Coaching and College Navigation Clinician

Open Sky Community Services Inc.; Worcester (MA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Supervision

Paid time off

Tuition reimbursement

Health insurance

Dental & Vision

403b retirement plan

Life Insurance

Public Student Loan Forgiveness

Job summary

Open Sky Community Services in Massachusetts seeks a Coaching & College Navigation Clinician to provide person-centered coaching, college navigation, and clinical case management to adults with autism. Services span homes, community settings, campuses, and virtual environments.

You will partner with individuals to set goals, build executive skills, and coordinate with DDS and families, using trauma-informed, PBIS approaches and collaborative problem solving.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling, or related clinical field.
• Minimum of three years of experience supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, Autism, and mental health challenges.
• Knowledge of Positive Behavioral Supports and trauma-informed practice.
• Experience with clinical case management and collaboration with families and interdisciplinary teams.
• Ability to travel throughout the assigned service area.

Responsibilities

• Establish trusting, person-centered, trauma-informed relationships with individuals.
• Develop meaningful, self-directed goals with milestones and timelines.
• Provide coaching in homes, community settings, campuses, and virtual environments.
• Coordinate with DDS, families, and providers to ensure continuity of supports.
• Document outcomes and maintain compliant electronic records.

Skills

Trauma-informed practice

Person-centered planning

Motivational Interviewing

Documentation software

Education

Master’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling, or related clinical field

Tools

Video conferencing

Electronic records system

Job description

Job Description:

The Coaching & College Navigation Clinician provides person-centered, clinically informed coaching, college navigation, clinical case management, and skill-building services to young adults and adults with Autism referred by the Department of Developmental Services. Individuals may also have intellectual or developmental disabilities and/or mental health needs. Services are delivered in homes, community settings, college campuses, agency locations, and virtual environments. The Clinician partners with individuals to identify strengths, needs, preferences, and self-directed goals; develop practical pathways toward goal attainment; and build skills related to executive functioning, emotional regulation, communication, relationships, independent living, community participation, wellness, employment, and higher education. Using Positive Behavioral Supports, trauma-informed practice, motivational approaches, and other approved evidence-informed interventions, the Clinician provides individualized coaching, safety planning, curriculum-based services, and collaboration with DDS, families, natural supports, campus personnel, providers, and interdisciplinary team members. Services emphasize autonomy, informed choice, measurable progress, community inclusion, and reduced reliance on formal supports.

