Temporary Family Counselor

Applications are reviewed weekly. This is an open continuous recruitment. Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply immediately.  

THE POSITION

The City of Hayward is excited to announce its recruitment for the position of Family Counselor. Under general direction, the Family Counselor provides crisis intervention, youth and family counseling, juvenile justice diversion, and referral services to youth, families, and individuals as part of the City's Youth and Family Services Bureau.

THE DEPARTMENT

The Youth and Family Services Bureau (YFSB) is a unique part of the Hayward Police Department where mental health and other social service providers offer a variety of prevention and intervention services to meet the needs of Hayward families.   In partnership with law enforcement and Hayward schools, YFSB's goal is that Hayward's richly diverse youth and families thrive by feeling safe and inspired and experiencing community connectedness and general wellbeing.  YFSB was at the forefront of integrating social services into law enforcement more than 45 years ago and will continue to bridge the gap between mental health, law enforcement and the community we serve.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate has experience providing short term family counseling and case management services to youth and their families who are involved in the juvenile justice system or at elevated risk for involvement.  They are skilled at completing safety assessments and intervening with people experiencing mental health crisis.  They have the ability to work well across disciplines, particularly with law enforcement and other emergency response teams and in schools. They are knowledgeable about local community resources and skilled at forming relationships quickly.

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

•  Provides crisis intervention and counseling services to youth, families, and individuals.

•  Provides referral information to the public, and other agencies.

• Provides support service, consultation and training to patrol officers

•  Maintains formal and informal liaison with mental health professionals and service providers including courts, schools, private therapists, hospitals, probation and other agencies.

•  Provides emergency psychological evaluation and recommendations.

•  Responds to critical incidents, family dispute calls and other in-field emergency situations.

• Provides case management services

•  Maintains crisis intake log, case files and service statistics.

Knowledge of:

•  The theory and principles of human development

•  The theory and principles of social aspects of mental and emotional adjustment, including normal and abnormal behavior.

•  Principles, methods and current practices of crisis intervention and counseling, which includes interviewing techniques, assessment and treatment modalities.

•  Principles, methods and current practices of social casework.

•  Community resources in the mental health and human services areas

Ability to:

•  Perform crisis intervention and counseling services.

•  Establish effective and productive casework relationships with youth, families, and individuals.

•  Work independently, make sound decisions and set priorities under stressful conditions.

•  Establish cooperative working relationships with police officers and other first responders the handling of crisis calls.

A complete job description and list of duties can be found at www.hayward-ca.gov

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Any combination of experience and education equivalent to that which would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge, skills and abilities would be:

Experience: One (1) year providing counseling or psychotherapy to youth, families, groups and individuals.

OR

One (1) academic year of graduate level internship experience. One (1) relevant clinical internship placement is desirable.

Education: Equivalent to a Master's Degree from an accredited college or university in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Clinical Social Work or a closely related field or a Doctorate in Clinical or Counseling Psychology.

Licenses & Certificates: Possession of a valid License in Marriage and Family Therapy (L.M.F.T.), Licensed Clinical Social Work (L.C.S.W.), Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C), Licensed Clinical Psychologist or a closely related field is highly desirable.

Possession and maintenance of a valid Class C California Driver's License.

(Note: Applicants with a related Master's Degree in progress are encouraged to apply.  Selected candidate will need to provide proof of graduate degree completion by the start date of employment).

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: One (1) year

SELECTION PROCEDURE

Candidates must submit a completed City of Hayward job application. Applications are reviewed weekly. Final selection and job offer is contingent upon successful completion of a comprehensive police background investigation, and may include personal history, prior job performance and activities that may negatively affect job performance, as well as a medical examination.

Applicants will be notified electronically via GovernmentJobs.com as to their status in the selection process.  It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure they can receive email notice from NeoGov/Government Jobs and the City of Hayward.