POSITION SUMMARY:
Huckleberry Youth Programs’ mission is to work in solidarity with young people and their families to advance their personal growth and social equity. We are a community based organization that provides a spectrum of services to youth between the ages of 11-24 and their families in San Francisco and Marin counties. Our programming focuses on the core areas of safety, health, justice, and education.
The counseling program at Huckleberry Youth Programs in San Francisco offers individual and family therapy as well as case management, groups and behavioral health classes. We strive to provide culturally relevant, high quality services in English and Spanish to youth (ages 11-24) and their families. Therapists are embedded at all of our programs sites in San Francisco including the Huckleberry Youth Health Center, Huckleberry House youth shelter, the Huckleberry Advocacy and Response Team (HART), and the Community Assessment and Referral Center (CARC). Placement at schools or other community sites may occur as part of the positions. The Counseling team meets weekly for group supervision and/or staff meetings. Clinicians are expected to maintain a caseload that enables them to book at least twenty clients per week.
This Outpatient Psychotherapist/Clinical Social Worker position will be embedded in the Huckleberry Advocacy and Response Team (HART) in San Francisco. The primary responsibility of this position will be to provide individual and/or family therapy to youth ages 11-24. The embedded Therapist works in collaboration with HART Intervention Specialists and Senior Manager. The Huckleberry Advocacy and Response Team (HART) provides services to youth ages 11-24 who, due to their circumstances, histories, and vulnerabilities, have experienced or are at risk for experiencing commercial sexual exploitation and/or are engaging in survival sex. Using a harm reduction, trauma-informed, empowerment, and relationship driven approach, HART provides case management, crisis response, therapy and psychoeducation to young people. The HART team also provides training and consultation for other providers in the community.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Provide individual therapy and family therapy to youth ages 11-24 referred by the HART program and HYP outpatient referral system.
- Ensure youth are linked to additional supportive services as appropriate. This may include HART case management, HYP shelter, psychiatric care, substance use disorder treatment,and primary medical care.
- Ensure youth feedback is obtained by utilizing the PCOMS (Partners for Change Outcome Rating Scale) at the end of each session.
- Conduct training for Huckleberry staff as needed. Provide consultations to families and community providers as requested.
- In conjunction with HART Intervention Specialists, facilitate prevention and intervention groups with youth.
- Attend HART weekly team meetings, weekly supervision sessions with the Clinical Director, weekly check-ins with site Program Director, embedded therapist meetings, group supervision sessions, and agency wide meetings.
- Conduct assessments with youth, including the CANS, the TESI
- In conjunction with the HART Intervention Specialists, help facilitate recreational activities and outings in the community with youth.
- Seek to reduce barriers to accessing mental health services, by demonstrating flexibility in approach and location of services.
- Demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skill in conducting biopsychosocial assessments, evaluating and responding to clinical risks, creating diagnostic formulations, developing treatment plans and choosing and applying effective interventions to bring about therapeutic change.
- Develop rapport with youth in a manner that demonstrates awareness of the impact of sociocultural factors on experiences, values, learning and counseling needs.
- Demonstrate ability to engage and retain youth in services.
- Demonstrate thorough knowledge of legal and ethical issues and apply this vigilantly to clinical practice. Consistently maintain appropriate boundaries with clients and staff.
- Perform accurate, thorough and timely record-keeping and documentation.
- Consistently work to advance clinical skills and knowledge of self and the clinical team by actively engaging in group and individual supervision, pursuing training opportunities and sharing knowledge.
COMPETENCIES:
1. Maintain professional standards of performance and demeanor at all times.
2. Perform tasks and responsibilities in a thorough and timely manner in compliance with agency policies and standards, and conform to scheduling requirements of this job description and program.
3. Maintain a creative, team-building, cooperative approach to job performance and seek to bring a constructive, problem-solving orientation to all tasks.
4. Maintain an awareness of the agency’s mission and work to promote the positive individual and social change goals it embodies.
5. Exercise discretion and professional judgment at all times in keeping with the responsibility carried personally and by the agency for the care and welfare of youth and families.
6. Actively strive to upgrade personal skills through engaging in appropriate professional training experiences.
THERAPISTS RECEIVE:
- Weekly individual clinical supervision with Clinical Director
- Group supervision (3x/month + team meeting)
- BBS hours if needed
- Ongoing training and support in genuine learning environment
- Agency commitment to addressing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma
- The opportunity to work with a wide range of clinical issues within a diverse client population
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
This position operates out of the HART office in San Francisco and may include travel to other Huckleberry sites or community locations for service delivery and coordination. This role routinely includes the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The employee must be able to lift and/or carry up to 10 pounds unassisted on an occasional basis. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear and sit. The employee is required to stand, walk, climb stairs and use hands to find, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls.
