Position Summary
The Bilingual Mental Health Counselor will specifically work with school-age clients (6-21) whom are first or second generation Spanish speaking immigrants, many of whom have recently immigrated from Central America and have a trauma history or immigration related family reunification. Counselors will provide individual mental health counseling to youth and their families as well as group-based services, primarily in schools, to recently arrived youth. Services are designed to be accessible to underserved clients, providing services in their language of choice (Spanish or English) and meeting with youth in their homes and communities.
Successful candidates are those willing to be creative, persistent, and skilled in engaging challenging clients, have experience working with similar clients, and must be open to in-person services. This position functions as part of a clinical team, with support and clinical supervision as essential aspects. This position is particularly suited for recent MSW graduates who are interested in getting experience working in an agency setting with underserved populations. Candidates will gain valuable on-the-job training in working with this population as an individual and group counselor. For those who hope to gain licensure in their field, we provide clinical supervision towards licensure and support, both individual and group. Candidates with experience and a passion for this population are also encouraged to apply.
Salary: Upper 50s to Low 60s
Program Information: The Youth Initiatives - Violence Prevention and Intervention Program (VPIP) of NVFS utilizes a highly effective, trauma-informed, culturally relevant service model to provide multi-modal “neighborhood based-school connected” services. These are designed to ensure that at-risk immigrant youth and families are able to thrive in their chosen communities; succeed academically and socially; and that the communities themselves are equipped to prevent future community and family violence. The complex issues facing low income minority families living in high crime, high poverty neighborhoods require a comprehensive prevention, intervention and therapeutic approach that centers on youth in the context of the family and community. This program offers a menu of services tailored to the needs of the community to reduce family and community violence.
Essential Job Duties: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with known disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Provide individual, family and group therapy services for a culturally diverse population of adolescents and their families.
Individual services may be targeted towards the youth or the parent based on needs assessment.
Families referred often also have a history of trauma and violence in the home, communities, and/or countries of origin including gang violence, community violence, sexual assault, and family violence which has complicated the reunification and requires therapeutic intervention.
Collaborate with the case manager and/or group facilitator to ensure holistic service provision.
Provide workshops and groups in schools and community-based settings.
Ensure that service delivery is performed in accordance with the NVFS mission, agency policies and procedures, case management model, and project requirements.
Perform other indirect service activities that may include: program development, community outreach, or Agency committee work.
Prepare statistical and narrative reports as required.
Assure confidentiality policies and procedures are followed to protect the rights of clients, that reports to authorities occur in the mandated time frames and that critical incident reviews related to these procedures are completed and filed.
Maintain client files in accordance with program/licensing requirements and NVFS guidelines.
Participate effectively and positively in required Program and Agency meetings and trainings.
Qualification Requirements: An individual may obtain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required to perform essential job duties.
Master’s degree in Social Work required.
At least one (1) year of clinical experience in trauma focused psychotherapy such as work with torture survivors; victims of sexual offenses, domestic violence or any other trauma survivors; and work with families around attachment.
Experience providing services to immigrants and recently reunified families and adolescents preferred.
Oral and written fluency in English required; Spanish oral fluency required. Additional language skills always welcome.
Proficiency in usage of basic technological tools including laptops/computers, email, phones, and internet required. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite required.
Must be able to demonstrate and live the organizational values of Communication, Integrity, Respect, Collaboration, and Accountability.
Additional requirements:
Successful completion of background checks and TB test required upon hire
Must have reliable transportation to visit client homes and other designated community locations
May be called upon to work beyond normal working hours
In conjunction with our commitment to public safety and the requirements of many contracts, NVFS has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy which requires all employees to be fully vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccination in accordance with applicable law. Medical or religious accommodations may be requested.
At Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS), we value the diversity of backgrounds, experience, perspectives, and skillsets that we collectively provide to our community, clients and coworkers. We celebrate and thrive on our differences and welcome everyone’s unique contributions. NVFS is committed to advancing equity, embracing diversity, and promoting inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer. NVFS is an E-Verify participant and drug-free workplace.
NVFS values diversity in our workforce. We strongly encourage all interested individuals to apply, including people of color, all genders and gender identities, people of all abilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, other members of marginalized communities, veterans and national service alumni.