Social Work/Counselor I - Spring Creek Ysc.

Department Information

This position is for residents of Colorado only.

Please note: This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies at the location below.

Spring Creek Youth Services Center

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CDHSCareers

About the Division of Youth Services: The Division of Youth Services (DYS) provides a continuum of residential and non-residential services that encompass juvenile detention, commitment, and parole. DYS is the agency statutorily mandated to provide for the care and supervision of youth committed by the District Court to the custody of the Colorado Department of Human Services. The Division operates fifteen secure facilities that serve youth between the ages of 10 and 21, who are pre-adjudicated, sentenced, or committed. The Division also contracts with numerous private residential and non-residential service providers throughout the State. For pre-adjudicated youth, the Division is also responsible for the management and oversight of Colorado Youth Detention Continuum, a State-funded, locally administered program that provides services to youth at risk of further progressing into the juvenile justice system. In addition to residential programming, the Division administers juvenile parole services throughout the State.

We invite you to explore the DYS website and learn about the services provided to youth, families, and local communities in the State of Colorado at: https://www.colorado.gov/cdhs/dys

My Why

Description of Job

Summary Of Work Unit

This work unit exists to provide clinical mental health services to committed treatment level youth and their families, in a secure facility. It provides individual, family and group services in support of and in alignment with the Division of Youth Services (DYS) strategic plan and within a trauma informed environment. This work unit identifies youth needs and develops interventions to mitigate risk and enhance protective factors to ensure successful reintegration in to the community. It works collaboratively with milieu staff, education, family, client management, and community stakeholders to provide evidence based services to complex youth.

Summary Of Position

This position exists to provide mental health/crisis management services for a caseload of DYS committed youth. DYS committed youth often have behavioral and/or psychiatric problems resulting from trauma-related issues such as neglect, abuse, or severe family problems. This position provides individual, group and family services to this population. This position uses Evidence Based Curricula in working with this population. It provides approved treatment services to youth who have engaged in delinquent behaviors, in a secure state operated treatment facility. This position provides treatment planning, individual, family and group counseling, ongoing assessment, case management, record keeping, and service coordination in conjunction with a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) responsible for the overall treatment, supervision and transition of the youth. These youth often have behavioral and psychiatric issues resulting from trauma related exposure such as neglect, abuse or severe family problems. This position completes an integrated and comprehensive strength-based treatment plan and provides expertise in the area of mental health, co-occurring, special needs and family issues. This position utilizes the Colorado Juvenile Risk Assessment and other validated assessment tools to address criminogenic risk factors and what is driving underlying behavior by using a strength based approach and a youth’s protective factors and resources. This position utilizes a case conceptualization model which gathers the facts about the youth, determines needs, identifies strengths and develops treatment plans. Training and consultation to staff in regard to treatment and milieu interventions specific to juveniles who have complex mental health needs is also a responsibility along with the development and implementation of transition plans in coordination with the multidisciplinary team of client manager, family, youth facility staff and community programs. This position takes a lead role on the clinical team in the unit, assists in conducting in service trainings and communicates youth’s needs to milieu staff. Behavioral Health Specialists will utilize Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral therapy, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and the Sanctuary model, in their work with youth and families.

