Youth Justice Psychotherapist/Clinical Social Worker

TITLE:                           SFCARC Youth Justice Therapist/Psychotherapist 

DIVISION: Justice/Counseling

SCHEDULE: M-Friday 10-6pm, in person position (occasional evening & weekend hours as needed)

SALARY: $76,000 + $3,640 Bilingual Premium (Spanish, Cantonese or Mandarin)

STATUS: Nonexempt, Union/ Full-time, 40 hours per week

SUPERVISOR: Director of SFCARC & Clinical Director (LMFT)

AGENCY DESCRIPTION: 

Huckleberry Youth Programs (HYP) is a critical provider of essential safety net services for high-needs youth and their families in San Francisco and Marin County. For over 50 years, HYP has developed and maintained prevention programs that promote the health and leadership of youth, and, as a result divert youth from violence, crime and gang involvement, as well as other harmful behaviors, including running away, drug/alcohol abuse, risky sexual activities, and involvement in the juvenile justice systems. HYP’s mission is to work in solidarity with young people and their families to advance their personal growth and social equity. Our programming focuses on the core areas of safety, health, justice, and education.HYP employs approximately 75 employees and operates on a $9 million annual budget. We offer excellent employee benefits, including full medical/dental/vision/acupuncture and chiropractic coverage and generous vacation time. For more information about our various programs please go to our website at www.huckleberryyouth.org.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Counseling Department 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. The combined teams together provide free and confidential wraparound services for 12-24 year olds. Therapists are embedded at all of our program sites in San Francisco including the Huckleberry Youth Health Center, Huckleberry House youth shelter, the Huckleberry Advocacy and Response Team (HART), and the San Francisco Community Assessment and Referral Center (SFCARC). Placement at schools or other community sites may occur as part of the positions. The counseling team meets weekly for clinical group supervision and/or staff meetings. Clinicians are expected to maintain a caseload that enables them to book at least twenty clients per week.

SFCARC is seeking a Youth Justice Therapist for San Francisco’s Community Assessment & Referral Center (SFCARC). The primary responsibility of this position will be to provide individual and/or family therapy and linkage to services for youth (ages 12-24) who are directly impacted by the juvenile justice system. The therapist may also be utilized to provide basic needs, crisis support & intervention for youth at the point of arrest and clinical consultation to the SFCARC Justice Navigators in collaboration with the SFCARC Director. Young people are referred through SFCARC Justice Navigators and the Clinical Director at Huckleberry Youth Programs. This position will be a core member of the community-based collaborative response to youth ages 12-18 who have been cited/arrested by law enforcement in San Francisco. SFCARC has been in existence for 25yrs, navigating from the center of juvenile justice reform & transformation in San Francisco. SFCARC is in an integral moment of time within the justice field in that it will be expanding operating hours & services to be able to support more youth at the point of arrest for all misdemeanors & felonies. SFCARC is a community-based diversion program, single point of entry for crisis intervention, intake/assessment, service integration and referrals back to the community of arrested & detained youth. The ultimate goal of SFCARC is to assess the needs of young people who come in contact with police, connect them and their families to needed services or support, hold the youth accountable for their actions via restorative justice practices and to prevent re-arrests. This position is primarily in-person on site at our center with some services provided in schools, the community & at the Juvenile Justice Center. In this newer juvenile justice model youth will be assessed by SFCARC and connected to a Justice Services Care Coordinator (JSCC) for ongoing case management and additional service linkages from agencies including: Bay Area Community Resources (BACR); Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ); Mission Neighborhood Centers (MNC); Sunset Youth Services (SYS); and Young Community Developers (YCD). SFCARC also subcontracts with Instituto Familiar de la Raza (IFR) and Community Youth Center (CYC) to directly connect youth to unique culturally responsive services. The embedded Therapist works in collaboration with the CARC team and with the above community partners as needed. As of now SFCARC operates Monday-Friday 9am-10pm. In the new year SFCARC will be expanding hours to Monday-Saturday 10am-midnight. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide individual therapy to young people (ages 12-24) who are referred through SFCARC Justice Navigators or from the Clinical Director at Huckleberry Youth Programs.
• Conduct assessments with youth, including the CANS and the TESI to ensure youth are linked to additional supportive services as appropriate.  This may include psychiatric care, substance use disorder treatment, case management, and primary medical care.
• Ensure youth feedback is obtained by utilizing the PCOMS (Partners for Change Outcome Rating Scale) at the beginning & end of each session, and giving youth surveys (both SF County BHS, DCYF and SFCARC specific).
• Utilize healing-centered, trauma-informed practices, restorative justice, harm reduction, holistic and youth development practices.
• Seek to reduce barriers to accessing mental health services, by demonstrating flexibility in approach and location of service delivery. Location of services can include but are not limited to CARC, other HYP program sites, schools, the Juvenile Justice Center or in the community. 
• Provide consultation and/or training to SFCARC staff, including in moments of crisis at the center
• Attend & participate in all program & embedded therapist specific and agency required meetings that may be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. This includes clinical & program specific supervision & support. 
• Maintain a fluid caseload and consistent, accurate, thorough and timely electronic documentation of contacts with youth, their families and community partners.
• Demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skill in conducting biopsychosocial assessments, evaluating and responding to clinical risks, creating diagnostic formulations, developing treatment/goal plans and choosing and applying effective interventions to bring about therapeutic change.
• Develop rapport, engagement and retention of youth in services in a manner that demonstrates awareness of the impact of sociocultural factors on experiences, values, learning and counseling needs.
• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of legal and ethical issues and apply this vigilantly to clinical practice; consistently maintain appropriate boundaries with clients and staff.
• 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.
• Co-facilitate behavioral health groups like Parent’s Turn or presentations as directed.
• Manage clear and timely communication with systems partners such as community-based organizations, SFUSD, Public Defender’s Office/Defense attorney’s, the Juvenile Probation. Department, the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, etc.
• Participate & engage in personal & professional development trainings focused on best practices in diversion, therapeutic modalities, youth development and more.

