Youth Treatment Specialist - Jefferson County Youth Residential Program (3rd Shift)

Youth Treatment Specialist 3rd Shift

Wisconsin Community Services (WCS)



Specialized Services Program – Jefferson County Youth Crisis Stabilization Facility

Position Summary: 

This position works in atherapeutic milieu environment serving youth at a State Certified Youth CrisisStabilization Facility (YCSF) serving male, female and gender non-conformingyouth, ages 8-17 supporting youth through a mental health crisis that hasresulted in a youth needing a safe space to reside for up to 30 days. The YouthTreatment Specialist 3rd shift works overnight ensuring all youthand staff are safe and following nighttime procedures. This can include taskssuch as completing bed checks, monitoring youth on suicide protocol, followingsleep hygiene and bedwetting protocols, waking youth, and coaching them tocomplete activities of daily living, administering medication teaching skills.Other tasks such as completing building tasks such as cleaning, laundry, andinventory, preparing meals, putting together educational materials, and otherprogramming material to prepare for the days schedule.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform third shift room checks verifying the status of each youth,ensuring youth are asleep, not distressed and are safe.

• Follow clinical recommendations for safety such as supervising suicideprotocols and safety plans.

• Serve as a positive role model and work alongside a LeadYouth Treatment Specialist in the milieu supporting therapeutic interactions bycoaching skill use throughout morningactivities, modeling appropriate behavior, teaching, and reinforcing use andgeneralization of skills through a token economy system.

• Use evidence-based best practices for youth with mentalhealth, substance use and life needs. This includes Dialectical BehaviorTherapy (DBT), trauma informed care, motivational interviewing, youth centered,and culturally reverent approaches while celebrating youth’s development andidentity.

• Calmly and responsibly respond during crisis situations andintervene to de-escalate utilizing Principles of Stabilization and Control(POSC) for non-escalation, de-escalation, and possible physical intervention tomaintain safety in the environment for youth and staff when preventing orresponding to a crisis.

• Attend mandatory meetings including but not limited to staffmeetings, new employee and ongoing trainings, individual supervision, teammeetings, and other clinical staffing as required.

• Participate and meet the DHS34 clinical supervisionrequirements of one hour of supervision for every thirty hours of face-to-facecontact.

• Use motivation and engagement strategies to encourage youthinvolved in systems to participate in treatment programming and involvement inprogram activities.

• Always provide active sight and sound supervision to youthand families with complex needs.

• Report any observed youth behavior for risk to self andothers or behavioral changes within the treatment milieu. Follow policies andprocedures to communicate with supervisory and/or clinical staff regardingappropriate support as needed.

• Interact with youth in a professional, positive, andtherapeutic manner according to policy, procedure, training, and agency values.

• Assist with inventory, building organization, foodpreparation, daily programming set up, including educational materials andmedication administration.

• Work closely as part of a team to maintain clearcommunication with other staff to ensure youth receive high quality andseamless care.

• Observe and document youth participation in activities andinteractions with others per program standards (youth logs and youth relatedreports) in an electronic database.

• Complete building or structural functions as required,assisting with meal preparation, general building cleanliness, laundry, andorganization.

• Monitor and support youth in completing activities of dailyliving such as laundry, chores and health and hygiene standards.

• Administer medication to youth following the CBRF medicationadministration required policies and procedures.

• Assist youth with attending meetings, including daily phonecalls, family visits and professional visits.

• Maintain youth and family confidentiality within all writtenand verbal communications.

• Adhere to State licensing requirements.

• Adhere to WCS Policies and Procedures.

• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Communication – Ability toprovide information effectively with a diverse population - the persons served,supervisor, colleagues, and program partners in writing and oralcommunications.

• Technological Aptitude – Ability to use general technological skills throughoutdaily job i.e., Email, Internet, company specified systems, (ex. ElectronicMedical Record (EMR), Microsoft 365, Windows, Word, Excel).

• Managing Priorities/Deadlines – Ability tomaintain schedules, meet deadlines, use time efficiently and effectively andmanage multiple projects.

• Critical Thinking Skills – Ability tothink critically and be solution-oriented in a demanding environment and adaptto program changes and challenges.

• Adaptability – Ability tomanage change, deal with situations as they arise and work independently or aspart of a team.

• Teamwork – Ability towork as a team participate productively while also managing independentcontributing duties and responsibilities.

• Motivation – Possess acommitment to the assigned job, mission and core values of the organizationwhile also supporting a respectful and harmonious work setting.

• Professionalism – Ability toconduct oneself with a prominent level of integrity, ethics and boundaries and maintain professional andrespectful relationships with all WCS staff, youth and families, and allexternal funding sources and community partners involved with Matz Center.

• Multicultural Sensitivity – Ability to work in the community and interactdirectly with diverse populations, including clients, partners, and serviceproviders. Must have the ability to demonstrate professionalism, culturalsensitivity, and strong people skills while representing the organization in avariety of settings.

• Crisis Intervention – Ability to respondduring crisis situations calmly and responsibly and intervene to de-escalateusing trained and approved methods and techniques of verbal and physicalintervention to maintain safety in the environment.

• Flexibility – Ability to work a rotation of first and second shiftsincluding weekend coverage.

• Empathy – Ability to demonstratepatience and understanding of difficult life situations.

• Trauma Informed Care – Ability toserve youth who have experienced a great deal of trauma and express their needsthrough behaviors.

• A high school diploma orequivalent.

• A minimum of one year ofexperience serving children with mental health needs preferred.

• Trained on the CBRFRegistry (Fire Safety, Standard Precautions, First Aid and Choking, MedicationAdministration) preferred.

• Be at least 21 years old(at least 2 years older than the oldest resident).

• Working knowledge ofcomputer applications preferred.

• Ability to displaycultural competence by responding respectfully and effectively to people of allcultures, languages, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and otherdiversity factors in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth ofyouth and their families.

• Knowledge and skills towork with youth ages 8-17.

• Working knowledge ofpositive child/youth development.

• Valid driver’s license,automobile, and insurance sufficient to meet agency requirements.

• Meet all the employeerequirements including references, criminal background check, physical and TBtest, and driver’s license check.

Working Conditions: 

Most work is performed at the MatzCenter and some work within the community with youth. The Matz Center iscertified under DHS 50 to provide Youth Crisis Stabilization Facility for eightyouth ages 8-17. A flexible work schedule is required to meet the needs ofstaff and the people being served, third shift is (10:00pm-8:00am) and w eekend and holidayrotation required (premium for working holidays). Local travel as needed tofulfill essential functions of the position.

Physical Demands:

Duties require activity while supporting or interacting withyouth in the program. Staff may be required to use (trained) physicalinterventions if there is immediate physical harm posed to youth or staff. Abilityto lift thirty pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals withdisabilities to perform the essential functions.

Wisconsin Community Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, disability status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

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