Job Duties

Assessment and Treatment Planning

• Participate in the assessment of safety and intervention/and monitoring plans for suicidal youth, with the direct supervision of a licensed behavioral health specialist, only for youth on their caseload.
• Treatment plan objectives include skills that youth is working on in addition to individual and group session objectives. A multi-disciplinary integrated and comprehensive approach is applied to treatment planning, involving the youth, and family members as well as professionals utilizing best practice strength based approach.
• Determine whether there is a need for outside referrals or additional treatment services for youth
• Treatment planning is cognizant of gender, cultural, religious or spiritual and sexual identity issues to affect behavior change and reduction of symptoms in the adolescent and family. This position guides transition planning and services to aid in successful youth reintegration into the community. Collaboration with client manager and MDT in recommending transition and aftercare programming as appropriate.
• Provides oversight to the treatment plans and identify goals and measurable objectives, interventions and those responsible for providing them, frequency of interventions, and responsibility of the youth.
• Contacts/engages parents/family members, significant others, guardians, and referring agents to interview and obtain relevant collateral and supportive data to enhance the understanding and dynamics of the youth’s situation.
• Interviews the resident ensuring assessment data is reliable as possible, that the resident is engaged in a supportive and educative manner, that confidentiality is maximized, and that problematic symptoms and behaviors are thoroughly evaluated and handled in a sensitive and safe manner.
• Collaborates and coordinate treatment needs of youth with DYS client manager, and assessment services to match treatment with estimated length of stay and client need, within 30 days of admission.
• Determine appropriate transition plan and needs for youth
• Emphasis is placed on facilitating a review, making recommendations, and developing alternative interventions to be implemented by team staff and client for cases that represent a negative or no change response to treatment.
• Determine appropriate interventions for youth based on assessment data and youth treatment progress
• Utilizing a case conceptualization model gathers facts about the youth, determining needs, identifying protective factors and developing treatment needs and results are presented to supervisor and discussed with multi-disciplinary team.
• Collaborates and coordinates with direct staff, education, client manager, youth, and other pertinent treatment team members in the development of a treatment service plan.
• Within the first 30 days of a youth’s arrival, this position thoroughly assess youth’s treatment needs by reviewing the youth’s main and medical files and making initial and collateral contacts as appropriate.
• This position utilizes and presents a case conceptualization model of youth on caseload upon entering the facility, and discusses this with supervisor and presents to Department chairs for collaboration and decision making around appropriate services.

Treatment Provision & Documentation

• Facilitates daily groups and multi family group as necessary. Will assess progress, barriers to progress, collaborate with multidisciplinary team, communicate pertinent information to milieu staff and education, document all case management and therapeutic services in TRAILS system.
• Conducts counseling in accordance with training and expertise gained through specific training and knowledge of Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) standards and ethics. Conducts treatment needs include substance abuse, mental health issues, trauma histories, cognitive limitations, offense specific services for sexually abusive or violent youth.
• Treatment will incorporate and address the youth’s risk/needs and protective factors and how criminal conduct, sex offense specific, substance abuse and mental health issues are related.
• Documents the youth’s response to specific interventions toward meeting the objectives and goals of treatment plan.
• Discusses in supervision and identify any need for additional resources as necessary to ensure the best approach to treatment with the youth based on their developmental and neurocognitive ability.
• Recommends to the team resources necessary to meet the needs of DYS youth based on severity of service needs and facility ADP.
• Provides psychotherapy in a manner that is consistent with the youth’s ability, taking into account any necessary modification needed as a result of trauma, substance abuse, brain injury and mental health disorders.
• Position elaborates on risk, protective factors, progress and barriers to progress in a manner that is understandable to all audiences and partners, to include the youth, family, client management, education staff, parole boards, private providers, courts, etc.
• This position recommends to the mental health team best practices in evidence-based curriculum, issues with staff and/or facility and changes in programming based on the individual needs of the population (for example, gender specific).
• Collaborates with client manager and assists in developing wrap-around transition and aftercare services for the youth nearing parole.
• Recommends to the team resources necessary to meet the needs of DYS youth based on severity of service needs and facility ADP.
• Collaborates with educational/vocational systems to ensure appropriate academic services are provided.
• Supports agency services of cognitive behavioral based interventions, social learning theory, and motivational interviewing. Position actively engages family/care givers in the process of treatment with the youth and transition to the community.
• This position recommends to the mental health team best practices in evidence-based curriculum, issues with staff and/or facility and changes in programming based on the individual needs of the population (for example, gender specific).
• This position determines treatment services that are relevant to the needs of the youth and the individual needs and protective factors, considering their age, ethnic, cultural, religious and sexual identity issues to affect behavior change and the reduction of complex mental health behavior and risk to community and symptoms in the individual and family.
• This position maintains a caseload and conducts individual, group, and family psychotherapy sessions using evidence-based treatment theories and curriculum in complex mental health treatment for adolescents.
• Treatment will be provided using a strength based approach and holistic manner and the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Social Learning, and Motivational Interviewing techniques are completed with the youth.
• All treatment services are conducted in accordance with DORA standards and agency policy in order to mitigate risk and improve overall health.
• Consults and collaborate with medical team and psychiatrist regarding psychotropic medication use in treatment.
• Documents summary of progress in monthly treatment plans for youth on caseload. Documents all assessments, sessions, court reports, transition plans, community passes and staffing sessions in a timely manner as indicated in policy to be within the next working shift. Communicates effectively in verbal and written formats, that demonstrates progress youth has completed while in treatment.
• Consults with supervisor about treatment issues, problems, expectation, and changes in behavior for residents and families.

