Bilingual Domestic Violence Counselor, Women in Transition

Posted by Women in Transition on August 13, 2018

Women in Transition seeks full-time Bilingual DV Counselor

Women In Transition (WIT) currently seeks a full-time Bilingual DV Counselor (Spanish/English) to provide supportive counseling, advocacy, and safety planning services to adult victims of domestic violence.

WIT is an organization dedicated to helping individuals move forward from domestic violence and substance abuse. WIT empowers people to find safety by providing telephone support, peer support groups, counseling and advocacy, referral and community education services. Our staff are dedicated and passionate professionals who are inspired to make the world a safer and healthier place. We do this work to educate individuals so that they can feel empowered to protect themselves from violence, to be a compassionate listening ear for people who feel like they are suffering intimate partner violence alone, to be a loud voice in the streets drawing awareness to the fact that the fight against gender-based violence is not over, and to be powerful advocates for collaborative systems change. The WIT office is located in Center City, Philadelphia.

Duties & Responsibilities
• Provide empowerment and educational counseling to individuals whose lives are endangered by domestic violence and substance abuse
• Conduct intake assessments
• Help clients develop and implement safety, goal and advocacy plans
• Provide client advocacy, accompaniment and service coordination for clients involved with multiple service providers
• Provide telephone counseling
• Conduct follow-up phone calls with clients who no-show and for clients referred to external resources
• Offer crisis intervention for walk-in clients
• Serve as back-up telephone counselor for the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline and WIT’s LifeLine
• Serve as an WIT liaison to special projects, advocacy groups or coalitions
• Accurately document all program and direct service activities including keeping client records current and up-to-date

Skills & Experience
• Excellent listening and problem-solving skills
• Strong verbal communication & interpersonal skills
• Crisis intervention and counseling skills
• Highly motivated
• Well organized, focused, and committed to advancing safety for WIT clients
• Strong advocacy skills for both client and systems change
• Commitment to working with clients experiencing domestic violence and substance abuse to develop a plan for their safety and to preserve their right to determine what is best for them
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse range groups of clients
• Demonstrated understanding of empowerment and/or harm reduction counseling techniques
• Working knowledge of the dynamics of domestic violence and its impact on adults and children
• Broad knowledge of local community resources
• Experience facilitating groups preferred but not required
• Ability to maintain client and program records and to submit them in a timely fashion
• Computer proficiency
• Ability to work flexible and evening hours

Qualifications
• Ability to write and converse proficiently in English and Spanish
• Associate or undergraduate degree or documentation of the equivalent in work experience in the field of human services
• Two years’ experience providing direct counseling services to women
• Upon hiring, within 60 days, must complete 40 hour Domestic Violence Advocate Training and the Crime Victims Compensation Training, and within 30 days must provide FBI, Act 33 criminal background check and child abuse clearances

Salary & Benefits
• Annual salary low $30s
• Paid leave, health & dental insurance, Simple IRA, Long-Term Disability & Life Insurance

How to Apply
• To apply for the position, please email a current resume and cover letter to WITinfo@helpwomen.org.

Hiring for this position is contingent on contract funding award.

[This posting was taken from the United Way’s Common Good newsletter dated August 7, 2018.]