Family Counselor (probation Counselor Ii)

Job Announcement

This is a 20-hour per week job share position. Provides outpatient counseling services to court involved individuals, couples and families who are either actively on probation, involved in the court's diversion program, referred through Domestic Relations, Community Corrections or are court mandated to participate in services. Provides trauma-informed, holistic and culturally relevant services to those receiving counseling by using varying evidence-based treatment modalities, to include cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, family systems theory, DBT-informed therapy, expressive therapy, motivational interviewing counseling skills and trauma-informed treatment.

The case planning should incorporate the use of screening, assessments, and information with collateral contacts. This may include the Columbia Suicide Screener, Structured Trauma Experiences and Symptoms Screener (STRESS), ACE screen, Substance Abuse Subtle Inventory Screening (SASSI), and Family Assessment Measure III (FAM-III). Maintains a culturally diverse caseload of up to 12-14 families that are typically seen on a weekly to bi-weekly basis until their counseling goals have been met, the time period of mandated involvement has expired, or the family no longer wishes to participate in services. The overall goal of family counseling is to aid family members who are experiencing problematic and non-compliant adolescent behaviors, truancy issues, grief, and loss, disrupted family relationships, co-parenting difficulties in custody/visitation/support matters, family conflict, domestic violence, trauma/secondary trauma, managing feelings of anxiety, depression and more.

Responds to children/youth and families in crisis, providing crisis stabilization, conducting risk/safety assessments as necessary, developing safety plans and supporting linkages to crisis services and emergency services when needed.

This position may operate in a satellite office of Fairfax County. Will be responsible for a variety of other tasks, including transporting clients, conducting assessments using evidenced based tools and developing treatment goals with families. Collaborates with and serves as a consultant to court service unit staff and other service providers. Develops and implements psycho-educational group work. Serves as a member on agency committees. Maintains author summary reports regarding client progress. Participates in case consultation and supervision, and maintains electronic records through state BADGE system.

Schedule includes some flexibility and may require weekend and/or evening hours.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 39.8% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.

Schedule: This is a part-time 20-hour per week position.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position description.)

Counseling and Treatment Services
Conducts intake interviews and supervises offenders/defendants through office and home visits to verify compliance with court-orders;
Formulates treatment or rehabilitation plans for and presents written or oral recommendations for adjustment of behavior;
Supervises and monitors community service requirements; schedules payments, collects court costs and restitution; monitors urine tests;
Supervises visits or exchanges according to court orders or other relevant agreements;
Provides intensive supervision/monitoring, counseling and treatment of juvenile and adult offenders;
Interviews juvenile or adult offenders, their families and related persons to determine the nature of the adjustment difficulty;
Refers offenders/defendants to other agencies or facilities as needed and maintains liaison with service providers to coordinate evaluations;
Conducts field investigations;
Testifies in court and provides required written reports on adjustment and compliance to courts;
Documents and maintains prescribed records of casework services and periodically compiles related statistics:
Aids clients in obtaining employment;
Arranges for the court appearance of the client and family;
Informs clients of available community resources;
Arranges appointments for medical examinations and psychological testing;
Cooperates with representatives from State and local social service and law enforcement agencies in cases of mutual interest;
Composes and dictates case records, petitions and correspondence;

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

Knowledge of casework supervision practices and procedures;
Knowledge of the principles of psychology and sociology;
Knowledge of current social and economic conditions;
Ability to use technology to enter and retrieve information;
Ability to interpret laws, rules, and regulations related to probation work and victim services;
Ability to interview and counsel clients;
Ability to prepare complete case records and reports;
Ability to develop effective working relationships with a variety of individuals.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following: (Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree in social/behavioral sciences, criminal justice, or education plus two years of professional experience in probation work, social work, criminal justice, juvenile justice, education, or counseling. A master's degree in the disciplines above may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license is required at the time of application.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to the position will be required to complete the following to the satisfaction of the employer:

• Criminal Background Investigation
• Child Protective Services
• Sanction Screenings
• Driving Record Check

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• A master's segree in counseling, social work or psychology, or other licensed eligible field.
• Licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).
• At least two years of professional experience counseling families and adolescents.
• Experience of at least 2 years of case management, treatment planning and using evidenced-based practices such as Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Expressive Arts Therapy and trauma-informed interventions.
• Proficiency as an intermediate level user in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Job is generally sedentary in nature, however visual acuity is required to read data on computer monitor, incumbent must be able to operate keyboard driven equipment.
• Must be able to communicate with others, both orally and in writing.
• May be required to lift up to 15 pounds.
• Must be able to operate a motor vehicle and travel between various offices, residential placements, court, clients' homes, etc. in order to meet with clients and for trainings.
• All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview and may include a written exercise.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 39.8% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov. EEO/AA/TTY.
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