Social Worker Clinician: LGBTQ+ Clients

ABOUT US

The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ), and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy. We were one of the first LGBTQ anti-violence organizations in the country and are a national leader in the anti-violence movement.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS

The Clinician is a member of AVP's Client Services department and provides direct crisis support to LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected survivors of violence. This includes individual and group counseling, advocacy, accompaniment, information and referrals, and identity-affirming, trauma-informed crisis support. The Clinician works alongside colleagues in Client Services, Legal Services, and Community Organizing and Public Advocacy (COPA) to deliver integrated support to survivors.

AVP's work involves supporting community members through crisis, which makes it a priority to ensure that the work environment and organizational culture enable staff to show up at their best, both in the moment and over the long term. Clinicians receive weekly individual supervision, participate in clinical case conference, and have access to professional development support, including for those pursuing an LCSW.

The Clinician also contributes to the accuracy and integrity of AVP's program data. Complete and timely case documentation supports continuity of care for clients, allows AVP to meet its contractual and ethical obligations, and helps the agency identify emerging community needs.

AVP is a proudly unionized workplace. This Clinician position is part of the staff bargaining unit, and employment in this position requires membership in the staff union, Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 153.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct Services to Clients

Provides trauma-informed, identity-affirming crisis intervention and ongoing support to survivors, meeting clients where they are and supporting their self-determination throughout.

• Provides crisis intervention services and conducts intake assessments for incoming hotline calls and walk-ins.
• Provides ongoing services, including but not limited to:
  • individual and group counseling;
  • advocacy and accompaniment, supporting clients' access to support and services by helping them navigate barriers, including those rooted in institutionalized discrimination, bias, and violence;
  • follow-up contacts;
  • information and referrals.
• Assists clients in filing for New York State Office of Victim Services compensation.
• Participates in the design, development, planning, implementation, facilitation, and evaluation of support groups.
• Coordinates with the Legal Services department to provide clients with integrated social and legal services.
• Coordinates with the COPA department on outreach, community education, and professional training regarding intersecting forms of violence within and against LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities across New York City.
• Provides hotline coverage during office hours and may occasionally provide back-up support to volunteer hotline counselors overnight and after office hours, rotating with other staff on a schedule set in advance wherever possible.

Program Participation and Development

Contributes to the quality and continuous improvement of Client Services programming, and participates fully in the supervision, training, and team structures that sustain quality of care.

• Participates in weekly supervision, Client Services department meetings, trainings, and clinical case conference meetings.
• Leads case conference meetings on a rotational basis.
• Contributes to the development and refinement of Client Services programming, bringing forward observations from direct practice about what is and is not working for clients.
• Participates in in-service training and external trainings and seminars as appropriate.
• Assists with and attends AVP events as needed, such as Pride and other community events.

Administrative and Data Responsibilities

Maintains accurate, timely, and confidential records that support continuity of client care and AVP's contractual and ethical obligations.

• Enters all client data and case notes into AVP's case-management system accurately and within established timeframes.
• Maintains confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries, including compliance with HIPAA and AVP's data privacy and security protocols.

Organizational Relationships

Works as part of a multi-disciplinary team, with clear reporting lines and regular access to supervisory support.

• Receives weekly individual supervision.
• Works closely with other Client Services staff, collaborating on cases and programs.
• Works closely with staff in the COPA and Legal Services departments, collaborating on cases and on cross-departmental training and programming.

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Clinical Credentials: An MSW degree with LMSW eligibility, or a related master's degree and license (for example, LMFT or a Master's in Mental Health Counseling).
• Direct Service Experience: Experience providing direct clinical and advocacy services to survivors of violence.
• Systems Knowledge: Working knowledge of mainstream intimate partner, domestic, and sexual violence service systems, including community-based organizations and the civil and criminal legal systems.
• Community Experience: Ability to speak to their experience supporting people who identify as LGBTQ, people living with HIV, people of color, immigrants, people with low incomes, and survivors of violence.
• Crisis Setting Readiness: Comfort and confidence working in a multi-disciplinary direct service and crisis management setting.
• Boundaries and Confidentiality: Capacity to set and hold effective professional boundaries and to honor client confidentiality.
• Mission Alignment: A demonstrated commitment to ending violence within and against LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected communities, and to anti-oppression practice.
• Spanish language skills: AVP's 24-hour hotline operates bilingually in English and Spanish, and a growing number of clients primarily speak Spanish. Proficiency in written and spoken Spanish is strongly preferred.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Salary: $65,000. Applicants who use more than one language at work are eligible for an additional $1,500 salary enhancement above the base salary. This is a full-time, non-exempt hourly position with benefits.

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; a 403(b) retirement investment plan (employee contribution only); and flexible spending accounts for medical and transit costs. Paid time off includes 20 days of vacation, sick time, holidays with holiday substitution options, and family leave.

What you can expect working here:

• A dedicated team and a supportive work environment
• Strong supervisory support and professional development opportunities, including for candidates pursuing an LCSW
• An anti-oppression framework that guides our work, and a commitment to transparency
• Generous paid time off
• A unionized workplace: Members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 153. This Clinician position is part of the staff bargaining unit, and employment in this position requires membership in the staff union.

HOURS AND LOCATION
AVP operates on a 32-hour work week. Staff have flexibility in how those hours are scheduled within AVP's operating window of 10am to 6pm Monday through Thursday and 10am to 2pm on Friday. Individual schedules are set in coordination with the supervisor to maintain consistent coverage for clients and the hotline, and are stable once set.

Occasional overnight and weekend shifts supporting AVP's 24-hour hotline may be required on a rotational basis and are scheduled in advance wherever possible.

This position is based in AVP's office in Lower Manhattan and involves a hybrid of remote and in-person work, with staff in the office one to three days per week.

TO APPLY

Interested applicants submit their cover letter and resume at nycavp.bamboohr.com/careers. We will review applications on a rolling basis while the position remains open.

No phone calls please. Candidates will be notified if we are seeking an interview; because of the high volume of responses, it may not be possible to respond to all inquiries.

As a state and federal contractor, AVP is required to conduct background pre-hire screenings for many positions. At AVP we aim to meet these requirements while still fostering a work environment free from stigma about previous system involvement for all members of our team. To learn more about AVP's background screening policy, please visit https://bit.ly/avppolicy.

AVP encourages candidates with non-traditional work and activist experiences to describe how they gained their expertise in their application materials if it was not through a traditional job. You are invited to apply even if your experience does not match every qualification above, and we encourage you to speak to that in your cover letter.

AVP is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified individuals and endeavors to hire individuals of diverse races, colors, creeds, ethnicities, religions, genders, gender identities or expressions, ages, sexes, sexual orientations, national origins, disabilities, and citizen, marital, veteran, and HIV statuses.