Program Specialist- LSW, LCSW, LMHC or Similar

This position is responsible for coordinating and delivering clinical interventions and services for individuals who have been charged with a crime and who are participating in a violence interruption & diversion programs (VID) demonstration project. The diversion programming and services will address trauma, violence prevention, behavioral health disorders, employment, and community stability. The position requires frequent travel within communities and to project sites and a flexible schedule. The position will involve close collaboration with prosecutors and community service providers in Atlantic County, New Jersey. The Program Specialist’s responsibilities will be carried out under the supervision of the WEI Trauma and Violence

Interruption Projects Director leading the overall initiative in New Jersey.

Primary Responsibilities

· Delivers clinical evidence-driven interventions and services to individuals in the violence interruption & diversion program.

· Provides individual and group counseling interventions that address trauma, cognitive behavioral therapies, violence prevention, employment, and other community stability factors.

· Fully participates and adheres to the programming/services protocol of the project.

· Delivery programming and services in prosecutors’ office sites, community partner sites, participants’ homes, and public settings, in addition to in-person program and service delivery, and provide mobile and technology-assisted support.

· Contacts, schedules, and coordinates appointments with defendants that are involved in the project.

· Coordinates with stakeholders and other community partners to schedule appointments and visits.

· Observes, identifies, and does other duties as assigned for what is needed to move the project forward in a way that best represents WEI.

· Participates in fidelity monitoring of programming and service delivery.

· Provides feedback to the program leads when alterations to programming/services occur.

· Use motivational engagement techniques to support, encourage, and retain participants in programming, services, and the research project.

· Interacts with participant families and other formal and informal community supports that will aid in community stability and individual well-being.

· Actively and regularly participates in team meetings and the identification of team goals.

· Engages other team members in reviewing project participant progress toward goals.

· Integrating feedback from participants and team members into programming and service delivery.

· Provide feedback to research team members on programming/services.

· Fully participates in training and re-training for skill development as required by WEI.

Required Qualifications

·LSW, LCSW, LMHC, or related licensure required.

·Must have a master’s degree in social work, psychology, or related counseling field.

· Must be eligible to pass and maintain security clearance in correctional settings.

· Ability to adapt to various work hours, including evenings and weekends, when needed.

· Knowledge of mental health, substance abuse, trauma, and other related populations.

· Experience providing evidence-based programming and practices to vulnerable populations.

· Must have reliable transportation and a current and active driver’s license.

· Must have reliable internet and phone access.

Preferred Qualifications

· Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Basic Training certification is highly preferred.

· We highly value diverse life experiences and backgrounds –including prior involvement in the criminal justice system.

· Experience delivering manualized interventions.

· Ability to engage effectively with colleagues through verbal and written communication.

· Skilled in writing and maintaining computer-based records in an accurate and timely manner.

· Ability to respond to crisis situations and psychiatric emergencies utilizing appropriate crisis intervention techniques.

· High levels of familiarity and/or experience in working with criminal justice-involved populations.

· Familiarity and/or training in motivational interviewing, solution-focused brief therapy, cognitive behavioral approaches, and/or strengths-based focus therapy.

· Highly organized, self-starter with good interpersonal, problem-solving, and analytical skills.