Counselor Advocate

POSITION: COUNSELOR ADVOCATE

CV is seeking a Counselor Advocate - to join our team. This position supports CV's Older Adult Crime Victim Support Program, in collaboration with the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) / Protective Services, while also providing Counselor Advocate services across CV programs as assigned.

The Counselor Advocate supports and empowers victims and/or witnesses in their personal decision-making processes by providing crisis counseling, advocacy, case management, education, and accompaniment across medical, legal, and social service systems. This role emphasizes specialized services for individuals 60 years of age and older, while maintaining flexibility to serve other victim populations as organizational needs require.

Responsibilities:

Direct Client Services

• Maintain a caseload that includes:
• Older adult clients (60+) and their family members or caregivers.
• Other CV clients as assigned.
• Provide crisis intervention, safety planning, and individual counseling via phone, hospital, home, office, court, or other designated locations.
• Support clients in identifying strengths and needs to enhance long-term safety, stability, and wellbeing.
• Develop and implement care/service plans in coordination with clients, supervisors, and AAA staff if older adults.
• Provide psycho-education on the impacts of violence and trauma, including the dynamics of elder victimization.

Advocacy & Systems Navigation

• Provide legal, medical, and personal advocacy throughout criminal justice, juvenile justice, court, medical, and social service systems.
• Accompany clients to court, medical appointments, and other proceedings; participate in on-call rotation as assigned.
• Educate clients on Victim Rights and justice system processes.
• Serve as a liaison between clients, AAA, courts, hospitals, and community service providers.

Case Management & Coordination

• Conduct assessments of client risk, safety, and service needs.
• Identify and facilitate internal and external referrals, including longer-term follow-up services.
• In collaboration with AAA staff, complete documentation demonstrating steps taken to reduce future risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and/or abandonment.
• Maintain timely and accurate client intakes, service notes, and reports using CV's ETO reporting systems.

Outreach, Collaboration & Advocacy

• Interface regularly with AAA staff and adhere to project timelines, confidentiality standards, and safety protocols.
• Maintain familiarity with and contribute to a database of community and AAA resources for older adult victims.
• Serve as a member of a Community Crisis Response Team.
• Provide community outreach and education related to victim services, trauma, elder victimization, and victim compensation.
• Engage in system-level advocacy on behalf of crime victims at the local and state levels.

Administrative & Team Responsibilities

• Contribute to required reports, grants, statistics, and outcomes for CV, AAA, and funding sources.
• Participate in supervision, staffings, trainings, in-services, and agency meetings, including specialized AAA Protective Services training.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Criminology, or a related field
  OR Associate's degree in the same fields with a minimum of five (5) years of related experience.
• Prior experience working with older adults strongly preferred.
• Experience providing crisis intervention, advocacy, and/or case management.
• Ability to serve as a liaison between clients and justice, medical, and social service systems.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in MS Office and electronic documentation systems.
• Strong oral and written communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to CV's mission and the ability to work in a diverse environment with sensitivity to cultural diversity and workplace harmony.

CV offers the following benefit package for full time staff:

• Employee Health, Dental and Vision Benefits
• Paid Time Off Benefits
• 15 Paid Holidays
• Short Term Disability and Life Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Opportunity for employee reimbursements for mileage, parking and cell phone usage (position dependent)
• Opportunity to apply for PSLF Program (Paid Student Loan Forgiveness Program) for your work with a non-profit

CV is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and not on race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, genetic information, pregnancy, marital status, parent status, veteran status, political affiliation or other factor protected by law. CV complies with the Affirmative Action requirements and the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding reasonable accommodation for qualified employees with a disability.