Level: Experienced
Job Location: Main HQ Center City 650 - Philadelphia, PA
Education Level: 4 Year Degree
The Child and Adolescent Counselor (CAC) is responsible for providing emotional support to children and adolescents that have been affected by substance use in the family. The children and adolescents we serve have a caregiver with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) or have had a loved one die due to substance use. While this position will be based out of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPHR)’s Bereavement Care Team, this position will also collaborate with the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Surveillance and Outreach team in order to help coordinate and improve the provision of emotional support for children and adolescents affected by drug-related trauma. This position requires a high level of clinical responsibility, integrity, and initiative.
Ideal candidates will include clinicians and practitioners who have practice experience and expertise in trauma and bereavement topics related to substance use. Clinicians and practitioners of color, LGBTQIA+ people, those with disabilities, and others with lived experiences being part of marginalized communities, are encouraged to apply.
JOB SPECIFICATIONS
Responsibilities/Duties
- Provide telephonic outreach to all assigned cases of children and adolescents affected by the substance use of a caregiver, including drug-related deaths, as well as telephonic follow-up as needed;
- Offer trauma-informed counseling to children and adolescents of caregivers with a SUD, including those whose loved one has died from an accidental drug intoxication or who have experienced trauma related to a loved one’s substance use;
- The counselor will use a variety of clinically based interventions such as talk, play, art, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other strategies to help the child and family reach the agreed upon treatment plan goals;
- Develop and nurture connections with internal and external providers to support effective Family-Based treatment;
- Identify any bereavement, health-related, additional mental health support, or social service needs of children affected by substance use, including grieving children and families, and help connect them to the proper community resources;
- Develop and implement initiatives to address the prevention and treatment of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in children and adolescents affected by the SUD of a caregiver
- Start up and facilitate at least one peer-support group for grieving children and adolescents who have suffered a drug-related death;
- Closely collaborate with SUPHR and Medical Examiner’s Office staff;
- Enter all case notes into the database in a timely fashion;
- Complete all tasks as assigned, including related duties not specified above.
Qualifications
Education
Master of Social Work (or equivalent) degree at an accredited college or university or
Bachelor of Social Work degree with at least five years of work experience
Skills/Experience
- Experience working directly with individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds;
- Experience working directly with children and adolescents through a variety of modalities (art, play, talk therapy)
- Ability to flex clinical style/approach to multiple cultural environments and client landscape;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and ability to present to diverse audiences, specifically racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse communities;
- Social and cultural factors that contribute to attitudes and behaviors common to trauma and grief;
- Social and cultural factors that contribute to attitudes and behaviors common to having a loved with a substance use disorder;
- Principles, practices and techniques related to working with bereaved children and adolescents;
- Ability to observe, recognize, analyze and report on individual’s and families’ behavioral, attitudinal, emotional and social problems, and to help provide useful information and links for future support;
- Ability to function under the direct supervision of a program manager and within the scope and standards of the provision of trauma-informed care;
- Ability to handle multiple tasks and manage project timelines with a high degree of organizational skill;
- Sound computer skills and good experience in the use of Microsoft Office Suite;
- Experience working with individuals with substance use disorders (or with their loved ones) is highly preferred;
- Experience providing grief counseling or crisis intervention services to bereaved and/or traumatized children and adolescents is highly preferred;
Work Environment:
Standard office setting with extended periods at work station and periodic use of office equipment. Position will be a hybrid position with opportunities for work-from-home, as well as office and mobile work (i.e., home visits to clients).
Position Type:
Full time position
Work Schedule:
Mostly business hours; must be able to work one evening per week to accommodate client schedules.
Travel:
Travel within the Philadelphia County region
Physical Demands:
This job may require mild physical effort including lifting materials and equipment of less than 25 pounds.
Salary and Benefits:
$60,000, with a comprehensive benefits package that can include:
- Weekly supervision by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- Reimbursement for additional LCSW clinical supervision
- Medical with vision benefits
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending accounts
- Life, AD&D and long-term care insurance
- Short- and long-term disability insurance
- 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a company contribution
- Paid time off including vacation, sick, personal and holiday
- Employee Assistance Program
Eligibility and participation is handled consistent with the plan documents and HFP policy.
Applications will begin to be reviewed on March 18th. For consideration, please submit a resume and cover letter.
DISCLAIMER
The Health Federation reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the Company desires. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an employee assigned to this position. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, responsibilities and/or skills to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied, or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at will.” The aforementioned job requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals.