Lead Milieu Counselor

Department/Program: SAGE

Job Type: In-person

Work location: Mt. Scott

Reports to:  Assistant Program Director

FLSA status:  Non-exempt/hourly

Salary: $25.96/hr. - $28.62/hr. (Bilingual Spanish - $28.30/hr. - $31.20/hr.)

Shifts: Wednesday-Saturday 1:00 pm-11:30 pm

• Nonviolence - being safe and doing the right thing   
• Emotional Intelligence - managing our feelings so we don’t hurt ourselves or others  
• Social Learning - respecting and sharing ideas of our teams  
• Democracy - shared decision making whenever possible  
• Open Communication - saying what we mean and not being mean when we say it  
• Social Responsibility - everyone makes a contribution to the organizational culture  
• Growth and Change - creating hope for our clients and ourselves  

Job Summary:

The Lead Milieu Counselor supervises youth in the milieu of an intensive treatment program providing support and guidance for daily living skills. Responsibilities include providing both program and transitional support and intervention to youth in placement. The Lead MC strives to sustain a strong leadership role amongst the Milieu Counselors and provides direction during shifts when necessary.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides supervision and support for youth in a milieu setting.
• Employs interventions that are consistent with best practices, the therapeutic models delivered by the program, ethical principles, and professional standards, regulations, policies, and procedures, and laws.
• Models appropriate interpersonal interactions while handling the activities and situations in the milieu space.
• Uses structure, routines, and activities to promote effective relationships.
• Responds to client behavior while encouraging and promoting several alternatives for the healthy expression of needs and feelings.
• Assists clients in identifying and developing their strengths through activities and other experiences. 
• Recognizes personal strengths and limitations, feelings, and needs.
• Shares decision making whenever possible. Uses a collaborative approach to problem solving.
• Is present and punctual for scheduled shifts and/or meetings.
• Works well within a team environment, sharing workload, responsibilities, credit, and opportunities.
• Uses scheduled supervision constructively, responds nondefensively and applies supervisory feedback.
• This position is in an on-call rotation.
• May provide emergency coverage during non-shift times including carrying a phone to support program and staff.
• Demonstrate a commitment to developing a thorough knowledge and application of the Sanctuary model and other organizational policies & practices.  
• Participate in staff development, in-services, and training related to workplace effectiveness; model professional behaviors and implement improvements to business practices with awareness of their impact in a trauma-informed behavioral healthcare organization.  
• Other duties as assigned to ensure successful operation of program/department.

Competencies: 

• Employ developmentally sensitive expectations in setting appropriate boundaries and limits.
• Respond to behavior while encouraging and promoting several alternatives for the healthy expression of needs and feelings.
• Establishes and maintains effective relationships within a team environment by promoting and maintaining professional conduct, negotiating and resolving conflict, ackno