Mental Health Therapist - Bilingual (Spanish & English) - $3,000 New Hire Bonus

Position Title: Mental Health Therapist – Bilingual (English/Spanish) 

Program: Casa de los Amigos 

Job Code: 25-604-01 

Reports To: Director of Adolescent Services 

Department / Division: Adolescent Housing Services / Casa de los Amigos 

Status: Full Time Regular 

Salary Range: Salary Grade 9 

$72,199 - $87,347 annually (DOE) 

Classification: Exempt 

WORK SCHEDULE:  This position is full time regular and exempt.  Work hours will vary.  Must be flexible, to be able to cover the floor as needed for extended periods of time (2-3 hours) but not entire shifts. 

AT YOUTHCARE: YouthCare envisions a community where no young person experiences homelessness, all young people have the opportunity to thrive, and the systems that oppress them are dismantled. YouthCare serves young people of many racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and religious beliefs, and we seek a workforce that reflects that diversity.  Join our amazing CASA team and receive a new hire bonus up to $3,000. 

ABOUT YOUTHCARE: YouthCare works to end youth homelessness and to ensure that young people are valued for who they are and empowered to achieve their potential. Founded in 1974, YouthCare was one of the first programs to serve runaway and homeless youth on the West Coast. The goal was to help young people find safety today and build a future for tomorrow. Over four decades, we’ve defined best practices and developed programs that are a national standard for excellence. Using a youth-centered approach, we ensure that young people experiencing homelessness ages 12-24 have the hope, skills, and confidence to gain long-term stability. 

COVID vaccinations are mandated at YouthCare. Employees will be required to submit proof of vaccination or have an approved request for medical or religious exemption an an approved accommodation at time of On-Boarding. Please Note: Philosophical, political, scientific, or sociological objections to vaccination will not be considered for an exemption or accommodation.  

ABOUT CASA DE LOS AMIGOS:  This program has 2 locations and 20 beds, serving clients ages 12-17, who have been placed in the program by the Office of Refugee Resettlement Department of Unaccompanied Children's Services (ORR / DUCS). The clients are unaccompanied minors, primarily from Central America, and the program’s goal is safe and timely reunification with family in the United States.  

POSITION SUMMARY: Under the supervision of the Director of Adolescent Services, the Bilingual Mental Health Therapist is responsible for providing mental health services to young people at YouthCare in the ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement) funded programs. Duties include initial mental health and risk assessments, one-on-one counseling sessions, facilitation, and planning of psychoeducational groups for young people, collaboration with case planning and completion of on-going assessment paperwork. This position requires a high degree of flexibility in responding to emergent needs of young people in crisis and good organizational and documentation skills. 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Provide a 20 - 40 hours weekly of direct client contact, including face-to-face counseling, and appropriate outside functions, such as escorting to appointments. 
• Carry a caseload of up to 10-20 active clients. 
• Assess each client’s goals, safety, and need for level of services.  Screen all clients for human trafficking.  
• Provide each young person in care with weekly one-on-one sessions.  Create and implement group curricula; facilitate groups on at least a weekly basis.  
• Partner with program leadership to create learning opportunities for Youth Counselors to learn about the mental health of clients, trauma-informed care, attachment theory, and other relevant topics for success in the program.  
• Provide referrals and case summaries to psychiatric providers in the event that it is necessary for young people to access a higher level of service. 
• Develop safety and behavioral contracts, as well as post-care resource lists that focus on mental health resources and coping skills following reunification. Communicate safety considerations to the team in a timely manner.  
• Conduct family sessions, provide psycho-education to sponsors, and conduct sponsor assessments (as needed) to ensure the safety of the family and home for the client’s reunification.  
• Complete and submit all documentation in a timely manner, including client intake and exit paperwork; assessment and service plans; child trafficking referrals, and significant incident reports.  
• Complete 30-day safety and wellness calls following a client’s discharge.  
• Review caseload weekly with Assistant Director, Case Managers, and 3rd party GDIT. Attend Quarterly Stakeholders’ Meetings. 
• Participate in file audits of all ORR young people in care quarterly to ensure proper documentation is being completed. 
• Must be flexible, to be able to cover the floor as needed. 
• Training and/or facilitation of mental health curricula to a variety of audiences 

This job description is not intended to cover every aspect of your job at YouthCare. We are a team that works together to meet the needs of our clients and every member of the team is expected to pitch in and help even beyond the specific responsibilities listed in this description. 

