide consistency, structure, and care for the youth we serve.

The Program Support Specialist (PSS) supports all residential programs by providing structured, hands‑on training, and ongoing coaching to shelter staff within the daily operating environment. Following the RMYA Treatment Model and youth’s individualized plan of service, the PSS engages youth in using positive/Trust‑Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practices to respond to emergency and crisis situations, providing support, training, coaching and de‑escalation techniques.

The PSS utilizes TBRI techniques to build rapport with youth, and seeks to engage, support and coach youth and direct care employees. This role focuses on developing staff competency through observation, mentorship, and progressive skill‑building, ensuring staff are prepared to independently maintain a safe, structured, and supportive environment.

• Ensure responsibilities and performance are in alignment with RMYA’s Treatment Model.
• Facilitate a structured continuous development process for shelter staff through hands‑on training, coaching, and real‑time support within the shelter environment.
• Introduce and train staff on core shelter responsibilities, including resident supervision, documentation, crisis response, safety procedures, and program expectations.
• Support staff transitioning between roles (e.g., YEA to YES) by providing targeted coaching, skill development, and performance readiness to independently manage a safe and structured shift.
• Bridge pre‑service training concepts with daily shelter operations, ensuring staff effectively apply learned skills in practice.
• Remain actively engaged on shift, offering real‑time coaching and intervention to staff during challenging situations with residents.
• Collaborate with shelter leadership to identify staff development needs and respond to coaching or mentoring requests.
• Assist the shelter nurse by coordinating and supporting resident medical appointments, including transportation and follow‑up needs, while reinforcing proper procedures and expectations for staff involvement in healthcare‑related activities.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to new and existing staff while they learn and perform essential job duties.
• Work directly with residential employees to provide support focused on anticipating and averting crises; modeling TBRI, redirection, and restraint techniques; and offering direct support as appropriate when a youth is in immediate crisis.
• Respond to emergency and crisis situations, providing support, training, coaching and de‑escalation techniques, as needed, and serving as a role model for direct care employees.
• At the direction of the clinical team, assist employees with clinical interventions targeted at stabilizing each youth’s placement and improving their path toward positive goal attainment and a positive placement outcome.
• Assist with youth medication as needed, ensuring accuracy in administration and documentation.
• Provide emotional support utilizing trauma‑informed techniques, praise, positive feedback, choices and empathy to build the youth’s self‑esteem and ability to self‑regulate.
• Assist with youth supervision to maintain ratio as needed; provide one‑to‑one supervision for youth as needed.
• Ensure all documentation is complete and accurate for PSS responsibilities (i.e., Client Management System [CMS], Program Support Specialist report,…