Essential Responsibilities Engagement, Assessment, and Person-Centered Planning

Establish trusting, person-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and nonjudgmental relationships with individuals receiving services. Use individualized engagement strategies, including rapport building, preference exploration, Motivational Interviewing, and Stages of Change approaches, to support participation and reduce barriers to engagement. Complete required intake documentation and assessments within established program and funder timelines. Collaborate with each individual to develop meaningful, self-directed goals, measurable objectives, incremental action steps, milestones, and timelines. Use task analysis, collaborative problem solving, and regular progress reviews to support goal attainment and adjust strategies when needs or priorities change. Coaching and Skill Development Provide individualized coaching in homes, community settings, college campuses, agency locations, and virtual environments across the Central West region of Massachusetts, including South Valley, North Central, and Worcester areas. Teach and reinforce executive-functioning skills, including organization, prioritization, time management, flexible thinking, problem solving, task initiation, planning, and use of individualized schedules or organizational tools. Support the development and practice of communication, self-advocacy, emotional-regulation, coping, interpersonal, relationship, community-navigation, and independent-living skills. Provide in-the-moment coaching to help individuals understand and navigate social expectations, relationship boundaries, online communication, community participation, academic environments, and workplace settings. Support individualized wellness strategies addressing areas such as sensory regulation, stress management, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, health routines, and self-care. Incorporate Positive Behavioral Supports, including Universal Supports, and other approved evidence-based or evidence-informed practices into assessment, coaching, and service planning. College Navigation Assist students in identifying strengths, needs, and goals related to academic success, campus engagement, independent functioning, and social participation. Support students with class and assignment organization, study planning, homework completion, time management, note-taking, online learning, communication with instructors, and balancing academic, social, recreational, and wellness responsibilities. Help students identify and access campus resources, including disability and accessibility services, academic advising, tutoring, learning centers, counseling, career services, transportation, recreation, clubs, and student organizations. Coach students in navigating campus environments, residential expectations, personal-care routines, peer interactions, classroom behavior, friendships, and other social aspects of college life. Clinical Coordination Collaborate with individuals and their chosen supports to develop, implement, practice, and update Safety Plans and Cope Ahead Plans. Provide clinical case management, consultation, referral, and care coordination when individuals experience mental health, engagement, wellness, or safety concerns. Coordinate with existing behavioral health and medical providers, within the limits of the role and appropriate authorizations, to promote continuity and alignment of supports. Participate in crisis assessment, consultation, response, and follow-up as assigned and consistent with agency procedures. Facilitate or co-facilitate therapeutic, skill-building, educational, and social curricula, including Friendship and Dating and the DBT-informed Skills System. Develop or deliver training in collaboration with team members to address identified clinical and service-learning needs. Support each individual in deciding whether and how family members, natural supports, providers, and other stakeholders will participate in services. Maintain confidentiality and obtain appropriate authorization before sharing information with family members, campus personnel, DDS, providers, or other parties. Facilitate person-centered conversations when differences arise concerning goals, priorities, supports, or service strategies. Documentation, Outcomes, and Quality Maintain timely, accurate, confidential, and funder-compliant electronic records, including assessments, plans, contact logs, service notes, authorizations, progress updates, and other required documentation. Document each service interaction and the individual’s progress toward goals, objectives, milestones, skill development, community participation, academic success, wellness, and other identified outcomes. Collect and report required program data and contribute to service evaluation, satisfaction measurement, fidelity review, and continuous quality-improvement activities. Participate in supervision, consultation, team meetings, training, communities of practice, and committees as assigned. Maintain required professional qualifications, training, and competency in autism-informed, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and evidence-informed practice. Perform other duties consistent with the position’s purpose and service requirements.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling, or a related clinical field, required.
• Minimum of three years of experience supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, Autism, and mental health challenges, required.
• Working knowledge of Positive Behavioral Supports, trauma-informed practice, and person-centered planning, required.
• Experience with clinical case management, skill development, community-based services, and collaboration with families and interdisciplinary teams.
• Familiarity with academic and social systems in higher education, disability or accessibility services, and campus resources strongly preferred.
• Ability to use technology for documentation, virtual service delivery, communication, scheduling, and organizational supports.
• Valid driver’s license, acceptable driving history, reliable transportation, and ability to travel throughout the assigned service area, required.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule based on the needs and availability of individuals receiving services.

Pay Range

Pay Range: $38.46 - $38.46

About Us:

At Open Sky Community Services, we open our doors, hearts, and minds to the belief that every individual, regardless of perceived limitations, deserves the chance to live a productive and fulfilling life. Open Sky is on an anti-racist journey, committed to learning, living, and breathing inclusion, opportunity, diversity, racial equity, and justice for ALL. At Open Sky, you’ll join over 1,300 compassionate and highly trained professionals who put innovative, evidence-based practices to work in ways that positively impact our communities across Central Massachusetts and beyond. As a trauma-informed organization, Open Sky strives for transparency and sensitivity to the experiences of those we interact with. Self-care is encouraged, and we are committed to providing a positive work culture that is focused on continuous learning and the value of diverse perspectives. Open Sky is proud to be an industry leader in pay and benefits. Open the Door to Possibility and begin your career with Open Sky today!

Benefits of Working for Open Sky Include:

• Excellent Supervision (Individual and Group), Professional Development, and Training Opportunities
• Generous paid time off plan – you start with 29 days (almost 6 weeks!) in your first year, including 12 paid holidays.
• Increases to 32 days in your 2nd year, and the current maximum is 43 days (OVER 8 WEEKS!)
• We pay for your higher education! Ask about our Tuition Reimbursement Program, and reimbursement for a variety of Human Services certifications.
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance with Prescription Plan 403b Retirement Plan with Employer Match Life Insurance (100% Employer-Paid) Eligible employer for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program And more!
• Open Sky celebrates diversity and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• Thank you for your interest in Open Sky Community Services - Where Your Work Matters!

Open Sky Community Services, Inc. offers a wide range of services for adults, adolescents, and children experiencing mental health challenges, developmental and intellectual disabilities, substance use disorders, brain injury, homelessness and other complex challenges. Open Sky has 1,300 employees, an annual budget of over $100 million and more than 100 programs throughout the region serving more than 8,000 individuals. We support those we serve to achieve their definition of wellness, and pursue the opportunities and relationships that are meaningful to them. We help them see beyond what they thought was possible, to find their open sky. For more information, please visit www.openskycs.org.