Mental Health Clinical Practitioner – Survivors of Torture

Description:

Mental Health Clinical Practitioner – Survivors of Torture Program

About Us: Established in 1987, and integrated into Heartland Alliance International in 2012, the Marjorie Kovler Center (Kovler Center) is a national leader in provision of mental health and psychosocial support services. Kovler Center provides high quality, culturally and linguistically responsive, trauma-informed clinical services and supportive interventions to best meet the needs of individuals, children, and families from over 93 countries who have been impacted by war, forced migration, resettlement, family separation, and/or torture. Kovler Center has three integrated programs: the Survivors of Torture (SOT) program, the Child Trauma Program, and the Family Support Program.

Located in the Rogers Park neighborhood Chicago, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the United States, the Kovler Center serves individuals from more than 50 countries. The Kovler Center is a program of Heartland Alliance International (HAI), an international human rights organization that addresses some of the world’s most complex human rights challenges by ensuring healing and justice for extremely vulnerable populations.

Kovler Center is currently increasing capacity across all three program areas to support the large number of Afghan refugees and humanitarian parolees who are being resettled in the Chicago area. Many of these individuals have experienced trauma in their home country or during the evacuation and resettlement process, and can benefit from the tailored, culturally-responsive mental health and psychosocial support services Kovler Center provides.

More about the Survivors of Torture Program: The SOT program helps individuals transform their lives while healing from the complex consequences of politically-sanctioned torture. This program provides medical, mental health, and social services; trains and educates locally and globally; and advocates for the end of torture worldwide.

Position Summary: This positionwill provide trauma-informed individual and/or couples’ or group therapy to best meet the needs of Afghan adults and families who have been impacted by war, forced migration, resettlement, family separation, and/or torture. Individual accountabilities and work volume will be established through the development of annual Success Objectives within the framework outlined below.

This position will be 100% FTE.

This position is governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement for which the employee, as a condition of employment, shall be required to remit dues or fees to the Union for administration of the contract.

This is a one-year contract, pending future funding.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides direct high quality, culturally and linguistically responsive, trauma informed clinical services and interventions to best meet the needs of Afghan adults and families. This includes conducting screening, assessment, trauma-informed individual therapy, and other interventions corresponding to needs. Clinical services will take place via telehealth, at the Kovler Center, in the community, and/or in home settings.
• Receives case assignments and establishes and implements client treatment plans to ensure that realistic goals and deadlines are met in conjunction with clinical supervisor.
• Establishes and maintains therapeutic and professional relationships with clients to facilitate the receipt of services.
• Establishes and maintains a professional and therapeutic relationship within the standards of client profiles, confidentiality laws and the newest clinical research available.
• Writes assessment reports, progress notes and psychological affidavits to support asylum claims, as needed.
• Develops and engages in professional relationships with social service, health, legal, and other governmental providers and agencies.
• Participates in regular supervision meetings, team meetings, and in-house trainings.
• Provides advocacy, crisis intervention, and social support services and referrals when needed.
• Participates in local and national immigrant and refugee serving coalitions and workgroups.
• May present and train others on immigrant and refugee trauma across multi-disciplinary settings and with community partners. This also may include outreach for developing referral bases.
• Collaborates with Kovler Center and resettlement multi-disciplinary teams (e.g. case managers, psychiatrists, primary care provider) to maximize coordination and impact of treatment services.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience: Master’s degree (M.A./M.S.) in social work, psychology, or related human service equivalent; experience and/or training working with adults and families who have experienced complex trauma, preferably with a refugee and immigrant population; Dari and/or Pashto language ability OR willingness to collaborate with interpreters.

• Master’s degree (M.A.) in clinical social work, counseling or clinical psychology; and one to two years of clinical practice experience in either a hospital or community setting providing group and/or individual therapy.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Full licensure to practice (LCSW, LCPC)

Language Skills: Dari and/or Pashto language ability preferred

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.