Child and Adolescent Counselor

Equal Opportunity Employer

The mission of the Health Federation of Philadelphia is to promote health equity for marginalized communities by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, and comprehensive health and human services.  Health equity is at the heart of all our work. We believe in and are firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status.  This commitment applies to all aspects of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promotion.

Cover Letter Required

JOB SUMMARY

The Youth and Family Counselor is responsible for providing emotional support to children and adolescents that have been affected by substance use in the family, especially related to overdose loss and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). This position will be a dual role between the Bereavement Care and Neonatal Abstinence Support teams based out of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPHR). In working together, the goal is to help coordinate and improve the provision of emotional support for children and adolescents affected by substance-related trauma. This position requires a high level of clinical responsibility, integrity, and initiative.

Individuals who are native Philadelphians, Black, Brown and LGBTQIA+ are strongly encouraged to apply! Evidence shows that those from marginalized groups will refrain from applying unless they meet every requirement of the job. However, we believe that there are many ways to qualify for this position, be it academic, professional and/or lived experience. If you are passionate about working with children affected by loss and substance use, and your experience and knowledge can reflect that, please apply.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Responsibilities/Duties for Bereavement Care Team

• Outreach
  • Provide telephonic outreach to all assigned cases of children and adolescents affected by a drug-related death, as well as telephonic follow-up as needed;
  • Provide appropriate referrals for child and caregiver outside of Philly HEALs, depending on needs determined through outreach, assessment, or conclusion of services.
• Counseling
  • Offer trauma-informed counseling to children and adolescents whose loved ones have died from an accidental drug intoxication or who have experienced trauma related to a loved one’s substance use;
  • After performing initial outreach and assessment, work with child and family to develop age-appropriate goals and treatment plan. Adjust as necessary over treatment period and keep family informed of progress.
  • Perform periodic calls to caregivers to provide emotional support, psychoeducation about developmental grief, and assess for positive or negative changes in child, as perceived by the caregiver;
  • Use a strengths-based framework for understanding children/youth and caregivers while applying a variety of clinical interventions such as talk, play, art, CBT/TF-CBT, and other strategies.
  • Mitigate barriers to transportation for clients by providing in-home or in-school counseling to a percentage of your caseload and be able to communicate and schedule these sessions with schools, caregivers (and Free Library or other community locations when needed).
  • Facilitate a peer-support group for caregivers of children who lost their parents/guardians to a drug-related death;
• Case Management/Resources/Referrals
  • Develop and nurture connections with internal and external providers (such as school admin and counselors, outpatient community mental health agencies, pediatricians, etc.) to support effective treatment for the child/youth and caregiver.
  • 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;
  • Closely collaborate with Bereavement Support Staff at the Medical Examiner’s Office to bridge services and combine resources
  • Engage with community spaces to gain child and youth counseling referrals including canvasing neighborhoods with flyers and sharing services with community spaces such as libraries and schools

Responsibilities/Duties for Philly LIFTS (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Care) Team

• Assist with monthly social and resource sharing groups for mothers at a local family-centered inpatient treatment facility, as well as monthly NAS support groups.
• Participate in events organized by community partners, i.e. back-to-school events, holiday parties, etc.

General Responsibilities/Duties

• Offer clinical insight and support to continue to build a program that provides effective, accessible services that accurately meet the needs of the Philadelphia community.
• Assist other team members with community events or projects when able to.
• Enter all case notes into the database in a timely fashion and complete all assigned tasks; including related duties not specified here.
• Closely collaborate with other SUPHR teams for outreach, such as Community Engagement, Harm Reduction, Environmental Services, and Philly LIFTS (NAS Intervention)

Education

Master of Social Work (or equivalent, i.e. MFT, LPC candidates, M.S. or M.A in clinical mental health counseling) degree from an accredited college or university.

Skills/Experience

• Necessary prior experience working with:
  • Bereaved and/or trauma-impacted children and adolescents
  • Individuals with substance use disorders
  • Diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds
• Active engagement in cultural humility; knowledge of social and cultural factors contributing to behaviors related to trauma, grief, and substance use.
• Direct experience working with children and adolescents through a variety of modalities (art, play, talk therapy), and comfortability tailoring approach to client’s needs/environment. Be able to incorporate elements of positive identity formation into the therapeutic space.
• Intimate knowledge of human growth and development across the lifespan, as well as ways grief and trauma may present differently depending on emotional and cognitive developmental level.
• Have thoughtful and trauma-informed assessment and crisis intervention skills for children/youth and caregivers who are experiencing traumatic stress from both interpersonal experiences and on-going traumatic stress environments.
• Hold a strong grasp on community supports that children/families can access within Philadelphia; be able to provide case management beyond therapeutic supports;
• Ability to function under the direct supervision of a program manager, manage and complete tasks in a timely manner
• Ability to collaborate and work well with others; operating within the scope and standards of the provision of trauma-informed care;
• Sound computer skills and good experience in the use of Microsoft Office Suite;

Work Environment:  A percentage of counseling caseload is expected to be done in the community (at schools, in homes, or at other community locations.)  Mileage reimbursement is available.

Position Type:  Full time position

Work Schedule:  Mostly business hours; must be able to work one to two evenings per week to accommodate client schedules.

Travel:  Must have personal transportation and be comfortable with daily travel within the Philadelphia County region. Mileage reimbursement is available.

Physical Demands:  This job may require mild physical effort including lifting materials and equipment of less than 25 pounds. 

Salary and Benefits:  $63,855, with a comprehensive benefits package that can include:

• 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. 

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.