Training, Consultation, Other duties as assigned

• Participates in family department meetings and trainings in order assure and maintain competency and possibly attend Ancillary department meeting.
• Position is responsible for maintaining all professional certifications.
• This position participates in orientation, educational workshops, mental health, co-occurring disorders, and family department meetings, and trainings to ensure and maintain competency in the provision of evidence-based mental health services and works in conjunction with the agency clinical director and clinical team in the development of agency treatment programming.
• Actively participates in own professional growth and continued trainings, research, and Continuing Education Unit’s.
• Participates in clinical supervision with the clinical director/assistant clinical director.
• Responsible for providing information to YSSIII’s and milieu staff to assist in the implementation of youth treatment goals and objectives.
• Supports and promotes Division and agency initiatives and must be knowledgeable of and in compliance with all DORA standards, DYS policies and audit standards.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

• YOUR APPLICATION MUST CLEARLY STATE YOUR RELATED QUALIFICATIONS *

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a field of study related to the work assignment.

Substitutions

Appropriate experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate will possess at least one of the following preferred qualifications. Applicants will be scored on these preferred qualifications.

• A Master's degree in Counseling. You must provide a copy of your transcripts that contain the conferred date, your name and type of degree received.
• A Master's degree in Social Work (MSW). You must provide a copy of your transcripts that contain the conferred date, your name and type of degree received.

~AND/OR~

• Under the direction of Governor Jared Polis, the Division of Professions and Occupations at the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) has conducted a review of existing licensing exemptions that allow for individuals in the healthcare field who either hold licenses in other states or who have allowed their license to expire in Colorado to immediately resume work within their scope of practice, provided their out-of-state or expired license is/was in good standing. Note, this does not alleviate the criteria to transfer licensing or any requirements by the respective board under the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).
• Note, nothing in these Minimum Qualifications alleviates the criteria to transfer licensing or any requirements by the respective board under the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).
• Current, valid or recently expired licensure as a LSW (Licensed Social Worker). This license must be in good standing.

Required Competencies

• Ability to express ideas effectively, orally and in writing
• Knowledge of interviewing skills and techniques
• Ability to use interviewing skills and techniques effectively
• Knowledge of casework methods, techniques, and their applications to work problems
• Ability to exercise good judgment in evaluating situations and making decisions
• Knowledge of the principles of human growth and behavior, basic sociological and psychological treatment and therapy practices

Conditions Of Employment

• A pre-employment criminal background check will be conducted as part of the selection process as this position is deemed to have direct contact with vulnerable persons. Felony convictions, conviction of crimes of moral turpitude, or convictions of misdemeanors related to job duties may disqualify you from being considered for this position. Should your background check reveal any charges or convictions, it is your responsibility to provide the CDHS Background Unit with an official disposition of any charges. Additionally, you will be required take a drug screen.
• Included in the background investigation is a current/previous employer check. Your current and previous employers within the last 10 years must be listed on your application even if the job duties are unrelated to Correctional Youth Security Officer I position. Incomplete employer information (address, phone, supervisor name) or omission of former employers may result in application disqualification.
• Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion of the DYS Pre-service Training Academy, Field Training Program (FTO) and mandatory annual training in all subject areas.
• Included in the background investigation is a current/previous employer check. Your current and previous employers within the last 10 years must be listed on your application even if the job duties are unrelated to Correctional Youth Security Officer I position. Incomplete employer information (address, phone, supervisor name) or omission of former employers may result in application disqualification.
• Colorado Driver's License
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose the information on the application and provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify the applicant from the current position. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.
• Applicant must obtain one of the following mental health professional licenses within 30 months of hire: Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or Licensed Psychologist. Failure to do so may result in corrective or disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. As a condition of hire, candidate must sign a waiver of any and all rights under the state personnel system to appeal a disciplinary action resulting from the failure to qualify for and obtain the mental health professional license within 30 months of hire. When licensure has been obtained and verified, the trainee position will be reallocated to a SW/Counselor II position.
• Travel to trainings, conferences, or to discharge patients.
• TB (Tuberculosis Test)

Appeal Rights

If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.

An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel Board by email ([email protected]), postmarked in US Mail or hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action.

For more information about the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it to the State Personnel Board; go to spb.colorado.gov; contact the State Personnel Board for assistance at (303) 866-3300; or refer to 4 Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, at spb.colorado.gov under Rules.