Master Correctional Counselor

State-of-Delawar; Smyrna (DE); On-site; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Accommodations for disabilities

Equal opportunity employer

Job summary

The State of Delaware Department of Correction seeks a Master Correctional Counselor in Smyrna to supervise and counsel residents, enforce policies, and facilitate re-entry programs. You will work with security and treatment staff to deliver rehabilitative services and oversee specialized programs for residents requiring intensive counseling.

Responsibilities include developing treatment plans, assessing progress, training staff, and participating in interdisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• At least three years experience providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders (or a Masters degree and at least one year).
• Three years experience in behavior management with ability to explain and predict behavior.
• Three years experience in case management including planning, implementing, and evaluating services.
• Six months experience in rehabilitation services to adult offenders and evaluating progress.
• Six months experience interpreting laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies and procedures.
• Six months experience in narrative report writing.
• Six months experience using an automated information system.

Responsibilities

• Identifies treatment need and develops program guidelines, procedures, and evaluation methods.
• Provides comprehensive, intensive counseling to inmates/clients in the area of specialty.
• Trains security and treatment staff on program goals and methodologies.
• Evaluates program effectiveness through progress reports and records.
• Develops treatment plans based on counseling sessions and available information.
• Maintains client/inmate files with documentation and reports.

Skills

Behavior management

Case management

Narrative reporting

Interdisciplinary conferencing

Staff training

Progress assessment

Education

Master's degree or higher in Behavioral/Social Science

Bachelor's degree or higher in Behavioral/Social Science

Tools

Automated information system

Job description

Introduction

The Master Correctional Counselor serves as the frontline staff directly supervising and counseling residents with the responsibility of enforcing the policy and procedure, rules and regulations, and the Resident Orientation Manual, while encouraging and facilitating re-entry efforts. Master Correctional Counselors are expected to maintain professionalism and due diligence in performance of all duties. Collaboration and the consistency of staff in the performance of duties are critical in developing teamwork and cohesiveness amongst treatment staff. Team emphasis and positive culture are essential to the completion of daily assignments and maintaining the integrity of operations. Master Correctional Counselors shall provide counseling, programs, and rehabilitative services to deal humanely with residents and assist them in their efforts to make a successful reentry into the community. This shall be accomplished by providing the services directly and through referral to community-based agencies and organizations. The Master Correctional Counselor’s work includes frequent contact with security, educational, and other treatment staff to monitor resident progress. Work at this level is differentiated from the Senior Correctional Counselor level by the responsibility for developing, implementing, and overseeing a specialized treatment program for residents requiring intensive counseling (e.g., sex offenses and substance abuse). Work at this level also includes training counseling staff in program operations and treatment methods and providing technical guidance in the area of specialization. In addition to administering a specialized program, employees in this class conduct generalized counseling including conducting resident assessments, developing, and implementing treatment plans, and evaluating resident progress.

Summary Statement

A class incumbent is responsible for advanced level professional counseling work providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders incarcerated in correctional institutions or assigned to Community Corrections.

Essential Functions

• Identifies treatment need and develops program guidelines, operational procedures, and evaluation methods.
• Provides comprehensive, intensive counseling to inmates/clients in the area of specialty.
• Provides training and technical guidance to security and treatment staff on the goals and objectives of the specialized program and application of treatment program methodologies.
• Evaluates effectiveness of specialized program through review of inmate/client progress reports, case records, and related documentation.
• Makes recommendations to superior for revisions to program as required.
• Conducts general individual and/or group counseling sessions with inmates/clients.
• Develops treatment plan based on counseling sessions as well as information obtained from inmate file, records, and reports, family members, associates, former employers, and other counselors, or rehabilitation team members.
• Assess inmate progress efforts toward re-socialization and compliance with recommended treatment plan.
• Prepares a variety of records, reports, and summary evaluations relative to inmate progress.
• Maintains files on clients/inmates which include appropriate supporting documentation, classification reports, social histories, progress notes, and counseling records.
• Serves on a variety of boards and committees such as the Multi-Disciplinary Team's classification committees and inmate grievance committees.
• Makes recommendations relative to appropriate classification level of inmates/clients based on assessment of behavioral/attitudinal changes and positive effort made toward self improvement and compliance with program/institutional requirements.
• Participates in case conferences regarding treatment alternatives of inmates/clients and makes referrals to such resources as drug or alcohol treatment programs or educational programs.

Job Requirements

• At least three years experience providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders OR a Masters degree or higher in Behavioral/Social Science and at least one year experience providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders OR a Bachelors degree or higher and at least two years experience providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders.
• Three years experience in behavior management which includes understanding, explaining, describing and predicting behavior, studying the connection between behavior and its causes and identifying appropriate behavior modification strategies for individual situations.
• Three years experience in case management which includes assessing, planning, developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating options and services to meet an individuals human service needs.
• Six months experience in providing rehabilitation services to adult offenders which includes evaluating progress in attainment of goals and adjusting treatment plans; analyzing social and criminal history; participating in interdisciplinary conferencing.
• Six months experience in interpreting laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures.
• Six months experience in narrative report writing.
• Six months experience in using an automated information system to enter, update, modify, delete, retrieve/inquire and report on data.
• Knowledge of staff training.

Additional Posting Information

Candidates must successfully complete all phases of the Non-Security Basic Training Course to receive Hazardous Duty A1. This course is five-weeks in duration, and is administered by the Department of Correction at the Steven R. Floyd Sr. Training Academy. Coursework includes physical, classroom and hands-on training.

Conditions of Hire

• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The State of Delaware Executive Branch participates in the Federal E-Verify system where the State will provide the federal government with each new hires Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. For more information refer to our job seeker resources.
• This position is a classification organized under an exclusive bargaining representative (labor organization) that has been elected by employees as their representative for collective bargaining and other applicable terms and conditions of employment, in accordance with Title 29, Chapter 59 and Title 19, Chapter 13 and 16. This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement based on its individual terms.
• DOC(NSBT): For admission to the State of Delaware Department of Correction Academy applicants who are made a conditional offer of employment shall be required to successfully complete a criminal background check, pre-employment drug test and medical examination. The recruiting agency requires the applicant to pay for the medical examination as part of the conditional offer of hire.
• Upon a conditional offer, the applicant must undergo a pre-employment baseline two step tuberculin skin test (TST) as part of the hiring process.
• All new hires are required to report to the Statewide New Employee Orientation (SNEO) on their first day of employment. Sessions are held at designated locations in Kent or New Castle County.

Benefits

To learn more about the comprehensive benefit package please visit our website at https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/

Accommodations

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. TDD users may request an auxiliary aid or service by calling [phone] or by visiting delawarerelay.com. You may also call [phone] or email [e-mail] for additional applicant services support. The State of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity employer and values a diverse workforce. We strongly encourage and seek out a workforce representative of Delaware including race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.