QUALIFICATIONS – 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:            

• Verbal and written fluency in the Spanish language. Counseling sessions are conducted in Spanish.  
• Master's Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or related field of study. Must be eligible for licensure/affiliate licensure.  
• Experience and credentials must comply with program contract requirements including but not limited to the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) background check and must be at least 21 years of age. 

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS: 

• 2 year of experience successfully working with vulnerable young people (particularly immigrants or those within the Latinx population) or young adults in a crisis, during outreach efforts or in residential setting. 
• Two years clinical mental health experience supervised by an MHP. 

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:  

• Must be able to provide I-9 supporting documentation for employment. 
• Ability to provide a negative TB Test (results must be within one-year of hire date). 
• DCYF Clearance must be maintained for entirety of employment when working with under-18 clients. 
• Employees who drive YouthCare vehicles as a requirement for their position, must be at least 21 years of old, possess a valid Washington State Driver’s License, meet minimum safe driver criteria established by the agency and our insurance company which includes completion of Defensive Driving and 15-passenger Van trainings.  Drivers under the age of 25 must have been licensed for at least 3-years and those operating vehicles with a capacity of 15 or more passengers must be at least 25 years old. 
• Ability to obtain a current Food Handler’s Card 
• Successful completion of pre-service trainings as required by contracting agencies.  Trainings such as CPR & First Aid (Adult/Child), Bloodborne Pathogens, and Behavior Management.   
• Computer software skills including Windows, Microsoft outlook, Microsoft Word. 
• Initiative, creativity, reliability, flexibility, thoroughness. 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with good quality spelling, grammar and punctuation. 
• High integrity when dealing with a broad array of cultures and restricted and/or confidential information. 
• Ability to deal therapeutically with behavioral and emotional problems presented by young people and understanding of emotionally, physically and sexually abused young people. 
• Ability to coordinate overall program functioning. 
• Ability to accurately maintain and produce files, records, logs and reports.  
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries with clients while building trust and respect. 
• Ability and willingness to stay awake and alert during overnight shifts. 
• Ability to verbally and physically respond to an aggressive person in ways that de-escalate, establish and maintain staff and young peoples’ safety. 
• May be required to assume responsibilities or duties within the agency not specifically delineated in this job description for short periods of time or on an infrequent basis. 
• Commitment to YouthCare’s initiative to build cultural proficiency across the agency. Acceptance of a variety of lifestyles, behaviors, and cultural and spiritual practices. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Ability to perform range of physical motions, exerting up to 50 pounds. Lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds; standing, walking, sitting for long periods of time, kneeling, squatting, and stooping; running for brief periods of time; and go up and down stairs.  

BENEFITS: YouthCare provides a competitive benefits package to full time employees including medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, short-term disability, life insurance, 401(k), vacation, paid holidays, and sick leave after successful completion of the 90-day Introductory Period. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT: YouthCare is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs and YouthCare is committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, regardless of actual or perceived sex; race; color; religious creed; national origin; ancestry; age; marital status; pregnancy; nursing parent status; physical, mental or sensory disability; medical condition; genetic information; sexual orientation; gender (including gender identity or expression); military or veteran status; or any other basis protected by federal, state and/or local laws. People of Color and Members of the LGBTQ community are strongly encouraged to apply. 

APPLICATION PROCESS: Applications are reviewed through YouthCare’s Applicant Tracking System. To apply for this position, please click on the hyper link - Search for Exciting Job Opportunities with YouthCare or visit YouthCare’s website at www.youthcare.org. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT OF JOB DESCRIPTION: 

I acknowledge I have received a copy of this job description. I understand the duties, am fully able to meet the requirements and perform the essential functions of this position, with or without reasonable accommodations. I further acknowledge, and understand, this job description does not create an employment contract, and nothing contained herein alters my at-will employment status. 

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