Organizational Background

Second Chance creates opportunities for people to transform their own lives through programs that provide job readiness and life skills training, job placement, behavioral health and prisoner re-entry services, relapse prevention and sober-living housing for adults and youth in need. We foster behavioral changes that promote personal responsibility, healthy relationships and positive contributions to society

Position Description

• The Rehabilitation Counselor has authority over and responsibility for providing individual counseling, family counseling, and facilitating psycho-educational group workshops as established under the contract with the San Diego County Probation Department. This position requires incumbent to make independent and discretionary decisions and to work independently and with minimal supervision and guidance. The Counselor has authority over his or her individual duties and responsibilities in providing counseling and psycho-educational services as established under the contract with the San Diego County Probation Department. The Counselor will provide these services in accordance with the program’s guiding principles and established practices, the Facilities rules and regulations and the Agency’s policies and procedures. This position is performed inside San Diego County Probation Department’s Juvenile Detention Facilities, Probation Department’s Community Offices, and Agency’s headquarters office.

Responsibilities

1. Counseling Duties and Responsibilities
• Provides Individual and Family Counseling Services at a para-professional, trainee or intern level.
• Conducts assessments of clients’ needs and risks using the standardized assessment inventories and interview protocols provided and prescribed by the program.
• Develops a Client Case Plan and identifies areas of need for client in which will be addressed with client in individual and group sessions.
• Counsels clients using established Motivational Interviewing practices in which they are trained.
• Observes and identifies clients’ behaviors that indicate the client is experiencing distress of a nature that requires intermediate or immediate intervention.
• Refers clients whose level of distress and identified behavior indicates the client is suffering serious to severe states of depression or anxiety, is in danger of harming themselves, or is in danger of harming another.
• Activates and follows the Crisis Action Plan and Emergency Intervention Plan for the specific client following the crisis intervention protocols of the program, Agency and the Facilities.
• Provides follow-up actions which may include counseling sessions for clients who have been referred for crisis intervention services and medication evaluations.

2. Group Facilitation Duties and Responsibilities
• Facilitates psycho-educational group workshops and classes as assigned by the Project Manager in accordance with the individual Counselor’s training in specific subjects of the curriculum.
• Practices curriculum fidelity, that is facilitates the workshop by being faithful, adhering to the structured curriculum for each group workshop.
• Establishes ground rules for the group workshops and uses a combination of positive reinforcement and sanctions to gain compliance with the rules for establishing a learning environment that enhances the participants’ opportunity for effective skills development.
• Observes the group process for members’ interactions and alliances that create alliances for pro-social norms and reinforces these individuals.
• Observes the group process for members’ interactions and alliances that create anti-social group norms. Intervenes in these anti-social interactions and blocks them and redirects the members to neutral or pro-social behaviors aligned with creating pro-social norms.
• Facilitates the group workshops using a combination of strategies that will engage the participants in cognitive learning, behavioral rehearsal of skills, and emotional involvement.
• Facilitates learning using role plays and follows role plays with discussion eliciting critical thinking regarding the individual group members learning from the role play and discussion.
• Provides pre and post tests for participants to assess their learning of specific key learning objectives as related to their unique life circumstances and themselves.

3. Case Management Duties and Responsibilities
• Develops a client’s case management plan in interaction with the client, consultation from the Project Manager and input from the multi-disciplinary team members.
• Uses the case management protocol to be systematic in the development of the case management plan.
• Writes the case management plan in interaction with the client and submits the plan to the Project Manager for reviews, modification as needed, and approval.
• Uses the case management plan as a reference tool for ongoing individual counseling sessions.

4. Administrative and Clinical Supervision Duties and Responsibilities
• Attends and participates in administrative group supervision meetings weekly and individually as needed.
• Attends and participates in individual and group clinical supervision meetings weekly and as needed.
• Presents client’s issues with which Counselor is working, unsure how to respond, and needs help with using clinical supervision to get feedback, rehearse and plan for actions to address these issues.
• Elicits feedback regarding counseling and facilitating work for improvement and greater effectiveness in conducting the work.
• Gives feedback to fellow Counselors, at their initiating feedback, in supervision meetings according to the program’s protocols.
• Directly observed by supervisor and fellow Counselors while conducting counseling sessions and while facilitating group workshops, for the purpose of reinforcing Counselor’s strengths and improving.
• Leads multi-disciplinary team meetings in a process that : identifies client’s risks and needs based on ongoing observations of client’s tangible observable behaviors and patterns of interactions; and, facilitates planning for and implementation of specific interventions by team members to elicit the client’s motivation and action for change to positive behaviors and attitudes.

