Social Services Specialist ll

• Mar 2023 - Present

Mental Health Counselor

• Aug 2021 - Jul 2023

- Increase girls’ resiliency and protective factors by improving relationships, increasing self-efficacy, and encouraging self-advocacy - Assess and address needs and strengths through holistic assessment, goal setting, and care planning Utilize the Transtheoretical Model of Change, considering any history of trauma and leveraging girls’ strengths - Provide bi-weekly counseling services to girls using guidance, support, collaboration, skill acquisition, and psycho-educational services - Provide psycho-educational groups that are girl-centered, focusing on social-emotional and life-skill development - Provide monthly family support/counseling with caregivers to encourage girl progression in the change process and to work with natural supports - Provide solution-focused counseling approaches toward the resolution of risk factors for substance abuse following the standards of the Florida Administrative Codes Chapter 65D-30 - Provide crisis intervention as warranted, including family support, peer mediation, classroom support, and the coordination of risk assessments - Provide care (case) management services, including transportation services when needed, field trips and other extracurricular activities, maintain a safe environment in the program, collaborate with outside entities and community providers involved in girls’ care, make referrals as appropriate, and advocate for needed resources - Provide strength-based behavior modification and ensure appropriate use of the Growth and Change System, including de-escalation of girls and caregivers when needed - Partner with the academic team to ensure holistic, cohesive care Show less

Dependency Case Manager

• Sep 2020 - May 2021

- Manage a caseload of youth and families; provide recommendations to reunite the family, terminate parental rights, remove child from family, and close cases when appropriate according to Agency and/or CBC policy and procedures. -Identify strengths, limitations, risk factors, and needs, and to refer and coordinate the provision of concrete services to the child, primary caregiver, and biological families of children. - Provide a written assessment of each family, a case plan, provide case plan updates, and family support plans. Monitor and review case plans on a monthly basis with team members and adequately file changes in the case plan in advance with the court and the case file. - Maintain face-to-face and telephone contact with each of the assigned eligible children/families in the foster home, primary residence of the child and/or family, school, daycare, preschool, or any appropriate setting (one face-to-face must take place in the home every 30 days). - Prepare and present initial case plans to appropriate parties within 30 days of the child coming into care. - Track dates and attend court with prepared documentation. Assist with notification of all appropriate parties to attend court and all appropriate staffing. - Arrange visitation schedule structured upon the completed visitation plan with input from the appropriate parties, supervise visitations and document observations as appropriate. - Assist the primary caregiver(s) and/or foster family in implementing tasks and activities according to the case plan. - Refer the child, as appropriate, for medical care, including developmental, psychiatric, medical evaluations, treatment, etc. - Participate in on-call system per Agency and/or Project policy and procedures. - Maintain client confidentiality according to established policies, federal and state statutes, as evidenced by obtaining needed releases of information and maintaining updated releases of information. Show less

Care Coordinator Case Manager

• Aug 2018 - May 2019

Neighborhood Accountability Boards are a community-based, decision-making process aimed at repairing the harm committed by youth against victims and neighborhoods. These programs are based on restorative justice, focusing the attention on what harm was done, and what needs to be done to repair the harm. Accountability Boards are funded by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Lee County Board of County Commissioners. Neighborhood Accountability Boards are a community-based, decision-making process aimed at repairing the harm committed by youth against victims and neighborhoods. These programs are based on restorative justice, focusing the attention on what harm was done, and what needs to be done to repair the harm. Accountability Boards are funded by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Lee County Board of County Commissioners.