CLINICIAN - ADIRONDACK YOUTH LODGE (CCR)

Summary/Objective:
The AYL Clinician serves as a milieu-based clinical leader within the Adirondack Youth Lodge Children’s Community Residence (CCR). This role is designed to strengthen the therapeutic environment, build staff clinical capacity, and support the effective implementation of treatment plans in daily practice.

While the Clinician has daily interaction with each youth and is responsible for ensuring mental health-focused support within the residential milieu, each youth will remain connected to a primary therapist through a Citizen Advocates outpatient or Behavioral Health Clinic (BHC) setting for ongoing therapeutic services. The role instead focuses on real-time modeling of interventions, staff coaching, clinical consultation, and coordination with outpatient or BHC providers to ensure treatment plans are actively translated into daily residential practice.
Essential Functions (Job Duties):
Milieu-Based Clinical Leadership & Staff Support
• Serve as a visible, on-site clinical resource to residential staff 
• Model trauma informed interventions and behavior support strategies in real time
• Provide coaching to staff on effective responses to behaviors, escalation prevention, and therapeutic boundaries
• Lead regular clinical huddles to review youth needs, triggers, and intervention strategies
• Facilitate post incident debriefs focused on clinical learning, skill development, and consistency 
• Support consistency in safety planning and therapeutic responses across shifts
Clinical Integration & Consultation 
• Ensure treatment plans are functionally embedded in daily programming and staff practice
• Translate outpatient/BHC therapist recommendations into actionable strategies for residential staff
• Identify patterns across incidents, behaviors, and shifts to inform proactive clinical adjustments
• Participate in multidisciplinary meetings to provide clinical insight related to the residential milieu
• Attend family meetings as a supportive clinical voice (not primary therapist), as appropriate
Limited Group Facilitation
• Facilitate or support structured clinical or skill building groups, as clinically appropriate
• Groups are secondary to the role and focused on reinforcing therapeutic goals within the milieu rather than ongoing therapy
Program Development & Quality Improvement
• Contribute to shaping and strengthening the therapeutic model for Adirondack Youth Lodge
• Support development or standardization of group curricula and skill building activities
• Participate in onboarding and training of new residential staff
• Review incidents, trends, and outcomes to support the reduction of elopements and crisis escalations.
Documentation & Compliance Oversight
• Track and support completion of required clinical documentation in collaboration with leadership
• Ensure documentation aligns with OMH CCR regulatory standards and agency expectations
• Monitor follow through on safety plans, treatment recommendations, and required clinical processes
• Support audits, reviews, and quality assurance activities related to clinical care

Required Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, or related field 
• NYS licensure (LCSW, LMHC, or equivalent) required 
• Minimum two to four years of experience working with youth with behavioral health needs 
• Experience in residential, crisis, or intensive treatment settings preferred 
• Experience supporting staff in therapeutic or supervisory capacities strongly preferred
• Knowledge of OMH regulations and youth behavioral health systems preferred

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
Full time

Workweek schedule: Monday through Friday. Hours of work: 10 am – 6pm

Hours and schedules may vary depending on Company need and workload. Employees will be given as much advance notice as possible when such changes occur.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Employees are required to maintain training, licenses, and certifications per regulatory and agency requirements.

Hours and schedules may vary depending on Company need and workload. Employees will be given as much advance notice as possible when such changes occur.

Employment at Citizen Advocates is “at will”. You are free to resign at any time and for any reason sufficient to you, just as Citizen Advocates is free to terminate your employment at any time and for any reason. We do not guarantee continued or permanent employment. 

Citizen Advocates is an Equal Employments Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.