Professional Counselor (40 Hour)

Are you a passionate counseling professional who is dedicated to providing support of others?

The State of Connecticut Department of Correction is seeking to fill a position for a highly motivated and experienced licensed Professional Counselor at the Garner Correctional Institution located in Newtown, CT.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

This position is full time and offered on a second shift schedule, Monday through Friday (35 hours) 2:00pm - 10:00 PM with weekend & holiday rotation.

*This salary range may increase, effective July 1, 2022.

AGENCY MISSION

The Department of Correction shall strive to be a global leader in progressive correctional practices and partnered re-entry initiatives to support responsive evidence-based practices aligned to law-abiding and accountable behaviors. Safety and security shall be a priority component of this responsibility as it pertains to staff, victims, citizens and offenders.

OUR TEAM DYNAMICS

Professional Counselors within the correctional setting work within a dynamic, multidisciplinary team comprised of social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and APRN's, as well as medical personnel and custody staff, all sharing the common goal of providing high quality, service oriented care to incarcerated population.

YOUR ROLE

Professional Counselors within the correctional setting provide a range of clinical and case management functions to citizens entering the custody of the DOC. We provide:

• intake assessments;
• individual psychotherapy;
• crisis management;
• suicide risk assessment;
• case management services;

More details can be found in the class specification.

Additional opportunities to engage in collaborative discharge planning with external support services and research driven programming, are also encouraged.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Working for the State of Connecticut can offer an array of experiences to add to your skillset. In addition, we provide a comprehensive benefits package:

• Work/life balance including flexible scheduling and time off
• Health coverage and wellness program incentives
• This is a Hazardous Duty Position that offers a pension plan and additional supplemental benefits.
• Retirement savings plans
• A challenging, yet rewarding experience!

Hear more from our team at the Department of Correction: 

This role is non-examined and open to the public.

To be considered for this position, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications on listed within the job classification and hold a valid Professional Counselor license in the State of Connecticut. 

TO APPLY

• Complete a Master Application and directly apply to this recruitment.
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. Please ensure that your application is complete. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State of Connecticut.

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER YOU APPLY

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

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 daily in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.

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.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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.

Should you have any questions about the position, please contact Samantha Wasef, Human Resources Associate – Talent Solutions at Samantha.Wasef@CT.Gov

In a state agency behavioral health program as part of a multi-disciplinary team at one or more locations this class is accountable for independently providing clinical counseling services.

As a member of a multi-disciplinary clinical team or within a network of community based behavioral health services provides case management, needs assessment and supportive counseling in addressing client strengths, weaknesses and needs; develops, implements and maintains individualized treatment and rehabilitation plans for clients; works with treatment teams to assist individual patients in achieving social and emotional stability; develops psychosocial assessments through clinical interviews; provides clinical treatment services such as: triage, crisis intervention, individual and/or group counseling, screening and planning; makes use of available community services and facilities to assist clients in meeting identified needs; interprets and synthesizes client information, professional observations and evaluation reports in order to form professional judgments about services; monitors and evaluates effectiveness of treatment plans, documents treatment in clinical records; completes reports in accordance with agency and accrediting bodies; consults and collaborates with other behavioral health providers to improve delivery of services to clients; maintains counseling treatment and standards as required; performs related duties as required.

Knowledge of principles, methodology, casework and techniques of counseling, interviewing and psychosocial assessment; knowledge of family and interpersonal relationship dynamics; knowledge of values, sanctions, purposes and ethics of professional counseling work; knowledge of community resources; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; ability to devise and implement a treatment plan with measurable goals that address client needs.

Licensure as a professional counselor in the State of Connecticut with some experience working in a behavioral health facility or in a juvenile justice setting.

• Experience with Correctional or Forensic Behavioral health treatment;
• Experience with crisis intervention;
• Experience with behavior management;
• Experience with individual and group psychotherapy;
• Experience with criminal justice involved adults.

1. Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license to practice professional counselor work pursuant to Sec. 20-195 (a-f) of the Connecticut General Statutes.
2. Incumbents in this class may be required to have knowledge of sign language and communication ability with the deaf and hearing impaired in certain designated positions.
3. Incumbents in this class may be required to have ability in Spanish oral and written communication in certain designated positions.
4. Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

Incumbents in this class may be exposed to some risk of injury from assaultive and/or abusive clients.

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.