Behavioral Health Therapist

Bridge Over Troubled Waters; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 67,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Bridge Over Troubled Waters in Boston is seeking a Behavioral Health Therapist to provide and coordinate substance use and mental health services for at-risk youth. You will conduct intake, assessments, individual counseling, group planning, and documentation while adapting to crises and maintaining organized records.

The role requires an MSW or related degree with at least one year of clinical experience, strong empathetic communication, and the ability to connect with youth and their families.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), Counseling, Psychology, or related field.
• At least 1 year of experience providing clinical services.
• Experience working with vulnerable young people and/or their families.
• Ability to relate in an empathetic, supportive, non-judgmental manner to young people and their families.
• Knowledge of crisis intervention, housing and homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health issues.
• Strong engagement and therapeutic relationship-building skills.
• Experience networking and advocating with other agencies to access housing, medical, financial, legal, educational and other resources on behalf of young people.

Responsibilities

• Perform detailed intake evaluations for young adults walking into Bridge, serving as a welcoming and supportive presence for their first encounter.
• Provide 20 - 30 hours of weekly direct client contact with young people including individual counseling sessions and crisis intervention.
• Create and facilitate specialized group curricula tailored to the needs of young adult participants.
• Assess each client’s needs and develop individualized, strength-based, service plans using evidenced based treatment protocols (CBT, DBT, CPT).
• Reach out to and maintain contact with collateral contacts of clients including family, education systems, service providers and other outside agencies.
• Provide regular referrals to substance use treatment, psychiatric services, DMH and other outside agencies.
• Utilize Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) to engage youth around behavioral challenges
• Complete and submit all documentation in a timely manner, including client therapy intake and exit paperwork, progress notes, assessments, and service plans. Review case files of all young people quarterly to ensure proper documentation is being completed.
• Participate in monthly meetings with other Bridge Programs to provide clinical input on clients.
• Participate in weekly counseling team meetings.
• Participate in weekly supervision meetings.
• Attend a minimum of six in-service trainings annually.
• Collect and report program data, including but not limited to, data required for Bridge ETO, HMIS, and funders’ required data.

Skills

Empathy & rapport building

Crisis intervention

Communication skills

Networking with agencies

Education

MSW or related field

Tools

HMIS

Bridge ETO

Job description

For over 50 years, Bridge Over Troubled Waters has provided a comprehensive continuum of care for runaway, homeless, and high-risk youth in Boston, and has been a national model in providing innovative youth services. Our mission is to transform the lives of youth through safe, supportive and encouraging relationships, counseling, housing, and skill-building, to guide them towards self-sufficiency and achieving their goals.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Under the supervision of the Director of Clinical Services, the Behavioral Health Therapist is responsible for providing and coordinating substance use and mental health services to young people utilizing services at Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Duties include intake, mental health and risk assessments, one-on-one counseling sessions, facilitation and planning of groups for young people, and completion of on-going paperwork and data entry. This position requires a high degree of flexibility in responding to emergent needs of young people in crisis and good organizational and documentation skills.

RESPONSIBILTIES

• Perform detailed intake evaluations for young adults walking into Bridge, serving as a welcoming and supportive presence for their first encounter.
• Provide 20 - 30 hours of weekly direct client contact with young people including individual counseling sessions and crisis intervention.
• Create and facilitate specialized group curricula tailored to the needs of young adult participants.
• Assess each client’s needs and develop individualized, strength-based, service plans using evidenced based treatment protocols (CBT, DBT, CPT)
• Reach out to and maintain contact with collateral contacts of clients including family, education systems, service providers and other outside agencies.
• Provide regular referrals to substance use treatment, psychiatric services, DMH and other outside agencies.
• Utilize Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) to engage youth around behavioral challenges
• Complete and submit all documentation in a timely manner, including client therapy intake and exit paperwork, progress notes, assessments, and service plans. Review case files of all young people quarterly to ensure proper documentation is being completed.
• Participate in monthly meetings with other Bridge Programs to provide clinical input on clients.
• Participate in weekly counseling team meetings.
• Participate in weekly supervision meetings.
• Attend a minimum of six in-service trainings annually.
• Collect and report program data, including but not limited to, data required for Bridge ETO, HMIS, and funders’ required data.

Please Note: This job description is not intended to describe in detail the multitude of tasks that may be assigned, but rather to give the Behavioral Health Therapist a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of the position. As the nature of the business demands change, so too may the essential functions of the position. The candidate who accepts this role is expected to be flexible to meet the changing demands.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), Counseling, Psychology, or related field required.
• At least 1 year of experience providing clinical services
• Experience working with vulnerable young people and/or their families
• Ability to relate in an empathetic, supportive, non-judgmental manner to young people and their families
• Knowledge and experience of crisis intervention, child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, housing and homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health issues.
• Strong engagement and therapeutic relationship-building skills.
• Knowledge of systems and resources relevant to the population
• Experience networking and advocating with other agencies to access housing, medical, financial, legal, educational and other resources on behalf of young people.

SKILLS AND STRENGTHS

• Comfort and confidence working in a fast-paced dynamic work environment.
• Enthusiastic about working with homeless transitional youth population.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

PAY AND BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $67,000-$72,000. Benefits include:

• Paid time off (sick time, vacation time, personal time) as well as 13 paid holidays and a birthday holiday
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(K) with 3% matching of contributions after 90 days of employment
• Employer-sponsored flexible spending accounts, commuter pre-tax benefits, employer paid short-term disability, long term disability, and life insurance
• Ongoing job training, including four off-site half-day trainings each year

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift fifteen pounds at times.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status.