Therapist

About the role

The Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) Therapist in the Preventive Service Department implements the BSFT model with families whose children are between the ages of 6 and 17 and present with behavioral problems such as school truancy, substance use, conduct problems, and delinquency. The department uses evidence-based models to help families provide safe environments, keep children safely at home, and reduce the need for foster care. Services are delivered in the family’s home and community.

Responsibilities

• Provide child welfare preventive services exclusively or primarily in the client’s home and community
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with every family member who has or should have a relationship with the youth
• Deliver direct clinical treatment to the entire family using BSFT model theory and techniques
• Take responsibility as the leader of the therapeutic relationship for family progress and outcomes
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with relevant community stakeholders (child protection services, probation officers, judges, schools, etc.) to ensure cooperation among service providers
• Integrate case management services with the assigned evidence-based model to help families meet basic needs, promote stability, and reduce stress
• Transform negative interactions into positive and collaborative interactions; focus on family strengths from an interactional perspective
• Conduct assessments including review of referral information, identify and engage key participants, identify strengths and weaknesses, and collaboratively develop goals
• Videotape all family therapy sessions with consent
• Conduct family therapy at times and in locations most convenient to the family
• Maintain clear and concise documentation of treatment efforts that support peer, supervisory, model expert, and ACS review and feedback
• Adhere to model fidelity regarding length of treatment, case contacts, interventions, supervision, and documentation
• Enter documentation in the OCFS and ACS Database System (PROMIS and CNNX)
• Collaborate with child welfare and follow ACS guidelines for preventive services, particularly safety and risk aspects
• Participate in all BSFT model training, supervision, and consultation activities
• Manage extensive travel requirements to serve families in their homes
• Work a hybrid schedule based on program needs
• Attend group supervision and commit to professional development goals to improve adherence
• Work a flexible schedule to meet family needs
• Conduct outreach to generate referrals for the program
• Work with a team to meet client, program, and division needs

Core competencies

• Ability to connect at a human level with clients to engage and maintain them in therapy
• Ability to establish effective and collaborative relationships with all family members, managing one’s own feelings about each member
• Outstanding interpersonal skills
• Willingness and ability to maintain a strengths-focused approach
• Ability to function effectively amid high tension and anger in the family
• Ability to shift the family from content to process, from past and future discussions to present interactions
• Appreciation, respect, and understanding for teamwork and organizational systems
• Ability to maintain a high level of self-awareness
• Ability to observe present interactions as they occur
• Comfort and skill interacting across cultural differences in respectful, strength-focused, and culturally appropriate ways
• Family-centered orientation that places the family at the center of therapy rather than the therapist
• Ability to maintain independence from the family’s frame to observe and draw one’s own conclusions based on observed interactions

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Creative Arts Therapy, or a related field

Experience

• Bilingual/bicultural preferred
• Experience working in the client’s home
• Experience in a Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, or adolescent-focused program
• Experience and/or knowledge of evidence-based models, Motivational Interviewing, and solution-focused work
• Experience working within diverse communities
• Direct practice with families

Computer skills

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office required
• Knowledge and experience with the Connections system preferred

Work environment / physical effort

To perform essential functions, the candidate must be able to travel within New York City carrying equipment such as a notebook, forms, laptop, mobile hotspot, and cell phone weighing up to approximately 10 pounds. Risks/hazards include travel within New York City and interfacing with clients experiencing acute mental health crises or serious emotional disturbance. The position is currently hybrid but may become 100% in-person based on program need.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off in addition to paid agency holidays and 15 sick days
• Affordable and high-quality medical, dental, and vision plans
• Tuition assistance and educational loan forgiveness
• Free continuing education opportunities
• 403(b) retirement benefits and a pension
• Flexible spending accounts for health and transportation
• 24/7 accessible Employee Assistance Program
• Life and disability insurance