Rehabilitation Therapist 2 (Therapeutic Recreation) (40 Hour)

If you are you interested in a career that you are passionate about and receive personal fulfillment while making a difference, the Albert J. Solnit Children’s Center is looking for you to be a part of their team!  

At the Albert J. Solnit Children’s Center, we treat our youth and each other with dignity and respect.  It is in this relational, cultural and gender-sensitive surrounding that our therapeutic milieu is based. Interdisciplinary teams develop, implement and continually assess individualized treatment plans.  

The State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families (DCF) seeks a qualified individual for a Rehabilitation Therapist 2 (Therapeutic Recreation). This is a full-time, 40 hours per week position with responsibilities including coordinating, planning and implementing various rehabilitation, recreational and leisure activities on an individual and group basis.  The hours for this position are Tuesday - Saturday 12:30pm – 9:00pm (one early day, not Saturday).  

The Albert J. Solnit Children's Center – North Campus is a state-administered Psychiatric facility for Connecticut’s boys who are under the age of eighteen, located in East Windsor, CT. The center provides comprehensive care to children and adolescents with severe mental illness and related behavior and emotional problems who cannot be safely assessed or treated in a less restrictive setting.   

Mission and Beliefs: Our Mission Statement is Caring, Healing and Teaching - Partnering with children, families and communities to build hope and create opportunities. We are widely recognized as a center of excellence for family-centered treatment of children and youth with serious emotional disturbances.  

We believe that: Children and adolescents with serious emotional disorders can lead productive and satisfying lives. Children, youth and their families have the right and responsibility to participate in their treatment. No child will be refused treatment based on their ability to pay for services. Our services work best when integrated with community care.  

The campus includes: Three male adolescent Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility cottages (PRTF); a school, an outdoor pool, an outdoor basketball court, a gym, Recreation Rooms, and Outdoor picnic areas.  

The State of Connecticut offers a hybrid retirement plan where new employees may elect to participate in the State Employees Retirement System which provides a retirement benefit, including retiree health insurance.  Paid time off is also offered, including 12 paid holidays per calendar year in addition to vacation, sick and personal leave accruals.  

In a state facility this class is accountable for the planning, administration, implementation and evaluation of professional therapy programs in a recognized therapeutic discipline for individuals with physical, intellectual and emotional disabilities.   

We hope you take this opportunity to make an impact by serving your state!

All State employees shall follow the guidelines as listed in Executive Orders  13F (3a) and 13G (3a) .

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening and must specify their qualifications on their application. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 

Please note you will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system. Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account.   

Note:  At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position.  These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.  Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position. 

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Julie Barker at Julie.Barker@ct.gov.

In a state facility this class is accountable for the planning, administration, implementation and evaluation of professional therapy programs in a recognized therapeutic discipline for persons with physical, mental and emotional disabilities.

Selects, plans, administers and implements a therapeutic program by utilizing a specific therapy function to teach skills to correct disorders in mental, emotional or motor status of a client and/or patient; writes and implements treatment plans; plans, schedules and conducts individual and group activities; actively participates in admission, treatment and discharge planning of a client and/or patient; participates in interdisciplinary team meetings presenting cases and discussing future treatment goals and objectives for a client and/or patient; participates in institutional, professional and community groups and/or task forces; participates in staff meetings and on interdisciplinary committees; trains and supervises staff and clients in application of a specific discipline; provides inservice training to other staff; attends and participates in workshops and conferences; gathers and uses data from observation and diagnostic tests to develop goals and new activities; coordinates therapy services with other disciplines such as occupational or physical therapy; selects appropriate materials and implements a therapeutic program to meet needs of client and/or patient; maintains and orders equipment; observes, records and evaluates client and/or patient progress; may transport and escort clients and/or patients to community functions; may teach direct care and paraprofessional staff in application of a specific therapy; may make adaptive equipment; may serve as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of principles and practices of a designated therapeutic discipline; knowledge of physical, mental and psychosocial disorders; knowledge of individual and group dynamics; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; skill in evaluating client needs.

Five (5) years of professional experience in the appropriate professional rehabilitation therapy program specialty performing such activities as program evaluation, planning and application for persons with mental, emotional and physical disabilities.
Note: For state employees this will be interpreted as one (1) year of experience at the level of Rehabilitation Therapist 1 or its equivalent.

College training in the appropriate recognized therapeutic discipline indicated by the parenthetical title may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.

Preference will be given to candidates who possess the following:  

• Experience working with adolescents with complex psychiatric profiles.
• Experience working in behavioral health.
• Experience providing recreational interventions in a group and individual setting.
• Experience as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Certified Water Safety Instructor.

1. Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and maintain a certificate as a Water Safety Instructor (W.S.I.), and/or life saving (CPR, First Aid) from the American Red Cross.
2. Incumbents in this class may be required to be fluent in a foreign language or proficient in the use of American Sign Language in certain positions.
3. Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

Incumbents in this class may be exposed to some danger of injury and moderately disagreeable conditions while providing treatment to clients/ patients.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.