Therapeutic Support Staff

St Catherine S Center For Children; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Catherine’s Center for Children in the Albany area is seeking a Therapeutic Support Staff member for the Special Education program (R&E May School).

The role focuses on de-escalating crises, supporting students with behavioral challenges, and coordinating with educators to help students return to academic programming. Responsibilities include crisis intervention, conducting re-entry interviews, documentations, and ongoing collaboration with the Behavior Supports team to ensure safe,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; HS diploma required.
• Experience with students with emotional/behavioral challenges in SPed/Day Treatment preferred.
• TCI certification must be earned upon hire.

Responsibilities

• Utilize crisis de-escalation techniques to support students in crisis.
• Conduct life space interviews when necessary.
• Assist with classroom re-entry interviews between student and teacher.
• Prepare incident reports and document interventions as needed.
• Report progress from ICSP meetings and participate in Tier 2/Universal/Classroom meetings.

Skills

Crisis de-escalation

Student behavioral support

Strong written & verbal communication

Empathy and patience

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in human services or related field

High school diploma or equivalency required

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Google Workspace

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Therapeutic Support Staff

Special Education Full Time Albany, NY, US

Salary Range: $21.54 To $25.14 Hourly

THERAPEUTIC SUPPORT STAFF

Program : Special Education (R&E May School)

Type : Full-time; Non-Exempt

Pay Range : $21.54 - 25.14 (Hourly)

Job Ref. #: 326

About St. Catherine’s Center for Children

St. Catherine’s Center for Children is a non-profit organization located in the Greater Capital Region of New York. We offer a wide array of human services designed to meet the needs of vulnerable children, families and adults, including residential and therapeutic foster care programs for children and youth, Kinship support, homeless and community-based services for adults and families, a special education elementary school for ages 5-13, and so much more.

St. Catherine’s is committed to cultivating a culture where all employees feel safe to bring their authentic and best selves to the workplace. We are invested in fostering an equitable, inclusive and diversified workplace; collaboratively embracing mindfulness, relevance, respect and solidarity.

• Our Mission: St. Catherine's Center for Children provides a comprehensive range of human services designed to offer hope, foster growth, and improve the lives of the children, families, and adults we serve.
• Our Vision: Our willingness to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support the human service needs of our community.

Position Overview:

The Therapeutic Support Staff is responsible for assisting students who are temporarily unable to function in their classroom program. The Therapeutic Support Staff utilizes crisis de-escalation techniques, and their relationship with the student, in order to bring the student back to baseline, assist with resolving the issue, and help the student to develop a plan for them to return to academic programming and achieve success within the school environment.

Organizational Relationships:

Works under the supervision of the Supervisor of Behavior Supports. Works cooperatively with program staff to effectively assist all students.

Position Specifications & Requirements:

• Ability to work: Monday-Friday, 8am – 3:30pm, and Wednesday (8am – 4pm)w/ flexibility as needed.
• Bachelor’s degree in human services or a related field, preferred. In lieu of a college degree, a combination of relevant professional experience and relatable life experience will be considered. High school diploma or equivalency is required.
• Experience working with children who exhibit significant emotional, behavioral and interpersonal challenges, trauma history and mental health diagnoses within a Special Education/Day Treatment program, preferred.
• Experience in the use of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), with ability to respond effectively and therapeutically in crisis situations.TCI Certification must be earned upon hire and maintained.
• Local travel is required; A current Clean and Valid New York State Driver’s License (actively licensed at least one year) is required*.
• Ability to work in a therapeutic manner with the students of the R&E May School.
• Ability to adapt individual mindset and de-escalation skills based on each encounter with students (grades K-6).
• Ability to use developmentally appropriate practices for each student.
• Proficiency in computer applications: Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel), Google Business Workspace Suite (Gmail, Google Docs, Meet, Sheets, etc.), and secure Internet practices.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills; Capable of building strong working relationships with regulatory bodies.
• Self-motivated and engaged, with a strong attention to detail; Excellent writing aptitude.
• A kind, warm and caring mindset; Capable of exhibiting empathy for those in need.
• Ability to nurture and show compassion and understanding for clients/children in crisis.
• Qualities of positivity, flexibility and adaptability; A professional record of integrity, proven reliability and dependability.
• Capable of exercising ethical, independent judgment and discretion, handle sensitive data with strict confidentiality.
• Ability to pass pre-employment background check requirements, including fingerprinting.

*Staff in driving positions must be able to meet agency’s minimum requirements of our insurance policy for authorized drivers; including, but not limited to the minimum age of 21 at time of hire.

Duties & Responsibilities include:

• Utilizing a wide variety of agency approved techniques to de-escalate students experiencing crisis.
• Conducts life space interviews with students when necessary.
• Conducts classroom “re-entry” interviews between student and teacher.
• Prepares incident reports and documents interventions when necessary.
• Responsible for reporting back on progress from ICSP meetings.
• Attends Tier 2, Universal and Classroom Meetings.
• Must be able to model appropriate de-escalation and processing skills for other employees.
• Utilizing Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) strategies to de-escalate students and develop a plan for them to return to the classroom and achieve success throughout the school day.
• Builds positive relationships with all students and staff members.
• Assists students in developing effective emotional coping and problem-solving skills, as well as prosocial skills.
• TheTherapeutic Support Staffcoordinates with the Behavior/ Therapeutic Support Team to prepare and submit all Critical Incident Reports for the day, prior to the end of the shift.
• Creates and submits Incident Reports (as necessary): Accident reports, Critical Incident Reports, Justice Center reports, etc.
• May be requested to attend TCI “Train the Trainer” as professional development and to join