Counselor (Adult Probation)

Counselor Position

The Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) is hiring Counselors to join our team at regional locations or Specialty Courts downtown location. Schedule hours will range between 8:00 AM- 9:00 PM. The Specialty Court Counselor will be required to work until 9:00 PM a minimum of two (2) days a week.

The Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) is one of the largest probation departments in the United States, supervising more than 70,000 individuals and employing over 600 staff members across 6 locations. We provide a wide range of services including community supervision, outpatient counseling, cognitive-behavioral programming, and residential treatment, designed to strengthen our clients' abilities and support their long-term success. With a focus on utilizing evidence-based practices, we aim to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism for all clients under supervision.

Position Overview: The successful Counselor I is passionate about helping justice involved individuals be a success on community supervision and beyond. The Counselor I provides treatment interventions to Clients with varied backgrounds and supervision and intervention needs and assists Clients to address their substance use issues and develop healthy coping strategies. In this role, the Counselor I will provide individual and group treatment sessions, as well as completion of intake assessments, treatment planning, progress reports and discharge summaries, tailoring these interventions to meet individualized needs. The Counselor I will also routinely collaborate with community supervision officers to ensure treatment planning is aligned with community supervision requirements and treatment goals. The Counselor I will also complete concise and timely documentation of all clinically related duties and work with an interdisciplinary team to ensure client needs are addressed.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conducts individual and group counseling sessions with clients.
• Completes Client intake assessments as well as individualized treatment planning, progress reports and discharge planning.
• Provides services to clients with diverse criminal backgrounds.
• Communicates key information and regularly collaborates with Community Supervision Officers.
• Tracks compliance with drug and alcohol testing.
• Ensures accurate and timely entries in the electronic case management systems.
• Review work and reports as required.
• Monitors and adheres to deadlines to ensure completeness, accuracy and compliance with policy, grant standards, funding and licensure requirements, special conditions of community supervision, and Community Justice Assistance Division (CJAD) general and substance abuse standards.
• Maintains professional and effective communication, including email correspondence, with judges, attorneys, prosecutors, court personnel, law enforcement officials, CSCD personnel, victims, and community members.
• Participate in clinical and interdisciplinary staffing.
• Participate in team, unit and departmental meetings.
• Travel to Court, other HCCSCD locations or off-site locations for meetings, training, group coverage, etc. is required as needed.
• Testify in a court setting.
• Works collaboratively with other personnel.
• Provides group and individual instruction to clients, while also visually and audibly observing clients in the group and individual setting.
• Fosters a positive work environment by communicating and behaving cooperatively, respectfully and amicably with supervisors, co-workers, and the public.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
• Work overtime as required.

Other Duties:

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

Requirements

Education and Experience:

• Master's Degree in a Psychological, Counseling or Social Work field.
• Competency in clinical disorders, differential diagnosis, current treatment methods, and in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5-TR is required.

Licensure:

• At minimum possess licensure at the start of employment as an:
  • Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPC-A)
  • Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (LMFT-A)
• Must have a valid Texas Class C Automobile Operator's License or Texas Identification Card.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Must become Texas Risk Assessment System (TRAS) certified and maintain certification within the first two attempts. Failure to pass the certification may result in termination of employment.
• Meet the minimum requirements for access to Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) information.
• The successful candidate will demonstrate conscientiousness, openness to learning, flexibility/adaptability to change, and the ability to thrive within a dynamic workplace.

Preferences:

• LPCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs.
• Work experience and/or clinical training in correctional/forensic settings is preferred.

General Information:

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• Regular Full-time | FLSA Status Non-Exempt
• Counselor in Specialty Courts: 5 days per week | Schedule hours will range between: 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM | Monday - Friday
• The Specialty Court Counselor will be required to work until 9:00 PM a minimum of two (2) days a week.
• Counselor at the Regions: 5 days per week | Schedule hours will range between: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Monday - Friday
• Flexibility in work schedule/work location is required and determined by program needs.
• Locations within Harris County include:
• Downtown: 49 San Jacinto Houston, TX 77002
• North Region: 9111 Eastex Freeway Houston, TX 77093
• South Region: 3330 Old Spanish Trail Houston, TX 77021
• West Region: 10585 Westoffice Drive Houston, TX 77042
• East Region: 1000 Lee Drive Baytown, TX 77520

Work Environment and Physical Demands :

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in an office setting, although there is an opportunity to work remotely on designated days after the introductory period and the employee is in good standing. Continuing Education opportunities and license renewal fees may be provided.
• 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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate with co-workers and clients, as well as visually observe clients during individual and group settings for assessment and treatment purposes.

Salary Monthly:

• $5,619.66 (Monthly) - $6,141.90 (Monthly)
• Commensurate with Experience
• Based on 26 pay periods

Organizational Relationships:

• Reports To: Counseling Supervisor