Coaching and College Navigation Clinician

Job Description:

The Coaching & College Navigation Clinician provides person-centered, clinically informed coaching, college navigation, clinical case management, and skill-building services to young adults and adults with Autism referred by the Department of Developmental Services. Individuals may also have intellectual or developmental disabilities and/or mental health needs. Services are delivered in homes, community settings, college campuses, agency locations, and virtual environments.

The Clinician partners with individuals to identify strengths, needs, preferences, and self-directed goals; develop practical pathways toward goal attainment; and build skills related to executive functioning, emotional regulation, communication, relationships, independent living, community participation, wellness, employment, and higher education.

Using Positive Behavioral Supports, trauma-informed practice, motivational approaches, and other approved evidence-informed interventions, the Clinician provides individualized coaching, safety planning, curriculum-based services, and collaboration with DDS, families, natural supports, campus personnel, providers, and interdisciplinary team members. Services emphasize autonomy, informed choice, measurable progress, community inclusion, and reduced reliance on formal supports.

Essential Responsibilities Engagement, Assessment, and Person-Centered Planning Establish trusting, person-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and nonjudgmental relationships with individuals receiving services.

Use individualized engagement strategies, including rapport building, preference exploration, Motivational Interviewing, and Stages of Change approaches, to support participation and reduce barriers to engagement.

Complete required intake documentation and assessments within established program and funder timelines.

Collaborate with each individual to develop meaningful, self-directed goals, measurable objectives, incremental action steps, milestones, and timelines.

Use task analysis, collaborative problem solving, and regular progress reviews to support goal attainment and adjust strategies when needs or priorities change.

Coaching and Skill Development Provide individualized coaching in homes, community settings, college campuses, agency locations, and virtual environments across the Central West region of Massachusetts, including South Valley, North Central, and Worcester areas.

Teach and reinforce executive-functioning skills, including organization, prioritization, time management, flexible thinking, problem solving, task initiation, planning, and use of individualized schedules or organizational tools.

Support the development and practice of communication, self-advocacy, emotional-regulation, coping, interpersonal, relationship, community-navigation, and independent-living skills.

Provide in-the-moment coaching to help individuals understand and navigate social expectations, relationship boundaries, online communication, community participation, academic environments, and workplace settings.

Support individualized wellness strategies addressing areas such as sensory regulation, stress management, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, health routines, and self-care.

Incorporate Positive Behavioral Supports, including Universal Supports, and other approved evidence-based or evidence-informed practices into assessment, coaching, and service planning.

College Navigation Assist students in identifying strengths, needs, and goals related to academic success, campus engagement, independent functioning, and social participation.

Support students with class and assignment organization, study planning, homework completion, time management, note-taking, online learning, communication with instructors, and balancing academic, social, recreational, and wellness responsibilities.

Help students identify and access campus resources, including disability and accessibility services, academic advising, tutoring, learning centers, counseling, career services, transportation, recreation, clubs, and student organizations.

Coach students in navigating campus environments, residential expectations, personal-care routines, peer interactions, classroom behavior, friendships, and other social aspects of college life.

Clinical Coordination Collaborate with individuals and their chosen supports to develop, implement, practice, and update Safety Plans and Cope Ahead Plans.

Provide clinical case management, consultation, referral, and…