Socio-Therapist

Good Shepherd Services, Ltd; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Good Shepherd Services in New York seeks a dynamic Socio-Therapist to support youths with individualized behavior plans and family services. You will work in the field, monitor safety, and coordinate with a multidisciplinary team to address education, employment and life skills. Hybrid work and travel are required.

The role emphasizes trauma-informed care, Sanctuary Model practices, and close collaboration with foster families and case workers to achieve youth outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree Required (Social Work; Psychology; Human Services or related area).
• Must have experience working with children and youth; foster care preferred.
• Able to engage youth and build relationships with clients.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Enjoys working with adolescents.
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Valid driver’s license preferred.
• Flexible schedule; some evenings may be required.
• Field work in homes and court visits; hybrid schedule.

Responsibilities

• Conduct mandated weekly face-to-face home visits with youth and Treatment Parent to implement behavior plan goals.
• Face-to-face contact with newly admitted youth within 72 hours.
• Complete required paperwork including progress notes, correspondence, behavior plans and assessments.
• Keep case records up-to-date on case activity and contacts.
• Provide direct crisis intervention as needed.
• Collaborate with Treatment Parents, Youth and Case Workers on behavior goals.
• Attend and participate in ACS meetings, transfer conferences, and team meetings.
• Participate in Family Team Conferences and Preparing Youth for Adulthood workshops.
• Support service planning for education, employment and other youth skills.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or related field

Job description

We are looking for a dynamic and compassionate Socio-Therapist to join our team. The Socio-Therapist ensures that every therapeutic youth has a behavior plan those addresses individualized behavioral strengths and challenges pertaining to the specific youth. The Socio-therapist is responsible for giving input into creating, and then implementing and monitoring the youth’s behavior plan. Develop community relationships in order to utilize local resources on behalf of families. Participate in interdisciplinary team model practice, which will involve the Case Workers, Health Services, Voc/Ed Specialist and Preparing Youth for Adulthood Specialists. The Socio-therapist monitors the Treatment foster home to ensure safety and wellbeing. This position will require extensive field work.

Reports to: SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISOR, TREATMENT FAMILY FOSTER CARE

Location: 7 West Burnside Avenue, Bronx, NY 10453

Hours: 35 Hours/Week; Non-Exempt Position requires office hours and home/court visits. Hybrid schedules are based on program needs & leadership discretion.

Salary Range: 50k-55K Based on Relevant experience and education

Major Duties

• Conduct mandated weekly face to face home visits/contact with the youth and the Treatment Parent to perform daily home care, ADL and life skills education, and implementation of behavior plan goals.
• Conduct a face to face contact with newly admitted youth and their treatment parents, within 72 hours.
• Complete required paperwork, including but not limited to progress notes, correspondence, behavior plans and assessments.
• Keep case records up-to-date with the status of case activity, including progress notes on all contacts.
• Provide direct crisis intervention, as needed.
• Collaborate with Treatment Parents, Youth and Case Workers around development and implementation of behavior goals.
• Review and collect weekly behavior plans from the Treatment Parents.
• Attend and participate in all applicable ACS meetings, transfer conferences, Treatment Team Meetings, Monthly Shared Quarterly Meetings and monthly Staff Meetings
• Participate in all applicable Family Team Conferences.
• Attend Preparing Youth for Adulthood Workshops with youth on a rotating basis.
• Work with the Adolescent Services team for the comprehensive service planning for each youth, including education, employment and other PYA skills.
• Locate resources and make referrals as needed.
• Monitor foster parents in terms of their ability to meet the needs of the child in their home, and make recommendations regarding future use of the home, in conjunction with the Home finding Department.
• Support and counsel foster parents in their efforts to care for the child, and include them in the development of the goals and tasks.
• Assist treatment parent with enrolling youth in an after school program/camp or other recreational programs.
• Implement and integrate the principles and procedures of Solution Based Casework: assessment, family and individual level outcomes, action plans and documentation and celebration.
• Actively participate in case consultation, continued SBC training and the SBC certification process.
• Effectively use and practice the Sanctuary Model tools: safety plans, community meetings, psycho-educational groups, team meetings, red flag reviews, treatment planning conferences (or similar), and self-care, when applicable, in the department/program to create a non-violent and trauma-sensitive culture.
• Promote and model the seven Sanctuary Model commitments to create a non-violent and trauma-sensitive culture.
• Integrate the Sanctuary Model SELF (Safety, Emotional Management, Loss and Future) framework into daily practice to ensure quality care and an effective work environment.
• Respond to 24 hour on call service, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree Required (Social Work; Psychology; Human Services or related area)
• Must have experience working with children and youth. Prior experience in foster care is preferred.
• Must be able to engage youth and establish working relationships with all clients.
• Good written and verbal skills necessary.
• Must enjoy working with adolescents.
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Valid driver’s license preferred.
• Available to work a flexible schedule. Some evenings may be required
• Position Requires Field Work (In Person Homes & Court Visits).
• Hybrid Schedule (Pending Training/Probationary Period)
• Must have a commitment to work from a strength-based, youth development and trauma-informed perspective
• Good Shepherd Services is an equal opportunity employer that is proudly committed to becoming an anti-racist and multicultural organization that stands up for justice and equity. We welcome prospective employees from diverse backgrounds, for administrative support and direct service and leadership roles, who will join us on that journey, uphold our values and approach, and believe in our mission. Additionally, we aim to have a racially representative leadership and workforce that is reflective of the communities we work in partnership with.

Good Shepherd Services is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, participants, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and termination of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.

We are committed to providing a workplace that is accessible and accommodating to employees with disabilities. As part of our commitment to providing a barrier-free recruitment and selection process, we will provide reasonable accommodations upon request for candidates with disabilities. If you require any accommodations to participate in the hiring process, please inform us of your needs in advance. We value diversity and inclusivity in our workplace and encourage applicants of all abilities to apply.