WOW Youth Counselor

We are excited to announce our Working on Womanhood (WOW) Program expansion to Waukegan Public School District #60!

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to mentor youth in the Waukegan, IL area. Do you believe in serving the community? Do you enjoy helping youth connect the dots of life? If so, then working as a WOW Youth Specialist at Youth Guidance might be the job for you! We have filled most of our positions, but are still looking for more outstanding talent to complete our team.

At Youth Guidance, we believe that no matter what challenges young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have caring adults in their lives. Our highly-trained staff guides kids to overcome the life and academic challenges facing youth. We meet kids where they are — physically and emotionally — to help them focus on their education, make positive choices, and remain on the right path toward life success.

Founded in 1924 today Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 11,000 youth while touching the lives of more than 14,000 youth, parents, teachers, and community members.

Position Summary

WOW Counselors are responsible for providing school-based group counseling and direct service to female-identifying youth in 7th-12th grade by empowering them to develop responsible decision-making skills, self-awareness, emotions management, self-acceptance, healthy relationships, and social awareness. The WOW Counselor should be flexible in their clinical expertise and youth engagement skills to empower the girls to become successful in school and life.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Facilitate 4-5 weekly group counseling sessions utilizing the WOW curriculum during the school day
• Provide clinical assessments for each client
• Provide individual counseling for WOW students
• Provide family and crisis intervention as needed
• Perform weekly required documentation and special administrative assignments
• Participate in WOW staff development and required curriculum training
• Provide all necessary functions to develop the WOW program using teacher trainings and school-in-service presentations
• Collaborate with the LSC, Parent Programs, and the Pupil Personnel Support team
• Participate in assigned WOW committees
• Serve on Youth Guidance Board and/or agency committees as requested
• Perform public relations assignments as requested
• Other duties assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Education/Experience/Training

• Bachelor’s Degree in social work, counseling, or a related human service field from an approved accredited university is required; a Master's is preferred
• Must have at least two years experience facilitating groups
• Experience in Clinical and Youth Engagement
• Experience working with trauma-informed services and framework
• Experience working in schools or youth-related systems, ie DCFS, juvenile detention, mental health facilities

Skills/Abilities

• Ability to demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills

• Capable of collaborating in team settings and working independently

• Must exhibit cultural competency

• Must demonstrate creativity in engaging youth

• Provide a positive team-based approach to treatment and care while working with clients

• Able to function well in group and team settings

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit and stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stoop, kneel and crouch.
• The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, and viewing a computer terminal.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• The duties performed are primarily in a school setting.
• Occasional travel maybe required.
• COVID-19 VACCINATION IS REQUIRED.

DEI Statement

At Youth Guidance, we understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We celebrate the diversity of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences. At the same time, we acknowledge that many systems and institutions meant to support youth are inequitable and unjust.

As such, we are committed to advancing DE&I through our words and our actions, both internally and externally, by:

• Strengthening cultural competence as well as policies, practices, and organizational structures that foster belonging and leverage the unique backgrounds and talents of staff;
• Offering youth-centered programs that are accessible and responsive to people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, sexual identity, gender identity and expression, language, and cultural and religious beliefs and practices;
• Influencing systems that youth, their families, and communities are impacted by, such as schools, organizational networks, governmental bodies, researchers, and the funding community, to apply approaches that embrace DEI in addressing the needs and supporting the aspirations of young people.

Youth Guidance is an equal-opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Youth Guidance does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity along all of these lines. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

EEO/M/F/D/V/SO