Raphah Institute

Restorative Justice Family Therapist

Who we are:

Raphah Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the idea that when people have the opportunity and resources to live trauma-free lives, they will.

Raphah—a Hebrew word that means “to heal”—captures the heart of our vision and work. We believe in a Nashville where justice is healing. Yes, justice in all of its forms—criminal, economic, education, social, healthcare, power—should heal those who have been broken by harm. It is our deepest desire to continue partnering with change-minded leaders and volunteers to see transformative healing in our community.

Our flagship program is our Restorative Justice Diversion Program (RJDP). RJDP is a pre-charge, community-based restorative justice partnership with the juvenile court, police department, district attorney, and public defender. As our flagship program, RJDP is based on a model of restorative justice called Restorative Community Conferencing. This approach brings people who have been harmed, the responsible youth who caused the harm, and their communities together to understand the impact of harm and explore ways to repair and heal.

Court cases in Davidson County involving youth, ages 12-17, facing criminal prosecution for non-violent, felony crimes are now regularly referred to Raphah Institute and the RJDP. Raphah took their first case in July 2018 and has since gradually increased the scope of cases referred from the court. To date, Raphah has diverted more than 50 cases from the juvenile court, serving over 50 persons harmed, and more than 75 responsible youth and their families. 

Who you are:

  • You are a creative and driven individual looking to join a small team of restorative justice practitioners, case workers, consultants, and researchers looking to create change in greater Nashville and beyond.
  • You share Raphah Institute’s vision of a Nashville free from harm and trauma; you are dedicated to combating poverty and injustice.
  • You have a passion for working with children and families and are a compassionate, dedicated person who wants to empower youth and families by creating strengths-based behavior change that will sustain long after treatment ends in Nashville, Davidson County, TN.


Specifics

Our family therapy service amplifies our RJDP using Multisystemic Therapy (MST). You will work with families, youth, their communities, and other key members of their ecology to implement the MST treatment model with fidelity as a part of our RJDP. MST therapists use creative and varied approaches, via close collaboration with all involved, to address the needs of youth with serious criminal offenses who also are possibly abusing substances. You will empower families to address challenging and/or problematic behavior and to help youth aged 12 - 17 make life-transforming changes. Change will be made through intensive interventions such as skill building, changing unhelpful family interactions, and increasing social support, to name a few. For more information on Multisystemic Therapy, please watch this video: How Does MST Work?

Why You Should Apply

  • Earn a competitive salary with medical benefits and flexible paid time off
  • Receive extensive training and support in learning and implementing the MST model, surrounded by a support network of supervisors and coaches both within Raphah Institute and at the larger MST Network level as well
  • Work with passionate and dedicated therapists and Restorative Justice Facilitators who, like you, are willing to do whatever it takes to make a difference in the life of a youth
  • Embark on a career in which you can go to work every day knowing that you are making an impact

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Carry a caseload of 5-6 cases for which you are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Conduct a thorough assessment of the client and family by gathering information on behaviors of concern and strengths in the family and their ecology and developing a conceptualization of the problem behaviors and interactions within the family’s ecological context.
  • Provide direct clinical treatment using the MST treatment model and principles. Some principles include leveraging strengths and focusing on the positive, understanding sequences of behavior, and increasing mature behavior.
  • Continuously work to engage the primary caregiver, family members, supports, and community agency staff (school, RJ facilitators, children’s services) in change-oriented treatment.
  • Dedicate time to weekly case planning and evaluation of case progress, with ongoing support from your supervisor and team members.
  • Maintain clear and concise documentation of treatment efforts that promote peer and supervisory review and feedback, and that demonstrate compliance with the 9 MST Principles and the MST Analytic Process.
  • Receive regular training, professional development, supervision, and consultation activities designed to help you acquire extensive clinical skills within the MST treatment model.
  • Assure, along with fellow clinicians, that clients have access to 24 hours/day, 7 days/week support as needed.

 

Educational Requirement:

  • Master’s degree in clinical or counseling Psychology, Social Work or a related subject area, or;
  • Bachelor's degree in Psychology, social Work, or related subject area with two (2) years of field experience. New graduates are welcomed, even encouraged, to apply.


Preferred Knowledge (not required but makes you a more competitive applicant):

  • Family systems theory and application
  • Social ecological theory and application
  • Behavioral therapies theory and application
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy theory and application
  • Pragmatic family therapies theory and application
  • Child development research and its application in treatment
  • Social skills assessment and intervention

 

Preferred Experience (not required but makes you a more competitive applicant):

  • Direct use of pragmatic (i.e. structural, strategic and functional) family therapies
  • Individual therapy with children and adults using cognitive behavioral techniques
  • Marital therapy using behaviorally based approaches
  • Behavioral therapy enhancing pro-social behavior in school and academic performance
  • Implementation of interventions within or between systems in the youth’s natural ecology that affect or influence the behavior of youth (i.e. family, peer, school, and neighborhood)
  • Collaboration and partnership with community agencies
  • Previous work providing in-home or community-based therapy services
  • Professional licensure in psychology, social work, or counseling field


Preferred Personal Competencies

  • Excellent organizational and time-management skills
  • Creativity and willingness to learn new skills
  • Strong ability to work both in a team and independently
  • Strong interpersonal skills coupled with high emotional intelligence


Communication Skills:

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

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 the essential functions.

  • The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
  • While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
  • You must be comfortable being on call 24/7. This is an essential duty and why we keep your case load so small.

 

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 the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. You must possess a valid driver’s license and auto insurance and have reliable transportation to travel to client’s homes and possibly transport multiple clients at once. Must live within a 45-minute travel time from the Nashville, Davidson County, TN service area.

Salary and Benefits

  • Competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. Benefits include:
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Personalized and Responsible Paid Time Off
  • Flexible work location
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