Crisis Intervention Specialist

YOUTH SERVICES - FAMILY CRISIS INTERVENTION UNIT (FCIU)

25 hours per week; Minimum 4 days per week; Work until 8pm 2 days/week

The Crisis Intervention Specialist position exists so that Somerset County can benefit from having fewer families accessing more expensive interventions as a result of juvenile/family crisis matters (runaway, truancy, severe family conflict and human trafficking) and juvenile risky behaviors that could lead to the need for court intervention. The position is also responsible for arranging short-term out-of-placements or other court-ordered plans as necessary to ensure the child’s safety.

Essential Functions

• Functions under the rules of the Court provided by the Family Court Legislation N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-1 et. Seq. (See Juvenile/Family Crisis Operations Manual).
• Reports to the Clinical Supervisor and the Director of the FCIU.
• Provides immediate clinical crisis intervention, assessment and management to youth and their families in order to stabilize at-risk behaviors or behaviors which cause great conflict within the family. These behaviors include runaway behavior, truancy, severe family conflict and human trafficking behaviors.
• Responds to all referrals within 24 business hours of receipt of assignment or sooner if needed (some cases are assessed to need immediate intervention due to the imminent risk involved and there may be walk-ins to the unit).
• Provides ongoing short-term family therapy to help further stabilize families in crisis.
• Contacts and collaborates with all involved providers and agencies, often including schools, police and other mental health providers in order to fully assess the risk to the child/family and to coordinate treatment.
• Determines, when appropriate, and in consult with his/her Clinical Supervisor and the FCIU Director, when a Juvenile/Family Crisis or Out-of-Home Placement petition is necessary.
• Completes all necessary paperwork and collateral contacts to initiate a crisis petition.
• Functions as liaison to the Court, agencies and providers involved in the crisis petition.
• Ensures compliance with the Court’s ultimate order (including assisting with attaining and expediting necessary appointments, evaluations and assisting in referrals).
• Utilizes the ethical and legal standards of clinical practice as dictated by all major governing bodies of clinical work including the National Board of Social Workers, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and the National Board of Licensed Professional Counselors.
• Develops and creates service plans, intake assessments and genograms and maintains proper documentation of all contacts including phone or in-person contacts with the family and any other service providers (Documentation includes Incidental Notes, Intakes, Family Contracts, Genograms, Release of Information Forms, all correspondence with any treatment or service provider, updating Adolescent Information Forms, Termination Summaries and Monitoring Forms).
• Refers or helps to link youth and family members to any services/treatment which is assessed to be helpful, including ongoing long-term treatment if required.
• Provides on and off-site intervention including having sessions in a client’s home, at the school, police departments, etc.
• Leads and/or participates in any treatment/service planning being conducted (For example, attending and participating in Individualized Education Plan meetings at the school or Child/Family Team Meetings at the Division of Child Protection and Permanency office).
• Participates in weekly supervision with the Clinical Supervisor to review case status, progress and planning of all pending and active cases.
• Permits “live” and/or videotape review by his/her supervisor as part of supervision.
• Participates in group supervision once a week by presenting a case or other relevant material on a rotating basis with other Crisis Intervention Specialists during the weekly staff meeting.
• Shares 24/7, 365 days a year on-call coverage with the other full-time Crisis Intervention Specialists, typically for one week out of every three or four weeks.
• Once stabilized, continues to monitor a family’s status and needs for a minimum of 30 days (as per state mandate).
• Participates in one of the three main Performance Quality Improvement Subcommittees in the Office of Youth Services.
• Participates in a community-wide youth-serving body such as the Juvenile Justice Multi-Disciplinary Team (JJ-MDT) Meeting
• Conducts community outreach to schools, police and other community agencies.
• Keeps abreast of new clinical developments and treatment methodologies in the field.
• Leads and/or participates in conducting Risk Assessments, collaborating with other service providers and writing the assessment for court in cases of domestic violence.
• Carries personal liability insurance policy at a minimum of $1,000,000/$3,000,000.

Essential Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited graduate program with a minimum of a master’s degree in one of the following fields of study: Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Counseling or other related field
• Actively working towards completion of requirements for clinical license issued by the State of New Jersey, Department of the Attorney General, Division of Consumer Affairs (LCSW, LMFT or LPC)
• One year experience working with at-risk youth and their families providing family therapy
• Specialized training in family therapy theory and intervention as part of masters or postmasters education.
• Well-versed in legal and ethical standards and the ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and the American Psychological Association
• Demonstrates ability to work with diverse populations and be highly sensitive to ethnic and cultural differences
• Demonstrates good communication skills including the ability to appropriately express oneself both verbally and in writing
• Knowledge and experience working in Microsoft Office
• Ability to work two evenings a week until 8:00 PM and share 24/7 on-call availability
• Must be able to read, write and speak the English language
• Possession of a valid NJ driver’s license

Preferred Requirements

• Specialized training in crisis intervention
• Knowledge and experience working with the children’s system of care, juvenile justice system, education, mental health and social service systems in the state of NJ
• Knowledge of Somerset County-specific services for youth and families, including court operations, particularly in relation to juvenile matters and psychological and social services
• Experience with clinical software packages
• Knowledge and experience with Publisher and PowerPoint
• Fluent in Spanish both verbally and in writing

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $43,300.00 - $57,700.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Evenings as needed
• Monday to Friday

Education:

• Master's (Required)

Experience:

• Social Work: 1 year (Required)
• Family Therapy: 1 year (Required)
• Marriage Therapy: 1 year (Required)
• Working with at risk youths: 1 year (Required)

License/Certification:

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $43,300 - $57,700