Family Advocacy Program (FAP) Clinical Counselor for Children

Full Job Description

Serve as a Clinical Counselor within Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), Fleet and Family Readiness Department (N9), Family Readiness Division (N91), Fleet and Family Support Program (FFSP).

The primary purpose of this position is to provide short-term, non-medical clinical counseling for separation, grief, deployment, relocation, relationship issues, parent-child interactions, interpersonal issues and other challenges.

Applications reviewed every two weeks.

Expert knowledge of and skill in employing various counseling approaches, clinical treatment principles and practices, research methods, group dynamics, motivational interviewing, developmental psychology, and family systems therapy to counsel children, adolescents and families.

Able to communicate effectively and professionally using a variety of methods and techniques.

Knowledge of military lifestyle and demands to present sensitive, potentially controversial information to various groups; interview military family members; develop and maintain professional relationships with other treatment professionals; discuss cases, deliver presentations.

In-depth knowledge of family systems related to childhood, adolescence and parenting, and skill in applying the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to recognize, identify, and assess mental disorders, personal and social problems, reach accurate conclusions and provide appropriate solutions.

Major Duties:

Provide direct non-medical, short term solution focused counseling services to eligible children, parents, families and groups using psychotherapeutic services, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, acceptance and commitment therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, family systems therapy, expressive therapies, etc.

Assess client's needs and the nature and scope of their problem(s) and behavior, explore basic personality structure in relation to behavior patterns, mechanisms and symptoms, and analyze information collected to develop a diagnostic impression and treatment plan, and/or provide treatment referrals, as appropriate, to other clinical agencies.

Conduct clinical and psychosocial assessments of children in families referred to the FAP for child abuse/neglect and/ or domestic abuse allegations; which may include assessing children who are alleged victims of child abuse/neglect, other children in the home, and children who have witnessed domestic abuse.

Conduct comprehensive and complex clinical assessments to identify crisis situations, e.g., suicide or homicide risk, danger of physical or sexual abuse to family members, and increased risk of further family violence.

Provide crisis intervention and safety planning, as required Recognize symptoms in clients with diagnosable disorders falling outside of the authorized scope of practice such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, substance use disorders, major depression or other symptoms requiring specialized medical/psychiatric intervention and/or longer-term treatment.

Assist individuals and families with finding satisfactory ways of coping with commonly occurring life stresses (e.g. career change, work-related stress), family dynamics (e.g.

divorce, communication problems), parenting, crisis response (e.g. physical, sexual or emotional abuse), or other stressors.

Identify crisis situations (e.g., suicide or homicide risk, danger of physical or sexual abuse to family members, increased risk of interfamilial or extra familial violence) when conducting clinical assessments, and provide immediate crisis intervention, conduct risk assessment, and prepare and/or coordinate safety planning IAW best practices in the mental health community.

Educate military, civilians and families on suicide intervention and at-risk behavior.

Comply with reporting protocols involving high-risk case when reporting risk of suicide, homicide, domestic abuse or child abuse, and high-visibility cases.

Inform military and civilian agencies on scope of practice, how to engage in services, available counseling services (i.e., couples, individual, and children/family), and clinical issues and treatment related to children and adolescence; and train on clinical areas of interest (i.e., sleep hygiene, healthy communication, etc.) upon request and if availability allows.

Consult and coordinate with other military and civilian service agencies on specific client cases (i.e., military treatment facility behavioral health, civilian military health providers, CPS, etc.), on an ad-hoc basis.

Collaborate with civilian community service boards and organizations regarding issues unique to military children.

Coordinate and/or provide in-service training on child abuse, neglect, and trauma to other FFSC staff.

Serve as designated case manager and primary FAP point of contact for PSB-CY cases, ensuring all actions comply with Department of Defense (DoD) and Navy instructions and civilian reporting requirements.

Receive initial reports of problematic sexual behaviors in children and youth (PSB-CY) from military and civilian representatives and take all steps required under the FAP PSB-CY.

Complete all required assessments and documentation (clinical notes, collateral contacts, treatment plans, and required statistical data) in the DoD Military Community and Family Policy PSB-CY Case Management System, as required.

Performs other duties as assigned.