Criminal Justice Support Specialist - Full-time

The Opportunity: Criminal Justice Support Specialist

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $50,000/ year

What We Do || Through our powerful integrated behavioral health care model, we bring together vast resources from a diverse team of caring staff to help each client meet their personal goals. The care we provide paves the way for greater opportunity and second chances by focusing on the critical pillars towards a healthy life: behavioral health, financial stability, and safe housing.

As a Support Specialist, you'll have a dynamic role providing peer support services as part of a collaborative effort with Essex County Sheriff's Department. The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) diverts individuals from incarceration that are diagnosed with mental health and substance use disorders to receive comprehensive and individualized treatment and address their underlying issues. As a Support Specialist, you will be responsible for diversion services, one-on-one relationship building and peer group leadership. You will lead numerous weekly peer groups, assist with comprehensive treatment planning and offer social support to those managing their mental health diagnoses as well as starting their recovery while promoting an empathetic and open-minded environment. This position is embedded full-time within the Essex County House of Corrections.

This role is about making a difference in the lives of the people we serve. You'll bring the following qualifications:

• A Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice, psychology, social work, counseling, preferred, or equivalent experience working in a mental health care and substance abuse field.
• Excellent time management and organization skills
• To be able to function well independently as well as within a team setting
• Strong assessment, interpersonal and counseling skills.
• Computer proficiency in MS Word and Outlook and electronic health records.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate effectively with the Essex County Sheriff's Department
• Organize, manage and facilitate multiple group sessions weekly in relation to mental health and substance use topics
• Provide individualized, ongoing guidance, coaching and support to clients. Offer encouragement and crisis management.
• Assist staff with developing aftercare treatment plans by providing initial intakes and assessments needed
• Potentially offer supportive services to clients post-release through the first couple of months of integration back into the community.
• Keep accurate, verifiable and consistent notes, records, logs and electronic data/files.
• Assist in developing formal and informal community supports.
• Assist the client to increase social support networks. Work in cooperation with other providers, attorneys and probation officers as well as family members/significant others to engage in the recovery plan.
• Attend Agency staff meetings, case conferences and individual and group supervision as well as to participate in staff training and development.
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Since 1934, VOAMASS has provided critical services to the residents of the Commonwealth. From pioneering early residential treatment programs in the 1960's to leading today in the field of mental health programming, VOAMASS can be counted on to tackle our greatest challenges.

For full-time employees, our comprehensive and generous benefits package includes:

• Excellent health, vision, and dental insurance with 85% of medical deductible and certain co-pays paid by employer
• Multiple opportunities to use pre-tax dollars to save for expenses such as health care (flexible spending account), child care, transit, and parking
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• 24/7 nurse hotline for urgent health questions
• Employee assistance program to provide help with family concerns, stress management, legal issues, and more
• Employer-paid long-term disability and life insurance
• Pet insurance
• Tuition remission programs
• Loan forgiveness (Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program)
• Generous vacation benefits, starting at three weeks and moving to four weeks after three years of employment
• 14 paid holidays, higher than industry average
• Fitness/wellness reimbursement to cover expenses such as gym membership
• Employee discount program on hundreds of items such as computers, cell phone plans and accessories, furniture, hotels, vacation home rentals, etc.
• Cash bonus, with no annual cap, for referring other qualified candidates for employment

VOAMASS is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Compensation details: 50000-50000 Yearly Salary

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