Job details

Youth Counselor- Supporting Families!

Overview:

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

As a Youth Counselor, you will provide culturally sensitive, strength-based, and family-centered services and planning for youth who are referred for Differential Response. The Differential Response Program is a coordinated partnership between Santa Clara County, Seneca, and community-based service providers to serve children and families with risk factors that put the child at risk of court intervention. Services are intended to be short-term and intensive for an average of 6 months per family with the goal of maintaining children safely in their home.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Youth Counselor you will be responsible for developing and coordinating family-centered services to meet the individualized needs of children and families. You will be responsible for the development of an integrated plan and leadership to ensure implementation of services to families. As the Youth Counselor you provide facilitation, assessment, and case management services including all related documentation for planned and provided services. You will work independently with the children and families in their homes and a variety of community settings.

“I’ve had the privilege to work directly with youth and families from my community whose resilience and inner strength motivates me to go above and beyond. I get to hang out with kids, hear their stories, and work to break the chain trauma with a strength-based approach. The functions of my job can be difficult at times; however, our core value of unconditional care truly shines through every level of this work, making those challenges minor in the grand scheme of things.”

Seneca Employee

ABOUT SENECA

Seneca Family of Agencies is committed to providing traditionally marginalized communities a network of outstanding mental health, community-based, and educational services. We are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourage people of color to apply. Our programs are deeply engaged in conversations and training on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in order to bring equity and justice to the youth and families we serve.

Responsibilities:

Assist the treatment team in the intake process, including creating a welcoming environment for the youth and reviewing behavioral expectations
Provide behavioral and crisis stabilization services utilizing Seneca’s behavioral model to ensure the safety of the youth
Facilitate a life skills group and assist in developing services, strategies, interventions and activities to support the youth across different environments
Supervise youth across different environments, providing supervision for visits with family when necessary
Promote youth and family connections by partnering with families and community members
Plan and lead community-based activities for youth (may include families)
Engage the youth in therapeutic activities and projects as well as educational activities
Work in collaboration with the parent and/or treatment team members, to implement and assist youth in meeting identified treatment goals
Participate in an on-call rotation as needed to support the safety and supervision of youth
Complete daily progress notes and incident reports as needed and outlined by Seneca’s policies and procedures
Maintain accurate and timely documentation and paperwork including but not limited to, mental health notes, time sheets, petty cash, and mileage

Qualifications:

REQUIRED

Bachelor’s degree required.
Must be at least 21 years of age.
TB test clearance, fingerprinting clearance, and any other state/federal licensing or certification requirements
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination
Own vehicle, have a valid California Driver's License and insurance

PREFERRED

Bilingual in Spanish a plus!

SKILLS OF AN IDEAL CANDIDATE

Experience directly supporting racially and ethnically diverse youth who may identify as a part of, but not limited to, the LGBTQ and/or transgender communities (a plus!)
Time management skills and ability to manage multiple responsibilities
A willingness to self-reflect about how the intersection of one’s own identity, power and privilege, and communication style influences their interactions with youth and families
An understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and bias in addition to their impact on the youth and families we serve

Schedule:

Full-time
Monday to Friday
Flexibility is required, with the ability to work some evening hours as needed
Some on-call responsibilities

Benefits:

Starting at $25.75 - $28.25 per hour. Actual salary dependent on creditable experience above the minimum qualifications.
additional compensation upon passing language proficiency exam
Annual performance evaluations provide the potential for a generous salary increase each year
Comprehensive employee benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and chiropractic coverage, as well as partially paid premiums for dependents
Employer-paid Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
5 weeks of flexible paid time off and 11 paid holidays
We provide a 403b retirement plan
Scholarship opportunities, ongoing training, and professional development opportunities

Keywords: mental health counselor, mental health, nonprofit, non-profit, behavioral health, counselor, youth and families, adolescents, community worker, parents, probation youth, probation counselor, foster youth, foster youth counselor, health care worker,