Child and Family Community Therpaist

Title of Position:   Child and Family Community Therapist
 
Program:   Outpatient Counseling Services
 
Position Summary: This position provides effective trauma treatment to young children in the community, on The Children’s Place on Wheels bus, helping children strengthen relationships, improve regulation and increase appropriate coping mechanisms with positive behavioral responses. This full-time position includes maintaining a caseload of approximately 20 clients. Direct client contact is comprised of therapy, assessments, and case support.  In addition to providing services at community locations on the bus (e.g. early childhood education centers, elementary schools), this position also provides individual therapy at The Children’s Place. Therapist also documents assessments and treatment plans for each client as well as all therapeutic activities and case support. Produces timely and accurate billing summaries weekly.
 
 
 
Certification(s) / Degree(s) Required:
 

• Master’s degree in social work, counseling, or related field with a minimum of 3 years of treatment experience.
• Licensure in the state of Missouri; dual licensure in Kansas preferred.
• Registered Play Therapist, EMDR certified, Theraplay® trained preferred.
• Bi-lingual skills are also preferred but not required. 

Pay: This is a salaried position with a salary range of $52,000 -  $65,000 depending on experience.
 
Reporting Structure: This position reports to the Director of Counseling and Family Support Services for administrative and clinical supervision.
 
Hours: The Children’s Place’s hours of operation are M-Th 7:00am – 5:00pm, and Friday 7:00am – 3:00pm.  This is a Full-time position that includes splitting time between providing therapy onsite at The Children’s Place, and within the community on the Children’s Place on Wheels.
 
Equal Opportunity Employer: The Children's Place is an equal opportunity employer that makes employment decisions regarding individuals and employees based on their qualifications, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ability, veteran status, or other status protected by law.
 
Our Mission: is to help children and families heal from life’s deepest hurts. We work to restore childhood. We tirelessly pursue, find, and celebrate healing for young children in our community who have faced trauma, enabling children to lead happy, healthy, and hopeful lives.
 
This is a Place For You: We believe in resiliency and the capacity to heal; our mission is to help children and families heal from life’s deepest hurts.
 
We believe everyone has a unique life story, and we will listen and stand with those who have felt hurt and vulnerable.
 
We believe everyone experiences pain. It is the expression of this pain and discomfort that allows for learning and growth.
 
We believe people are our most vital asset, and healing occurs within the context of relationships. We will work to build an inclusive community where all people feel they are noticed and belong.
 
We celebrate people from every color, race, ethnicity, place of origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, socio-economic status, family structure, and those with differences in ability.
We commit to hiring a workforce and recruiting board members to encourage the representation of all groups and perspectives. The children and families we serve deserve to enter a Place filled with people who reflect their own diversity.
Furthermore, we see acts of racism and its resulting inequities in our world and will actively work to be an equitable and antiracist Place. Through consistent professional training and development, we commit to creating an environment where all people can say they are welcomed, respected, and safe to be themselves.
 
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

I.Direct Services: 

Provide therapy to clients; services may include individual, family therapy, psychoeducation, and group work. Full-time therapists are expected to have 16 client sessions per week. The agency utilizes PC-Care, TF-CBT, Play Therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and Theraplay ® as modalities of therapy.
 
Facilitate communication with caregivers via telephone, email, or telehealth at a minimum of one time monthly to include them as active participants in the treatment process.
 
Develop timely, quality mental health assessments and co-create treatment plans with caregivers for each client and/or family.
 
Utilize and be able to interpret and communicate standardized test scores to caregivers.  Utilize assessment scores to formulate assessments and treatment plans.
 
 
Make appropriate referrals to community agencies on behalf of the child/family served.
 
Coordinate the services provided by various members of the agency’s treatment team, which may include a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and/or a Family Educator.
 
Participate in wrap-around service meetings (FST, IEP, 504 Meetings, etc.) and/or write formal recommendations, as needed.
 
 Engage as needed in community-based crisis situations with the Missouri STRIKE team.   
 
Provide professional court testimony when subpoenaed.
 
 
II. Administrative Duties: 
Attend department and monthly All Staff meetings.
 
Demonstrate compliance with all agency and professional organization policies and procedures.
 
Produce timely and accurate billing summaries each week.
 
Document all therapeutic and case management activities according to agency policies and timeframes.
 
III.Quality Improvement/Assurance 
Adhere to agency policy regarding Quality Improvement measures.
 
Actively collect treatment data for each client and ensure assessment scores are integrated into the treatment process.
 
Participate in peer review of chart audits.
 
Participate in other Quality Assurance and Utilization Review activities as appropriate.
 
Contribute to the agency’s overall strategic plan.
 
IV. Professional Development / Community Outreach 
Within the first 14 days of employment, complete 11-hour TF-CBT web-based training. Demonstrate ability to identify appropriate clients for TF-CBT intervention.  After completing 11-hour mandatory training, therapist’s knowledge will be evaluated throughout the year during supervision and review of paperwork
 
Utilize appropriate assessment tools in initial, ongoing assessment and at discharge.
 
Complete initial credentialing application, provide current training documents and maintain necessary licensure training requirements annually.
 
Attend agency and community-based training to meet minimum licensure and credentialing requirements. These trainings should include the topics of play therapy, trauma, treating sexual/physical abuse, grief, suicide, loss, ethics, and cultural competency.
 
Participate in Theraplay®, PC-CARE, EMDR training when offered; other modalities as identified.
 
Provide community-based training as an outreach to the general population.
 
As requested, and deemed appropriate, represent the agency for media appearances, advocacy and other community outreach.
 
Skills, Experience, and Education:
 

• Knowledge of the role of a mandated reporter
• Knowledge of client needs/issues (e.g. abuse, neglect, trauma, protective services)
• Demonstrated knowledge of child development and experience working with children, specifically ages from birth to eight years old.
• Proficient of the English language, both verbal and written
• Effective organizational and time management skills
• Demonstrated track record of accuracy, timeliness, dependability, and reliability
• Competence and ability to operate a personal computer, familiar with the Microsoft Suite of programs, and other standard office equipment
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality regarding records, clients, and sensitive data
• Interpersonal style that is conducive to executing a multidisciplinary team approach
• Utilize self-care strategies
• Apply a strengths-based framework
• Physical ability to lift children without restriction
• Familiar with community resources, collaboration and initiatives that will enhance The Children’s Place
• Ability to communicate directly and effectively with clients, caregivers, staff, supervisor, teammates, and other professionals
• Ability to work and travel within the community without restriction
• Ability to engage and work effectively with diverse staff, clients, caregivers, and other professionals
• Working knowledge of DSM and able to diagnose accurately 

 
Working Conditions:
 

• Ability to access multiple levels of the building.
• Maintain bus safety while riding in The Children’s Place on Wheels.
• Responsible for client physical safety.
• Exposure to various weather conditions while entering, exiting, and providing services on The Children’s Place on Wheels.
• Must understand and follow building security procedures.
• Business casual office attire.
• Exposure to childhood illnesses. Flu and COVID vaccination is highly recommended.
• Exposure to sensitive client subject matter.
• Exposure to vicarious trauma.
• Likelihood of courtroom testimony/involvement.
• Potential for interacting with children who display a multitude of behaviors due to trauma. 
• Disclaimer:

 
Other duties will be required/requested for effective job performance.  This is not a contract for employment but an outline of essential functions and expectations.