Status: Full-Time, Salary/Exempt
Reports to: Director of Clinical Services
Mission: Established in 1992, ChildSafe is a nonprofit organization created to combat child abuse in our community. Serving as Bexar County’s only Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC), we provide a continuum of care – including crisis management, case management, clinical therapy, and support services to child abuse survivors and their non-offending family members.
The goals of the agency and its multidisciplinary partners include the following: a recorded forensic interview; ensure the coordination of appropriate and thorough investigation and prosecution of sexual and physical abuse and neglect cases with public and private agencies; provide crisis intervention and on-going trauma-specific mental health support; provide public education and professional training; and advocate for the child and family during the investigative process.
Position Overview: This position engages in evidence-based trauma-specific mental health services for children and adolescents and facilitates experiential interventions to support healing, emotional regulation, and family functioning. The role also provides teambuilding and secondary traumatic stress training.
Overall Functions:
- Provide consultation for members of the multidisciplinary team including medical professionals, case workers, law enforcement personnel, and members of the judicial system, to include participation in multidisciplinary case staff meetings.
- Make referrals to and consult with outside agencies as needed.
- Consult internally with ChildSafe staff and supervisors to ensure timely and appropriate continuity of care, to include via scheduled meetings and on case-by-case basis needs.
- Prepare, update, and maintain timely records, assessments, treatment plans, reports, and statistics related to client care and workload, entering documentation within 48 business hours of service.
- Take initiative to seek and obtain training opportunities to maintain licensure requirements as well as attend training mandated by ChildSafe.
- Occasionally participate in court proceedings.
- Complete crisis intervention and follow-up when necessary.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Clinical Services Specific Functions: Under the supervision of the Director of Clinical Services, the Clinical/Adventure Therapist will provide trauma specific clinical therapy services to children and adolescents who are victims of sexual or physical abuse, as well as non-offending family members. This caseload will consist of 10-12 active weekly clients. Duties include:
- Plan, schedule, coordinate, and facilitate therapy intakes and sessions in office and/or via telehealth.
- Participate in on-going training related to abuse trauma in order to ensure the continuous delivery of high-quality and relevant services.
- Facilitate groups on rotation.
- Participate in regularly scheduled Clinical Services team meetings and 1:1 and supervision with Director.
Outdoor Behavioral Health (OBH) Specific Functions: Provides adventure therapy services in indoor and outdoor settings for children, adolescents, and non-offending family members as well as assisting with supportive services for agency and partner agency staff. Duties include:
- Maintain a biweekly caseload of 5-7 families for adventure therapy services
- Plan, schedule, coordinate, and facilitate intakes and experiential therapy sessions, including ropes course, hiking, and nature-based interventions across various settings on-site and off-site including parks, trails, and campgrounds – will ensure physical and emotional safety of all participants through adherence to safety protocols and risk management practices.
- Participate in on-going training related to the adventure therapy field to help ensure the safe, ethical, and responsible use of equipment and techniques in adventure therapy programming.
- Assist OBH Manager in providing quarterly Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) training and team-building sessions to ChildSafe staff and MDT and other partner agency staff as programming capability allows.
- Engage routinely in 1:1 and/or group supervision with OBH Manager.
Education/Skills/Training Requirements:
- Master’s Degree in a mental health field with a Texas license (LPC, LMFT, LCSW, LMSW, LPC-Associate) is required.
- Knowledge of and experience in working with child abuse issues
- Therapists must currently be trained in a trauma specific modality or be willing to be trained in a modality within the first six months of employment, to include but not limited to Trauma Focused TF-CBT, Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention CFTSI, and/or PC-CARE
- Ropes/Challenge Course Facilitator Certification (or willingness to obtain during employment)
- Willingness to participate in Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas training (including online training or travel to Austin depending on availability)
- Willingness to obtain Certification in CPR and First Aid within first 90 days if not currently certified
- Must be willing to participate in on-going trauma specific therapy training with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Texas in Austin onsite and/or online
- Must be confident with relating to children, adolescents, and caregivers in a non-judgmental, empathic, compassionate, and encouraging manner
- Must be able to manage challenging case dynamics and crisis situations as necessary
- Must be able to interact with other professionals and co-workers in a spirit of cooperation and mutual commitment towards the goal of delivering expert services to child abuse survivors
- Strong administrative and organizational skills
- Current driver’s license, liability insurance, and reliable transportation required. A clear background check and motor vehicle record required.
- Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred but not required
- Experience in adventure therapy or experiential modalities, preferred
- Experience in both in person and telehealth therapeutic delivery, preferred
Working Conditions/Physical Demands:
- Outdoor settings and environments in various weather conditions (rain, shine, heat or cold) to include, but not limited to, ChildSafe’s Challenge Course, state, and local campgrounds, hiking trails, and bodies of water such as free-flowing
- General office environment and needs to move about the office to access cabinets, files, office machinery including computers, copiers, and printers; and seldom ascend/descend ladder to retrieve client files.
- Ability to stand for long periods of time, climb to set up high level adventure therapy equipment on a ropes course or natural rock surface, and swim.
- Ability to carry up to 60 lbs. to transport outdoor gear such as camping and climbing equipment, kayaks, ladders, and backpacks; reaching, bending, and climbing; walking and hiking great distances of at least three miles or more over uneven terrain likely.
- Ability to remain in a stationary and/or standing position 50% of the time.
- Ability to assess and respond appropriately to changing settings and circumstances to help ensure clients’ physical and emotional safety.
Hours/Shifts:
The Clinical Therapist is a full-time, salary/exempt position. Two evenings are (11:00 am – 8:00 pm) required per week. Shifts will be established within the following hours of operation:
Monday -Thursday: 8:00 am– 8:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
This position requires flexibility for outdoor programming and client needs.
Benefits: Paid vacation, illness, mental health and holidays. Other benefits include, but are not limited to major medical, dental, vision, life, and 401(k) Safe Harbor Retirement Plan.
General Statement: This job description is intended to describe the general nature and work responsibilities of the position. This job description and the duties of this position are subject to change, modification and addition as deemed necessary by the Employer. Employees are required to comply with supervisory instructions and perform other duties, responsibilities and assignments requested by supervisors.
This job description does not constitute an employment contract between ChildSafe and any employee.
ChildSafe is an Equal Opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information, in accordance with federal and state law.
To Apply
Qualified candidates will email a resume and cover letter to . Due to the volume of applicants ChildSafe receives, we are unable to respond to each candidate individually regarding the status of his or her application.
