Clinical Social Worker

POSITION SUMMARY

Organizational Background: “My Friend’s Place is a community that cultivates growth and opportunity for young people impacted by homelessness.” We recognize the experience of youth homelessness as a social, racial and economic justice issue. We are resolute in our commitment to uplift all youth experiencing homelessness while rigorously, continuously, and concretely aligning our trauma-informed service delivery and organizational framework with guiding principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Our crisis resource drop-in center provides emergency, health, mental health, creative arts, case management, and education & employment services to nearly 1000 youth and young adults experiencing homelessness annually. We have been at the forefront of addressing youth homelessness in Los Angeles for 36 years. Our comprehensive, multi-disciplinary program model is innovative and replicated in drop-in centers locally and nationally. We are a data lead agency committed to continuous learning and development.

Job Summary: Working from a trauma informed, strengths based, and harm reduction approach the Clinical Social Worker will address urgent basic needs and psychosocial issues facing youth and young adults experiencing homelessness through both short term and long term case management and therapeutic interventions. The Clinical Social Worker will utilize clinical skills and knowledge to assess and inform on interventions and collaborate with youth on their goals for moving through the system and addressing barriers. This full-time, exempt position will be managed by the Housing and Wellness Manager and ACSW supervision is provided by the Associate Director of Programs who is an LCSW.

We ask all staff to:

• Care deeply
• Thrive in a fast-paced, crisis-intensive environment
• Concentrate and be productive in a shared office setting
• Build positive org culture
• Believe in the magic of a multidisciplinary team
• Be trauma informed
• Act with self-awareness and integrity
• Use solid judgment that integrates org values
• Be fierce for the mission
• Engage with and resolve differences
• Always choose repair after rupture
• Embrace and adapt to changes
• Be flexible, honest, patient and open
• Hold yourself and others accountable
• Identify problems and solutions at the same time
• Encourage connection & playfulness
• Pursue excellence in service
• Embrace a continuous learning environment
• Maintain and execute confidential information

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical Case Management:

• Carry an individual case load of 30 youth who are engaged in short and long term case management and have varying needs, patterns of drop-in utilization, and degrees of clinical complexity
• Meet with case managed youth with appropriate urgency, intensity, and frequency to set and achieve goals and maintain and improve health and wellbeing
• Partner with Triage case managers on clinical documentation needed for housing referrals and resources.
• Provide intensive case management and coordination of services and supports to each case managed youth within and outside of CES
• Provide ongoing resource linkage, risk assessment, safety planning, skills coaching, sobriety contracting, solution-focused and brief therapy
• Develop and implement care plans and safety plans that are sensitive to cultural, social and mental health needs encouraging positive help-seeking, coping, and other social-emotional skill building
• Determine what services and supports are needed to assist with immediate, short-term, and long-term stabilization and ensure linkage using a trauma informed youth development model
• Help youth identify and engage natural and community supports promoting permanent connections

Crisis Intervention

• Provide crisis intervention, including suicide, homicide, and child abuse assessments using tenants of Psychological First Aid
• Develop crisis plans utilizing the strengths of the youth and available community resources to resolve the immediate crisis and facilitate follow up interventions
• Provide assessment and diagnosis as needed to ensure care
• Perform other duties as assigned, including responding to an emergency/tragedy event
• Responsible for coverage for 2-3 nights of closing/crisis in partnership with a manager and in consultation with an LCSW.

Safe Haven Milieu Intervention

• Create and actively promote a comfortable, welcoming and healing environment where every young person is treated with dignity and respect and community is promoted
• Employ a customer service orientation in anticipating and responding to needs and requests
• Support Safe Haven Team in the supervision of all youth and the promotion of positive attachment and prosocial behavior
• Partner with Safe Haven Coordinators and Safe Haven Counselors to lead on responding to youth who are dysregulated and provide de-escalation and problem solving opportunities, including conflict mediation, so that youth can remain safely in Safe Haven community

General Social Work Duties

• Center youth care and adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics
• Fulfill all mandated reporting requirements, in consultation with clinical supervisor
• Report all critical incidents and risk assessments immediately, consult with clinical supervisor, and adhere to all other program policies and procedures
• Document all case management/crisis activities in performance management tool within 48 hours
• Provide referrals requested from community members and other service providers
• Explore and cultivate possible referral resources as needed
• Maintain working knowledge of current trends and development in issues related to young adult mental health, trauma informed care, and homelessness/housing
• Work with management and administrative staff in program evaluation and development
• Attend and clinically support special events and field trips that may happen after hours onsite and offsite
• Support and guide MSW Interns as needed and appropriate

