Therapist

Spring Initiative Therapist Job Description (Full-Time)

Company Overview

Spring Initiative was founded in 2011 in Clarksdale, MS, with the mission to empower young people in the Mississippi Delta to beat the odds; access the opportunities they deserve; and build successful, happy, and hopeful lives for themselves. Spring students face many challenges in a geographical area affected by disinvestment, segregation, violence, and poverty. Spring believes in the transformational power of a community of belonging, healing, and learning. The elementary and middle school groups provide holistic emotional and academic support, therapy, and enrichment in a daily, year-round, and long-term cohort setting. The high school program offers personal support, college and career services, internships, therapy, and enrichment with the freedom for individuals to engage daily or weekly. Students are active in their community while also traveling beyond it to explore the world, who they are in it, and who they want to be. The college and career program journeys with young adults as they build their futures.

Job Summary

The therapist reports to the Director of Therapy and provides therapy for Spring students. The therapist is responsible for setting up, preparing, conducting, and documenting individual and group therapy sessions, coordinating with program staff to provide holistic support to students, responding with other staff to crises that arise, and training staff on therapeutic ways to engage students.

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities include providing individual and group therapy to Spring students, providing support to students, families, and staff during and in the aftermath of crises, and collaborating with staff members across the organization. The therapist will utilize their skills, training, and expertise to support young people and adults.

1. Provide Individual and Group Therapy

• Establish Therapeutic Goals: Perform comprehensive assessments of students’ mental health status, and work towards developing therapy goals in collaboration with students.
• Develop Treatment Plans: Create and implement individualized treatment plans based on student assessments and therapeutic goals.
• Prepare Individualized Materials and Interventions for Sessions: Enter sessions with students with thorough preparation and planning to ensure effectiveness, relevance, and engagement. Be ready to respond to changes in needs.
• Conduct Consistent, Meaningful Individual Sessions: Meet with each student on caseload weekly. Give each student focused, caring attention for the duration of the session.
• Create and Stick to Detailed Schedule: Create a comprehensive schedule to ensure seeing as many students as possible and make adjustments as needed. Communicate with Spring and school staff to ensure times intended for therapy work for other relevant entities.
• Conduct Group Sessions: Prepare full- or small-group sessions about relevant topics for students as needed or on a regular basis. Collaborate with cohort directors and get feedback from the therapy director and program director.
• Communicate and Collaborate with Families as Needed: Support Spring families by maintaining open communication when possible, listening to concerns and needs, and connecting families with needed resources. Respect confidentiality boundaries of students and also assist in sensitive conversations.
• Maintain Thorough and Useful Case Notes: Document the content, duration, location, and interventions of each session within 24 hours of its completion.

1. Participate in and Provide Crisis Support for Students, Families, and Staff

• Be Available to Step into Serious Situations: Support Spring families through crisis situations with a trauma-informed approach. Communicate with relevant staff, and maintain calm and empathy for all involved.
• Assess Need for Outside Intervention; Provide Support with Needed Calls: Using context from therapy sessions and relevant staff members, provide meaningful professional perspective when determining if outside authorities need to be brought into a situation. Assist staff members with calls to outside agencies and conduct calls when needed.
• Lead Student Discussions with Cohort Directors after Incidents: Be available to process difficult or traumatic incidents with staff and then subsequently with students. Prepare meaningful and respectful discussions that create space for student reactions and respond to student needs.
• Utilize and Share Trauma-Informed Interventions: Draw upon experience and training to help staff feel comfortable using trauma-informed interventions and teach how a trauma-informed approach is used at Spring.

1. Be Proactive with Organizational Collaboration

• Collaborate with Cohort Staff: Meet with cohort directors on a weekly basis to update goals and share progress for students. Listen to and document changes the cohort directors share.
• Professional Development Participation: Participate in staff-wide professional development training sessions each week. Provide trainings on relevant topics with the support of the Therapy Director.
• Engage in Full-Staff and Full-Spring Events: Attend and give full participation to all-Spring events. Use the opportunity to bond with students and staff.

Required Qualifications

• Passion and empathy for youth and commitment to their development
• A current license at the following levels: LMSW, LCSW, LPC, P-LPC, LMFT-A, LMFT
• Demonstrated skill and ability in individual and group counseling
• Commitment to strengths-based approaches and perspectives
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, willingness to address conflict directly
• Strong leadership, organizational, and time-management skills
• Strong decision-making and collaborative problem-solving skills
• High level of integrity, ethical standards, accountability, and self-motivation
• Eagerness to learn, willingness to try new things
• Comfort discussing sexuality, sexual health, and gender identity topics with students
• Ability to be present with staff and students in the middle and aftermath of incidents or crises
• Readiness to conduct sessions in variety of environments (Spring, school, home, outside)
• Flexibility, adaptability, and resilience in a dynamic environment
• Experience with trauma-informed care and child/adolescent development
• Must be able to work schedule (see below) with flexibility

Preferred Qualifications

• Two years experience in a therapeutic setting
• Strong skills in conflict resolution and crisis management
• Familiarity with interventions for students dealing with major challenges (on individual, family, and community-wide levels)
• Experience working with families
• Experience in a treatment-team setting

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary with generous paid time-off:
  • $45,000 with LMSW, P-LPC, LMFT-A
  • $51,000 with LCSW, LPC, LMFT
• Comprehensive health insurance package: Full premium incl. dental covered by Spring
• Simple IRA with company match up to 3%

Working Hours

In-person: 9am-12pm, 1:00-6:00pm; flexibility required

Work Environment and Culture

Spring is a mission-driven organization committed to excellence, growth, and long-term impact. We value integrity, open communication, and a willingness to learn. We strive to create a workplace that is collaborative, respectful, and centered on the students’ needs. We believe that people do their best work when they feel supported, respected, equipped to succeed, challenged, and encouraged to grow. Our leaders are approachable and invested in the success of their teams, providing regular feedback, mentorship, and support. We work hard to cultivate a culture that is both caring and accountable – one where staff members matter, and where decisions are guided by organizational values, responsibilities, and the needs of our students.