Family Counselor

Brightpoint invites you to join our team of mission-driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well-being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions.

The Family Counselor is a critical member of the Youth Services team, providing crisis intervention, follow-up crisis stabilization, and short-term counseling and case management services to youth, age 11-23, and their families. The goal of the Youth Services program is to preserve and reunify families, to prevent placement of youth in the state child welfare or juvenile justice system due to runaway or lockout, and to prepare older youth for successful independent living. As a Family Counselor, you will meet with clients and families in their homes and other community-based locations, providing individualized services aimed at strengthening relationships, addressing trauma, and building positive community connections. The Family Counselor also coordinates services with other relevant providers and develop appropriate referral plans, completes thorough and timely documentation, including assessment and service notes, using a web-based client services platform, and provides after-hours support to remote field staff on an on-call rotation.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

• Provides crisis intervention and conflict resolution with youth and their families as necessary.
• Provides individual and family counseling according to program model.
• Provides comprehensive case management services to a caseload of clients which includes needs assessment, service planning, case coordination, service brokerage, linkages with community resources, and monitoring progress toward client(s) goals and objectives and makes recommendations for on-going services when necessary.
• Establishes trusting, nurturing, therapeutic relationships with clients and their families.
• Arranges and/or provides services needed to meet the immediate needs of client(s).
• Assesses youth and family functioning for safety, risk and protective factors and determines appropriate interventions.
• Formulates service plans and goals with client(s), obtains supervisory approval of the plan, and is responsible for the implementation of the plan.
• Analyzes and evaluates progress in the service plan and modifies when necessary to meet the needs and goals of the client(s).
• Provides psychoeducation, including positive parent-youth interactions, problem-solving, adolescent development and positive parenting.

Candidate qualifications

• Master's Degree in Social Work, Counseling, or a related field, OR a Bachelor's degree in a human services field plus at least two years' related experience working with children and families.
• Experience with high-risk youth and their families in crisis preferred.
• Counseling experience or training preferred.
• Ability to speak English and Spanish preferred.
• Valid driver's license, insurance, and access to a reliable vehicle required.
• Effective listening and trust-focused relationship-building skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Job details

• Compensation: Salary Range $47k-$51k; offers are commensurate with experience. The salary range provided represents our current estimate for this role at the time of posting and is subject to change. The final salary will be determined based on a range of factors, including but not limited to, a candidate's relevant experience, education, qualifications, skills, certifications, and alignment with organizational needs. We are dedicated to fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to fostering a diverse workforce while providing equal opportunities for all candidates.
• Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, 3+ weeks paid time off in the first year including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day (PTO increases with tenure); 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match (more benefits details here)
• Location: Family Counselors provide in-home and community-based services in East St. Louis and the surrounding counties. Office space available at 6 Crossroads Court in Alton, IL.
• Schedule: Full-time, salaried; general business hours with flexibility for evening appointments to accommodate clients’ schedules. Position requires participation in after-hours on-call crisis rotation.
• We don’t just hire talent—we grow it: Emerging Leaders will have access to leadership development opportunities and one-on-one mentorship.
• Student Loan Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)