Parenting Counselor

Are you passionate about helping parents build stronger, healthier relationships with their children? Do you have a deep understanding of child development and a desire to make a positive impact in the lives of families? If you're ready to help shape the future by supporting parents and guiding them toward raising emotionally and physically healthy children, we want to hear from you! This is your chance to make a meaningful difference while working alongside a passionate team dedicated to strengthening families across Chatham County.

Chatham County Parenting Program provides supportive services to parents and guardians. Services are provided to families who need support learning or enhancing their parenting skills to assist with practicing positive parent-child interactions. The Parenting Counselor/Educator helps parents obtain the knowledge and skills needed to raise physically, psychologically, and emotionally healthy children. This position performs intermediate-level work by assessing parents and families to coordinate and develop parenting strategies and activities to meet their social, physical, intellectual, creative, and emotional needs. This position requires the use of an evidenced-based curriculum for group and in-home services. The Parenting Counselor/Educator works in close collaboration with other programs that are focused on the well-being of children and families. The work is performed under the general supervision of the Family Services Manager.

• Screens and assesses individuals referred by Department Social Services, Chatham County Schools, Judicial Officials, self-referrals, and Family Treatment Court;
• Participates in meetings, case consultations, and various court sessions including criminal, civil, Chatham County School, and Department of Social Services (DSS) proceedings, where referrals may be initiated;
• Provides information for FTC dockets, reports for court, and collaborating programs;
• Stays informed on best practices for parenting models, exploring new innovations and techniques;
• Delivers evidence-based parenting classes to enrolled participants;
• Conducts pre- and post-evaluations to measure participant progress in parenting skills and knowledge;
• Offers information and educational opportunities to support enhanced parenting skills, effective communication, stronger family connections, increased parental confidence, and a deeper understanding of child development, fostering a more positive and rewarding parenting experience;
• Establishes relationships with clients to assess treatment and support services that are needed;
• Sets criteria, designs projects, and evaluates the effectiveness of parenting classes;
• Conducts visits and deliver curricula in participants’ homes and various community settings;
• Communicates with treatment providers and the teams on a regular basis to share client information and progress; maintains computer records, data, and reports for individual clients, and overall program information, ensuring that confidentiality requirements are met and maintained;
• Handles incoming calls and performs administrative tasks as needed;
• Utilizes computer applications and automated systems, including spreadsheets, word processing, calendars, email, and database software, to complete work assignments;
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field such as early childhood education, child and family development, human services, social work, or psychology, and a minimum of two (2) years in the field. Must have experience working with families and children or an equivalent combination of experience and education. 

• Thorough knowledge of evidence-based parenting programs, especially pertaining to families struggling with substance use and addiction;
• Thorough knowledge of child development, family dynamics, and trauma-informed counseling;
• Thorough knowledge of and experience with substance use and mental health assessment and service provision, including interview techniques, current screening tools, diagnostic methodology, record collection, and treatment referrals;
• Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of case management and maintaining computerized files and reports;
• General knowledge of general interviewing practices and/or techniques; 
• General knowledge of social work and counseling practices and techniques including crisis prevention and intervention;
• Interest in and commitment to substance use treatment and recovery;
• Ability to demonstrate compassion, especially when clients are experiencing complex issues or in crisis;
• Ability to demonstrate cultural competence, to understand and value clients’ unique values and perspectives;
• Ability to develop trusting, helping relationships and work effectively with individuals and families from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds;
• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse audience;
• Ability to identify which guideline(s) to use, and interpret how to apply the guideline(s);
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with court system stakeholders, clients, treatment providers, and the team;
• Ability to solve problems, work independently, and operate under difficult and stressful circumstances;
• Ability to recruit, support, and encourage client participation and success;
• Ability to communicate both orally and in writing;
• Ability to effectively use computer applications such as spreadsheets, word processing, calendars, e-mail, and database software to maintain and track data, generate reports, and prepare presentations;
• Ability to demonstrate sound judgment, integrity, resourcefulness, accuracy, thoroughness, and the physical condition commensurate with the demands of the position;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective professional relationships with co-workers, criminal justice stakeholders, community members and individuals with criminal records and/or pending criminal cases, and the general public.

Physical Requirements
This work requires the frequent exertion of up to 10 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking, hearing, handling or feeling and repetitive motions; frequently requires standing, walking and reaching with hands and arms and occasionally requires climbing or balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, pushing, pulling and lifting; work has standard vision requirements; work requires vocal communication to express or exchange ideas orally; work requires hearing to perceive information at normal spoken levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating machines, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities;  work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work in an office setting and field environment including frequent travel to various locations; sitting for prolonged periods; standing for brief period. Ability to work in an outdoor setting during community outreach events.  Must possess the visual acuity to prepare and analyze data and figures, perform accounting and extensive reading, and operate a computer terminal.

Special Requirements
Must possess a valid North Carolina driver's license.

Must have or obtain a certification in a nationally accredited parenting program within 6 months of hire.

Must complete required trainings, as well as travel for trainings as needed.

Must occasionally work outside of normal business hours to meet the needs of parents/children.

Experience with grant writing and fundraising is a plus.

Bilingual Spanish-speaking is preferred, but not required.

Certifications related to parenting education or family counseling.

Salary : $57,397 - $73,183