Senior Residential Counselor

Domestic Violence Program

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Senior Residential Counselor position.

An Overview

The Senior Residential Counselor is responsible for answering the program’s hotline, providing crisis intervention and counseling to callers and clients residing in the Domestic Violence Safe House, and maintaining the Safe House facility.

What You Should Bring

The ideal candidate will have thorough knowledge and understanding of domestic violence and trauma-informed advocacy; thorough knowledge of household coordination and maintenance and the role of residential support services; some knowledge of social, psychiatric, economic and health problems; some knowledge of community resources or the ability to readily acquire such knowledge; some knowledge of counseling techniques provided to clients with mental disorders, alcoholism, and/or drug abuse; ability to quickly assess and defuse hostile situations; ability to identify social problems and needs, and to assess the strengths and weaknesses of individuals and families; ability to identify behavior which indicates movement toward a crisis situation; ability to obtain the cooperation of others in difficult situations; ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing; ability to maintain accurate records.

The Opportunity

• Provides a time-sensitive assessment of and response to immediate needs of hotline callers who have experienced or been impacted by sexual/domestic violence in order to help them return to pre-crisis levels of functioning. Services provided on the hotline include crisis intervention, support, safety planning, information, and referrals. Employee is expected to be available for on-call rotating shifts overnights and weekends;
• Provides 24-hour emergency crisis response providing individual and systems advocacy to victims of sexual/domestic violence for forensic examinations, related medical treatment and testing, police interviews and court proceedings;
• Interview victims of domestic and sexual violence to obtain sufficient information to assess their history, current status, resources, strengths, coping abilities and living needs, safety planning and screen them for admittance to the shelter;
• Conducts intakes on new residents, including history, administrative forms, tour, house rules, and settling into their rooms;
• Serve as advocate for clients to assist them in their dealings with the court system, social services, and employers and in obtaining child-care services and housing;
• Monitor resident activity to assure compliance with individual goal plans;
• Prompts and encourages residents to facilitate self-expression and growth, communication, problem solving, and handling of personal problems;
• Provide individual counseling and case management services to residents in the shelter;
• Monitor residents' activities, their changing physical and social needs and their compliance with house rules;
• Ensures that facility operations, maintenance, health and safety of all residents in the facility comply with State and local accreditations;
• Performs other duties as assigned.

About the Department

The Center for Children and Families (CCF) provides programs and services for Behavioral Health, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, Child Welfare & Child Protective Services, Early Childhood and Youth Development. CCF provides compassionate, collaborative and effective person and family-centered services based on best practices. Our teams support self-determination, safety, recovery and resiliency for Alexandria children and all residents affected by abuse, neglect, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance abuse disorders.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Two-Year College Degree; two years of experience working with clients with intellectual disabilities, mental illness, substance abuse disorder or domestic violence in a residential setting and supervisory experience; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Employees must possess a valid driver's license issued by the state of their residence.

Preferred Qualifications

Four year college degree in Human Service or a related field; two years of experience working in a residential setting with clients diagnosed with substance use disorder(s), serious mental illness and/or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder. At least one year of supervisory experience. At least one year of experience working with Trauma Survivors (specifically Domestic Violence survivors). At least one (1) year of experience providing Trauma Informed Care.

Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to: FBI/Federal Records Check; VA State Child Abuse/Neglect Registry; Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Database; education/certifications; drug testing; and driver’s license.

Schedule:

The hours for this position are Monday through Thursday, 2:00PM - 10:00PM and Friday, 12:00PM - 8:00PM. As an Essential Employee, staff will be expected to be at work during weekends, holidays, or inclement weather if they have been scheduled.

***Staff must be available for on-call (standby) from 6:00PM - 6:00AM, Monday through Thursday and all weekends and holidays, Friday evenings from 6:00PM through Sunday evening, 10:00PM on a rotating basis