Summary:
Since 2016 Midway Living, Inc. ("Midway") has been a catalyst for transformative change in the lives of homeless families, empowering them to discover their inherent strengths and to chart a path out of homelessness, allowing them to redefine their narratives and lead lives of purpose.
Reporting to the Director of Clinical Services, The Social Worker will provide trauma-informed clinical and crisis intervention services to address the unique needs of individuals and families residing in family homeless shelters operated by Midway Living, which has over 160 staff in five locations in New York City. The Social Worker will ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of clinical services, including group and individual therapy. The Social Worker will also assist clients the clients to move toward managing their behavioral health related symptoms and support them to reach economic stability through case management, advocacy, and referral, if necessary, to organizations providing such services. The Social Worker will monitor documentation related to the clients’ biopsychosocial assessments, medical needs, mental health, and substance use treatment services, community referrals/linkages to clinical, medical and/or treatment providers. The Social Worker will prepare and review supportive housing applications, and referrals for permanent housing placements.
Requires some early evening and occasional weekend hours
Essential Job Functions:
- Responsible for conducting and documenting psychological evaluations for clients living in the Program to assess stability and obtain documentation for supportive, and/or permanent housing applications.
- Provides comprehensive trauma-informed individual/group counseling services with trauma and strengths-based perspectives to help clients process, and develop adequate coping skills.
- Reviews case file documentation to ensure adherence to National Association of Social Work standards and guidelines, ensuring quality, appropriateness and compliance with NYS regulations in clinical assessments such as biopsychosocial and psychiatric evaluations completed on-site.
- Directly provides psychological evaluations of clients living in the program to determine stability and to maintain all required permanent housing application documentation.
- Provides safety planning, crisis intervention, advocacy, case management, and referrals to other related services as needed
- Participate and Represents Midway Living at community events and on committees, coalitions, working groups, and task forces.
- Performs other duties as requested by supervisor.
Knowledge and Skills Required:
- License or limited permit required to provide therapy/counseling
- Clear and concise verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills, be assertive and well organized
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team, including working collaboratively with professionals across disciplines, (e.g. domestic violence advocates, housing specialists, attorneys, police officers, government officials, workforce development professionals, and other community-based agency staff).
- Able to develop a treatment plan
- Knowledge of crisis intervention
- Ability to collaborate with others and engage in teamwork is necessary
Education:
A master’s degree in social work required. Alternatively, to meet the professional education requirement for licensure as an LMSW, you must present satisfactory evidence of having received master's degree in social work, or its equivalent, through completion of a satisfactory graduate program in social work, which includes two years of full-time study (at least 60 semester hours, or the equivalent). No more than half of the total hours for the program may be advanced standing credit granted for social work study at the baccalaureate level. The graduate program must include curricular content in the following areas:
- social work values and ethics;
- diversity, social justice, and at-risk populations;
- human behavior in the social environment;
- social welfare policy and service delivery systems;
- foundation and advanced social work practice;
- social work practice evaluation and research; A field practicum of at least 900 clock hours in social work integrated with the prescribed curricular content; and clinical coursework of at least12 semester hours that prepares the individual to practice as an LMSW. The courses must include content that emphasizes the person-in-environment perspective and knowledge and skills in the following areas:
- diagnosis and assessment in clinical social work practice;
- Clinical social work treatment; and clinical social work practice with general and special populations.
Additional Qualifications:
- At least one year's clinical social work experience preferred.
- Excellent writing skills required.
- Knowledge of the following service areas is required: homeless-related issues, criminal justice, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse.
- Experience with assessing client’s mental health, utilizing the DSM 5 for diagnosis and strong clinical skills required.
- Strong interpersonal, managerial and administrative skills required.
- Advocate on behalf of clients with city and state agencies and institutions on issues that are negatively affecting the clients.
- Computer proficiency required, including, but not limited to Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