• Support the team with administrative responsibilities as needed such as reception, filing, organizing supplies, office cleaning, etc.

• Other assigned duties as needed to run effective programming.

COMPETENCIES:

1. Maintain an awareness of the agency’s mission and work to promote the positive individual and social change goals it embodies 
2. Strong commitment to the well-being of youth, social justice, and a positive youth development approach 
3. Excellent collaborator who is adaptable and is committed to open communication
4. Ability to work and advocate in a collaborative process and navigate various systems  
5. Resourceful in system collaboration & navigation
6. Knowledge of community-based agencies serving young people in the San Francisco Bay Area
7. 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.
8. Maintain a creative, team-building, cooperative approach to job performance and seek to bring a constructive, problem-solving orientation to all tasks.
9.  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.
10. Actively strive to upgrade personal skills through engaging in appropriate professional training experiences. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT: This position primarily works out of our center located at 44 Gough St. in San Francisco. The role also requires providing services at the Juvenile Justice Center (including juvenile hall), schools, community based organizations, other Huckleberry programs and in the community. This role occasionally includes driving and transporting youth. The position also includes the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. The office is located in the Hayes Valley/Civic Center neighborhoods of San Francisco and is accessible by public transportation but also has a parking lot for staff. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: This role requires the ability to talk, hear and sit, to drive your personal and agency vehicles, to be able to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds unassisted.  
 

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

1. A master’s degree in social work or counseling.
2. A clinical license or registered with BBS in pursuit of license. 
3. At least 2 years of experience providing individual therapy and/or youth development services to youth and/or Transitional Age Youth & Adults (TAYA).
4. Willing & able to work & partner with law enforcement representatives on a regular basis.
5. Excellent critical thinking, problem solving, oral and written communication skills, & organization.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

1. Bilingual capability in Spanish, Cantonese or other San Francisco Threshold languages is strongly preferred; stipend provided.

2. Thorough knowledge of community-based agencies serving adolescents in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

3. Ability to work in a crisis, fast-paced and collaborative environment.

1. Committed to managing multiple projects/tasks, working independently as well as being able to work cohesively in a culturally diverse team environment. 
2. Effective in being mobile to provide services in multiple locations.
3. Experience with Medi-Cal documentation, especially use of EPIC.
4. Experience, awareness and knowledge of cultures of San Francisco youth and families and demonstration of cultural sensitivity and responsiveness.
5. Experience with telehealth and/or other non-traditional modalities.  

THERAPISTS RECEIVE:

• Weekly individual clinical supervision
• Group clinical supervision (3x/month + team meeting)
• BBS hours if needed
• Ongoing training and support in a 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

ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY QUALIFICATIONS:

1. TB clearance

2. Valid CA driver’s license, clear DMV record, and reliable transportation.

3. Two years driving experience

4. Fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

SECURITY CLEARANCE:

1. Must pass the DOJ/FBI background check. Due to our requirements with licensing, candidates with backgrounds including items on this non-exemptible crimes list will not be eligible for exemption at this time.  

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:

Huckleberry Youth Programs is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal opportunity to its employees and applicants for employment without discrimination on the basis of race; color; ethnic background; religion; gender; gender identity or expression; sexual orientation; national origin; ancestry; age; marital status; pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical condition; disability, including HIV- related conditions; or status as a covered veteran. This policy applies to every aspect of employment, including but not limited to: hiring, advancement, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, compensation, benefits, training and working conditions.

FAIR CHANCE: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.