Wellness Specialist

About the role

The Wellness Specialist position at Gulf Coast JFCS is dedicated to providing intensive case management services to parents and caregivers of children in Hillsborough County, Florida. This role aims to strengthen and stabilize placements for children by connecting families to specialized services supporting child safety and well-being.

Responsibilities

• Provide intensive case management services to parents, caregivers, and children, to help meet the family's needs and stabilize the placement.
• Provide crisis intervention services, when needed, to assist in stabilizing families and ensuring safety for the children in care.
• Provide effective role modeling and psychoeducation to support parents and caregivers in learning trauma-informed ways to manage the challenging behavior of the children in care.
• Provide information, referral, and follow-up for appropriate ancillary community counseling, psychiatric services, financial, employment, parenting, housing, and other services as deemed appropriate to meet family needs.
• Complete documentation with all families where an intake was completed, and conduct ongoing evaluations of clients' progress on therapeutic goals.
• Support parents and caregivers to assist with the impact of trauma experienced as a result of caring for children, including de-escalation, processing support, identifying coping skills, etc.
• At discharge, assess service plan goals and connect families to wraparound services, as needed.
• Attend meetings with parents or caregivers, as needed, to serve as an advocate on their behalf.
• Provide on-call services as assigned, abiding by the program's on-call policy and procedure.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• A High School Diploma plus four (4) years of experience in human services.
• A Bachelor's degree in a human service field preferred.
• A specialized certification, such as a Certified Addictions Professional (CAP), may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Must participate in continuing education/training each year.
• Thorough knowledge of human development and practices.
• Ability to demonstrate strong crisis intervention skills and remain neutral.
• Conducts self in a professional manner with colleagues, peers, and clients.
• Demonstrates professional behavior toward clients consistent with the enhancement of the client’s dignity and well-being.
• Exhibits willingness to assist colleagues, assumes additional responsibilities willingly, and works varying hours to meet client accessibility.
• Ability to work in the family's home on a weekly basis.
• Ability to work under stressful situations.
• Potential exposure to clients who may be verbally and/or physically aggressive.
• Potential exposure to communicable diseases.
• Ability to work overtime as a salaried professional when required.
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license with auto insurance.