Families First is a Georgia non-profit family service agency. We assist over 37,000 children, women and families each year, and we have been serving metro Atlanta for 130 years. Our mission is to ensure the success of children in jeopardy by empowering families.

 Everything our agency does is about strengthening families—all kinds of families with all kinds of needs. We foster strong communities by delivering empowering and sustainable solutions to children and families—solutions that improve child well-being and family self-sufficiency. Families First accomplishes this by focusing on three impact areas: 

• Child & Youth Permanency – to ensure long-term stability and support, we provide adoption, foster care and residential group homes for children whose lives have been disrupted.
• Family Sustainability & Empowerment – we work collaboratively with other organizations to provide self-sufficiency through housing and supportive services for chronically homeless families.Healthy
• Families & Relationships – we offer training and affordable counseling solutions to equip parents and families with critical skills to build healthy and strong relationships.

Families First is recruiting contractual counselors who are credentialed and meet requirements to provide telemental health counseling sessions.

The Counselor is responsible for providing skilled counseling and other social services to individuals, families, and groups who require assistance in resolving personality, emotional, and/or environmental problems which interfere with their daily personal/social functioning. Additionally, this role may require facilitating groups and seminars as well as providing assessments and appropriate clinical interventions.

Although Counselors work on a contractual basis, Families First expects Counselors to uphold the responsibilities, professionalism, and integrity that are required of all staff members. Families First has standard organizational policies (sexual harassment, discrimination, etc.) to protect individuals and maintain an overall professional environment required to abide by such policies. Families First expects that Counselors will perform their duties with the utmost level of integrity and professionalism. Counselors must abide by the ethical standards outlined by the State of Georgia and the professions in which they are licensed.

Mental Health Services that Families First offers to its program participants include:

• Assessment: designed to determine the mental health needs of the individual, couple, and/or family and to recommend a course of action.        
•  Individual Therapy:
•  Adult
•  Child
• ·Family Therapy
• ·Couples Therapy
• ·Group Therapy

Roles & Responsibilities

Adult Services Director and Advocates:

• Will refer residents (adults or child) to a Counselor for an initial assessment at the request of the resident or at the recommendation of programming staff.
• ·Will, based upon the recommendation of the initial assessment, refer the resident to a Counselor for individual, family or group therapy based upon availability and area of expertise, while considering the desires of the resident.
• ·Will take a team approach in working with contracted Counselors.
• ·Will provide feedback on significant organizational changes that could affect residents.
• ·Will consider recommendations from Counselors to assist in providing high-quality supportive and holistic programming services to individuals and families residing at Families First.
• Will maintain current Release of Information to allow appropriate communication between Families First programming staff and the Counselor. 

Contracted Counselors:

• ·Will provide agreed upon mental health services on-site at Families First unless otherwise agreed upon by the Senior Director of Programs.
• ·Will follow HIPPA and Georgia law regarding confidentiality.
• ·Will follow the State of Georgia procedures for reporting abuse and/or neglect.
• ·Will report within 24-hours to Families First’s Senior Director of Programs regarding incidents in which there is an immediate threat to the well-being of a client, child if client, staff member, or volunteer.
• ·Will maintain current professional licensing and associated required continuing education hours.
• ·Will maintain professional liability insurance and provide Families First with a current copy of the face sheet annually and when modifications occur.
• ·Will notify the Senior Director of Programs immediately of any adverse finding regarding the Counselor’s licensing, disbarment, and claims of malpractice, and/or liability settlements/payouts.
• ·Will attend as needed Advocacy Team Meetings as Families First.
• ·Will submit a monthly attendance activity log (name, appointment date, attendance information, type of service) to the Senior Director of Programs by 10 a.m. the first Monday of each month for the previous month.
• ·Will submit a monthly invoice for billable services (utilizing non-identifying client codes as assigned by the Adult Services Director) by 10 a.m. the first Monday of each month for the previous month.
• ·Will input data into Families First’s electronic case record on a consistent and timely basis.
• · Will sign and submit a W-9 Form.
• ·Will maintain and keep secure all client therapy records, case notes and confidential information at their own professional business sites.
• · Will not solicit Families First program participants as clients outside of this agreement. After a client has exited Families First’s program and follow-up services, that individual mal choose to continue therapy services with her/his Counselors. At which time, Families First would not be the payer for services and would not be a party to the relationship.
• ·Will avoid dual relationships with clients and maintain professional boundaries.
• Will sign and adhere to a Contract Agreement.
• Other duties as assigned

• Masters Degree in social work, marriage and family counseling, or professional counseling.
• Counselors must provide proof of at least six hours of CEU’s in telemental health training.  Counselors must be licensed and have at least two years of practicing therapeutic treatment including CBT, MST, MDFT and DBT, etc.
• LAPC, LPC, LMSW, LMFT or LCSW licensure by the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and family Therapists required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficient in Outlook and Microsoft Word and other Software Packages

EEO Statement:

It is the policy of Families First not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or because he or she is a protected veteran. It is also the policy of Families First to take affirmative action to employ and to advance in employment, all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. This policy shall apply to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship, at all levels of employment..

Families First is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to Affirmative Action and Workforce Diversity. 

Families First participates in E-Verify.

 Interested candidates can apply at www.familiesfirst.org