YOUTH CARE COUNSELOR (STRTP)

Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services in Los Angeles is seeking a Youth Care Counselor to supervise, care for, and protect residents within the residential program. You will help shape treatment plans, encourage appropriate choices, and support emotional and physical well‑being.

The role requires delivering daily care, implementing limits, and modeling constructive behavior. Responsibilities include logs, group activities, tutoring, and collaboration with social workers and staff as needed.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree required or equivalent related experience.
• Educational background that earns children’s respect and exemplifies the values of education.
• Personal characteristics that enable effective work with children in placement and adequate knowledge, skills, and experience.
• Comfortable working with adolescents and responsive to their needs.
• Ability to accept children’s parents regardless of differences in values and standards of conduct.
• Possess moral integrity, strong values, and a high level of social commitment required of all staff working with adolescents.
• Able to handle crises.
• Work the schedule: Sunday (variable time) and Monday–Thursday (7:00 A.M.–3:30 P.M.).
• Valid California driver’s license, current automobile insurance, and a clean driving record acceptable to the organization’s insurance company.
• Pass a fingerprint background investigation.
• Pass a TB test, physical exam, and drug screening.
• Serve as role models for children and adolescents, demonstrating emotional stability and appropriate daily behavior.

Responsibilities

• Daily care, protection, and supervision of residents.
• Implement discipline and limits within the treatment setting.
• Provide role modeling, understanding, guidance and example to promote residents’ self‑awareness and community understanding.
• Support residents' emotional and physical well‑being.
• Familiarize oneself with behavioral dynamics and group therapy principles, and assist residents in managing problems and working effectively in a group.
• Chart daily progress, maintain logs, and communicate with the social worker.
• Drive residents in agency vehicles as requested; must be certified in CPR and First Aid and able to administer them when necessary.
• Log all incidents.
• Attend and participate in mandatory training and in‑services as required.
• Maintain resident records, incident logs, and medical log entries.
• Administer and enforce cottage rules and discipline consistently.
• Supervise group outings for shopping, medical appointments, or recreation.
• Assist in planning and implementing recreational programs.
• Participate in and lead group meetings.
• Attend all staff meetings.
• Report all special incidents.
• Provide tutoring and schooling needs for residents as requested.
• Demonstrate effective verbal communication skills.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Verbal communication

Crisis management

Team collaboration

Education

BA/BS degree

Education that earns respect

Job description

Overall Function

The Youth Care Counselor (YCC) provides supervision, care, and protection of all residents. As a member of the residential program’s treatment team, the YCC is an important agent in setting the tone, direction, and priorities of residents’ treatment plans. The YCC helps develop an atmosphere where residents can learn to make appropriate choices, improve judgment, and increase the probability of meeting their treatment goals. A large part of the YCC’s role involves basic activities that directly affect residents: physical and emotional needs, social demands, and training and limit setting.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Daily care, protection, and supervision of residents.
• Implement discipline and limits within the treatment setting.
• Provide role modeling, understanding, guidance and example to promote residents’ self‑awareness and community understanding.
• Support residents' emotional and physical well‑being.
• Familiarize oneself with behavioral dynamics and group therapy principles, and assist residents in managing problems and working effectively in a group.
• Chart daily progress, maintain logs, and communicate with the social worker.
• Drive residents in agency vehicles as requested; must be certified in CPR and First Aid and able to administer them when necessary.
• Log all incidents.
• Attend and participate in mandatory training and in‑services as required.
• Maintain resident records, incident logs, and medical log entries.
• Administer and enforce cottage rules and discipline consistently.
• Supervise group outings for shopping, medical appointments, or recreation.
• Assist in planning and implementing recreational programs.
• Participate in and lead group meetings.
• Attend all staff meetings.
• Report all special incidents.
• Provide tutoring and schooling needs for residents as requested.
• Demonstrate effective verbal communication skills.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• B.A./B.S. degree required and/or equivalent related experience.
• Educational background that earns children’s respect and exemplifies the values of education.
• Personal characteristics that enable effective work with children in placement and adequate knowledge, skills, and experience.
• Comfortable working with adolescents and responsive to their needs.
• Ability to accept children’s parents regardless of differences in values and standards of conduct.
• Possess moral integrity, strong values, and a high level of social commitment required of all staff working with adolescents.
• Able to handle crises.
• Work the schedule: Sunday (variable time) and Monday–Thursday (7:00 A.M.–3:30 P.M.).
• Valid California driver’s license, current automobile insurance, and a clean driving record acceptable to the organization’s insurance company.
• Pass a fingerprint background investigation.
• Pass a TB test, physical exam, and drug screening.
• Serve as role models for children and adolescents, demonstrating emotional stability and appropriate daily behavior, expression of emotions, and role‑modeling; hostility, aggression, or inappropriate physical or emotional expression is not acceptable.

Physical Demands

• Stand, walk, sit, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and use fingers, hands, and arms for up to two‑thirds of the day.
• Lift items and assist clients with lifting up to 25 pounds about one‑third of the day.
• Maintain clear and distance vision and adjust focus as needed.
• Operate a vehicle and recognize all street signs.
• Speak and listen to others in person and over the phone and video conferencing.
• Use a keyboard and read from a computer screen.

Environmental Conditions

Ability to adjust to climate, outdoor and indoor conditions such as extreme heat, humidity, and cold weather.

Occupational Safety & Health Standards

Every employee must comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders pursuant to Division 5 of the California Labor Code that apply to their own actions and conduct.

Optimist Policies And Procedures

• Every employee must comply with all organization‑wide policies and procedures and department‑specific policies that apply to this position.
• Maintain confidentiality of client and case information; access is restricted to personnel who need it for performance of duties, unless special consent is obtained.