5. Training Duties and Responsibilities
• Participates in initial and ongoing Motivational Interviewing counseling skills training, facilitator skills training, and training in the PCMS data system.
• Identifies own training needs and communicates needs to Program Manager assisting in development of ongoing training plan.

6. Administrative Duties and Responsibilities
• Enters client data into PCMS data system in a timely and accurate manner.
• Maintains accurate and timely client records as required by HIPPA and Agency policies and practices.
• Obtains required client signatures documenting contacts as prescribed by contract.
• Writes correspondence letters and documents related to Clients’ needs and requests and presents such correspondence to Program Manager for review and approval prior to sending it.
• Provides data for contract compliance reports.
• Provides data for Agency’s semi-annual, annual and other periodic reports.

7. Laws, Regulations, Ethics Codes, Policies and Procedures
• Follow all Agency policies, processes, and procedures in performance of duties.
• Practice counseling and facilitation work according to federal and state laws, governing licensing or certification board’s regulations, and profession’s code of ethics.
• Performs duties and responsibilities in a safe manner and per the Agency’s health and safety policy.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required.

1. Experience
• Demonstrated minimum of 1 year of specialized experience in providing counseling, social or education services for justice involved populations.
• Experience in use of Motivational Interviewing (MI) practices as verified by certificate of completion of basic three day MI training and ideally certificate of completion of advanced training in MI practices preferred.
• Experience in individual, group and marriage and family counseling as demonstrated by being a MFT trainee, MSW practicum student, MFT Intern or LCSW Intern preferred.
2. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Knowledge of basic counseling and group facilitation skills preferred.
• Knowledge of and basic counseling theory preferred
• Knowledge of Motivational Interviewing practices preferred.
• Skills in conducting risk needs assessments preferred.
• Skill in conducting individual and family counseling preferred.
• Knowledge and Skills to provide counseling and group facilitating in a manner that is responsive and sensitive to cultural and ethnic differences and related needs of staff and clients preferred.
• Ability to work with a degree of autonomy and exercise responsible judgment.
• Ability to create, develop and plan required group workshop sessions.
• Effective verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate and to work effectively with a diverse group of people.
3. Reasoning Ability
• Ability to think in and act from a scientific paradigm.
• Ability to solve practical problems in rational and logical manner.
• Ability to deal with a variety of complexities in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to understand and interpret instructions in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.
• Ability to communicate instructions in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.
4. Computer Skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Trainable in Agency’s ETO software program.
6. Language Skills:
• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred. Preferred able to speak, read, and write in English and Spanish.
7. Education:
• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Social Work, or closely related field, preferably from an accredited college or university.
• Master degree in marriage and family counseling, social work, or counseling psychology preferred.
8. Licenses, Certifications
• License to practice psychotherapy in the State of California preferred.
• Certification to work as Drug and Alcohol Specialist preferred

BACKGROUND CHECK, DMV, AND VEHICLE:
• Required to have a valid driver’s license and properly registered and insured motor vehicle meeting the minimum level of insurance as defined under the California Department of Motor Vehicle Code.
• Liability or malpractice insurance coverage in effect — (agency pays insurance cost).
• Meets background and security clearance guidelines for facility access and passes background check:
1. Criminal background clearance through the State of California Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
2. Driving record through the State of California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
3. Drug Testing
4. Annual Tuberculosis Testing

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
• Job is performed in Probation Department’s Juvenile Detention Facilities, Probation Department’s Community Offices, and Agency’s headquarters office.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Incumbent will spend time sitting while: conducting assessments, counseling sessions and individual and group supervision meetings; and, when operating a computer keyboard using a computer.
• Incumbent will spend time standing when facilitating psycho-educational group workshops.
• Will be required to use personal vehicle to travel locally between Facilities, Community Office and Agency’s Headquarters and outside geographic area (50+ mile radius) for business reasons subject to mileage reimbursement per company policy.

Apply

To apply, submit a cover letter and resume with a list of three professional references with “Rehabilitation Counselor” in the subject line.