Intensive FFT Lead Therapist, The ATLAS Project

Job Description

Job Description

Intensive FFT Lead Therapist, The ATLAS Project

Preventive Services – The ATLAS Project · Brooklyn, NY · Full-Time

Posted: September 17, 2026 | Application Deadline: November 2, 2026

Department:

Preventive Services – The ATLAS Project

Reports To:

ATLAS FFT Supervisor

Location:

Brooklyn, New York

Salary Range:

$80,000 – $85,000 

Employment Type:

Full-Time 

Start Date:

Immediate 

About Us

Founded as an orphanage in 1831, Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs. Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping children, adults, and families rise above adversity, and each year, Rising Ground is a positive force in the lives of more than 72,000 individuals annually. We do this through 101 programs across 138 sites, throughout New York City and Westchester. Our strong belief and commitment to diversity is shown not just through our work with supported persons but is integral to the building of a strong staff that reflects the communities we serve. Rising Ground is headquartered in New York City.

Role Overview

ATLAS, an initiative of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety in partnership with United Way of NYC, aims to reduce community and interpersonal violence by engaging people in a change process that nurtures hope and strengthens relationships. Atlas meets people at times of crisis, such as an interpersonal or family conflict, a recent arrest, or a recent court case and connects them to free community-based therapeutic programming. The therapeutic approaches offered through Atlas are evidence-informed, meaning they have strong evidence of effectiveness in promoting personal change and preventing future involvement in violence or incarceration. The approaches are culturally competent, trauma-informed, and deeply respectful of the strength, wisdom, and personal agency that resides in people.

ATLAS seeks to enhance peace and prevent violence in New York City through transformative investments in families, community-based organizations, and in the systems meant to maintain accountability and public safety. We recognize the impact “systems” have on the lives of marginalized persons; keeping them in a cycle of involvement that impacts their freedom, self-efficacy, and dignity. Atlas is an investment in the agency and self-reliance of people affected by system involvement and in the community partners that serve them.

Through our work, we are committed to building on people’s strength and agency, and transforming government from enforcement and coercion to avoiding harm and ensuring that we approach people with transparency about racial trauma, economic disparities, the impact of poverty on experiences and behaviors, and social justice as factors that contribute to their true and perceived success.

The FFT Therapist provides Functional Family Therapy (FFT) to youth ages 13–18 referred to a specialized program serving youth who are high-risk, difficult to engage, and have a history of violent felony offenses. Youth may be living in the community, residential settings, or juvenile justice facilities. Unlike traditional voluntary services, referred youth may not be aware of the referral or interested in participating, requiring the therapist to use creativity, persistence, and strong clinical and relational skills to establish trust and build therapeutic alliances.

All services are provided in person, with therapists expected to meet youth where they are and partner with families, peer groups, and systems to establish and maintain engagement. Therapists are supported by Case Managers and Credible Messengers who provide complementary engagement and wraparound services to help connect participants to the program and support successful completion of FFT. The therapist maintains an active caseload of approximately 5–8 youth and is expected to demonstrate flexibility in scheduling and service delivery to maximize participant access and engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership and oversight for the specialized FFT team.
• Supervise, coach, and provide clinical consultation to FFT Therapists, including support with complex and high-risk cases.
• Maintain an active caseload of 5 youth at all times and provide intensive, in-person FFT services.
• Monitor FFT fidelity, clinical quality, engagement, documentation, and treatment progress.
• Conduct regular case audits and chart reviews and address identified clinical or documentation concerns.
• Track and analyze team-level clinical data, including engagement, caseloads, completion, and outcomes, and identify areas for improvement.
• Support therapists in managing risk, resistance, crisis, and challenging engagement situations.
• Foster team morale, cohesion, accountability, and professional development.
• Lead community engagement and outreach efforts to strengthen relationships with youth, families, and community partners.
• Develop partnerships and identify resources and opportunities that benefit the program and participants.
• Collaborate with Case Managers, Credible Messengers, and external partners to strengthen participant engagement and outcomes.
• Represent the clinical perspective of the team with internal and external stakeholders, in partnership with the Team Supervisor.
• Identify clinical or team-level barriers and bring recommendations to the Team Supervisor for resolution.
• Other related duties as assigned by supervisor.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social work, counseling, psychology, or another related field is preferred.
• Clinical experience working with adolescents and/or young adults experiencing significant behavioral, emotional, social, or justice-system involvement.
• Demonstrated ability to engage youth and families who may be resistant to services, difficult to reach, or ambivalent about treatment.
• Strong clinical judgment and ability to manage complex cases, elevated risk, crisis, and challenging engagement situations.
• Strong understanding of strengths-based, family-centered, and culturally responsive practice.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build trust with youth, families, staff, and community partners.
• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and support the professional development of other clinicians.
• Experience providing clinical supervision, consultation, or peer coaching is strongly preferred.
• Ability to use data to monitor progress, identify trends, and support improvements in clinical practice and team performance.
• Experience managing projects, coordinating initiatives, or leading team-based efforts is preferred.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective partnerships with community organizations, service providers, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to organize competing priorities, work independently, and follow through on team and program initiatives.
• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and clinically grounded in fast-paced and unpredictable environments.
• Comfort working in community-based settings and traveling to meet youth and families where they are.
• Commitment to addressing systemic inequities and understanding the impact of systemic oppression on youth, families, and communities.
• Competency in serving LGBTQIA+ identities is strongly preferred.
• Ability to establish and maintain appropriate professional boundaries while fostering strong therapeutic and working relationships.
• Willingness and ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and other nontraditional hours when necessary.

Supervisory Responsibility

• No

Work Environment

• Home Based
• Community Based
• Rising Ground Offices (Brooklyn Hub, Harlem Hub, Headquarters)

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full- time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday at 111 Livingston Ave. Work hours options are 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; flexibility in scheduling as per participant availability. All meetings between 9am-5pm are mandatory despite sessions scheduled. 

Rising Ground is a hybrid organization. Once workload is stable and established, staff are able to work 2 remote days per week.

Benefits & Compensation

• Competitive salary structure
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match 
• PTO policy (11 Paid Holidays, Paid Sick Time, Paid Vacation & Paid Personal Days)
• Remote / flexible work options (If applicable)

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Ability to work in-person in New York City (NYC)
• Ability to travel to other Rising Ground Sites (if required)
• Ability to travel within the community and do visits

Equal Employment Opportunity

It is the policy of Rising Ground that the Agency wholly complies with equal treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without unlawful discrimination as to an individual’s perceived or actual race, creed, color, national origin, alienate, citizenship status, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or veteran status in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, layoff and termination and all other terms and conditions of employment