Group Facilitation:

• Plan, create content, recruit, and facilitate wellness, life skills, and housing preparation/retention groups
• Maintain records on group content, activity and participation

Multi-disciplinary Meeting Participation:

• Participate in clinical supervision. Come prepared to discuss case conceptualization, goal planning and progress, concern for transference and countertransference, and places of feeling stuck in the therapeutic process.
• Participate in daily and weekly cross-domain meetings meant to enhance team attunement and multidisciplinary teamwork as well as agency-wide trainings
• Partner with the Development Team to create content for agency communication
• Participate in agency fundraising events and other community efforts to educate about youth homelessness

Qualifications

Skills:

• To be successful in this role, you must have the ability and interest to work professionally with youth and young adults with severe trauma histories and appreciate that the behavioral expression of pain and disconnection can include challenging, even hostile, behaviors, sometimes directed at you. You must endorse a philosophy of care that when a young person is struggling, they are to be pulled in closer and not pushed further away.
• Demonstrable commitment to one’s own health, healing and wellbeing as key to working responsibly and effectively with others and contributing to a healthy and equitable work environment.
• Familiar and comfortable working with issues related to street survival & homelessness, substance abuse, mental health distress, co-occurring disorders, severe behavioral health and complex trauma
• Solid understanding of youth and young adult development and high risk behaviors
• Ability to think critically and problem-solve while completing assessments and developing both case and safety plans, in consultation and thought partnership
• Strong organizational skills with an attention to details, timelines, and follow through.
• Must be a person of high integrity and demonstrate a commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and committed to advancing JEDI organizationally
• Must be a self-starter and team player with the ability to work with other staff members, youth and the community
• Experience in the following treatment strategies: milieu based therapeutic environment, intensive case management, individual & group counseling, short‐ term, evidence‐based counseling, crisis intervention and solution focused therapy
• Possess excellent written and oral communication skills, interpersonal skills, and ability to work both individually and as part of a team in a fast paced, professional environment
• Maintains and executes confidential information

Education:

• Master degree in Social Work
• Required: ACSW registrant in California or LCSW in good standing with the Board of Behavioral Sciences

Experience:

• Minimum of one year of professional experience working with youth experiencing homelessness or disconnection is strongly preferred
• Case management experience preferred
• Preferred familiarity with Coordinated Entry System (CES) and related homeless services system navigation
• Lived Experience: Personal and/or close relational experience with housing instability/homelessness including but not limited to the intersectional experience with youth homelessness such as juvenile or adult incarceration, foster care, family conflict and post-traumatic growth
• Bilingual (Spanish and English) preferred.

Mandatory Requirements:

• Availability for evening crisis coverage as required
• Employment eligibility verification
• Reliable transportation, good driving record, valid driver’s license and auto insurance and consent to yearly checks of driving record
• Successful completion of DOJ background screening
• COVID-19 Vaccination required prior to employment; religious and medical exemptions considered
• TB test completion before hire
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. In the course of performing the job, this position typically spends time sitting, standing, climbing stairs, walking, driving, carrying (20lbs), and lifting (20lbs). Operating a computer keyboard, firm/strong grasping, and repetitive hand control. Makes and receives telephone calls. Subjected to outside environmental conditions.

Technology Skills Required:

• Hands on knowledge of record keeping in a digitized environment, expertise in text messaging and other digital communication methods
• Equipment used - agency issued desktop/laptop, electronic mail system, telephone and cell phone
• Proficiency in Google suite software and various data management systems including HMIS/Clarity

Terms and Benefits

• Full-time exempt status position, occasional weekend and evening hours will be necessary for crisis coverage, closing duties and special events.
• Medical and Dental insurance, vacation and sick leave, and 403b retirement plan
• 40 hours per week (100%-Full Time) non-exempt status. The nature of our environment and model of care is often one of crisis intervention. Occasional weekend and evening hours will be necessary. Any overtime would need to be approved by your manager first.

TO APPLY, please email resume, cover letter and salary requirements to:

Toni Cooper, Housing and Wellness Manager

tcooper@myfriendsplace.org

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: My Friend’s Place is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, criminal history in accordance with the law, or any other legally protected characteristics. Everyone is encouraged to apply for available employment to ensure our staff reflects the diversity of the young people served by My Friend’s Place.

Pay: $72,171.28 - $74,366.42 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person