Director of Grief and Bereavement Services

Job Description

Director of Grief and Bereavement Services

Overview:

The Director of Grief and Bereavement Services, under the Direction of the Senior Director of Behavioral Health, is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of Family Centers Center for HOPE, located in Darien. The Center for Hope is one of the area’s most respected and trusted resources for bereavement and critical illness support, providing comprehensive services for adults and children living with an illness, grieving a loss, or coping with a life-altering circumstance. Programs include the Den for Grieving Kids and Trauma Response. Services include individual, group and family counseling, support groups and community education programs.

The Den for Grieving Kids provides a safe, caring place for children, teens and families to explore their feelings about the loss of a parent, sibling or other family member and begin the journey toward healing. Children and their families participate in groups led by professionals and trained volunteer facilitators. The Den also offers support groups at area elementary, middle and high schools.

Trauma Response Our team of trauma response specialists provides on-site counseling and crisis debriefing services to schools, organizations, or businesses to assist with traumatic or crisis situations, for example, suicide, homicide, employee or student deaths/accidents or workplace violence or terrorism.

The Director of Grief and Bereavement Services collaborates with other service providers and represents Family Centers at community-based meetings, Task Force and Postvention Committees.

The Role:

Work closely with the Sr. Director of Behavioral Health and the Chief Health Officer to grow Family Centers grief and bereavement programing.
Manage program budgets, engage in fundraising activities and research and write grant proposals.
Provide supervision and ongoing support to Program Coordinator, master level interns and other clinical/administrative staff and volunteers as needed.
Present to the community, schools, and other agencies/providers on the program and on topics related to trauma, grief and bereavement.
Stay informed of community resources, new programs and related trainings to share with agency staff.
Provide monthly and annual reports on programming for key stakeholders (e.g., Board of Directors, funders and agency leadership).
Maintain data and program outcomes for designated programs.
Ensure full compliance with licensing, accreditation, billing authorities and local regulations.
Maintain and participate in Quality Assurance/Improvement Programs
Take part in monthly Leadership meetings/trainings and weekly staff meetings.
Provide psychotherapy to a small caseload of adults, children and families utilizing individual, family, couples and/or group modalities.
Commitment to and participation in continuing education and trainings.
Other duties to support the organization’s mission as assigned

Requirements:

Doctoral or master’s degree in Social Work or Counseling with an active CT license as a psychologist, LCSW, LPC or LMFT.
A minimum of 5 years of related experience in the field of mental health or community program development.
Previous supervisory and leadership experience.
Direct experience in clinical service delivery where bereavement, grief and trauma were the primary treatment issue.
Experience working with underserved populations.
Ability to manage oversite of multiple programs and sites assuring efficiency in service delivery and program communication.
Comfortable presenting to groups of stakeholders and other audiences.
Flexibility to work evenings as needed.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Proficient with computer-based applications such as MS Office, Adobe, electronic health records, and telehealth.

About Family Centers:

Family Centers is a private, nonprofit organization offering health, education and human service program to children, adults and families in Fairfield County. More than 250 professionals and 1,200 trained volunteers collaborate to provide our communities with a wide range of responsive and innovative services. Through our comprehensive network of services, more than 22,000 children, adults, families and communities receive the care, encouragement and resources needed to realize their potential.

Family Centers offers our full-time staff:

A suite of benefits including generous paid time off, medical, dental, vision, tax-free spending accounts, disability, life and AD&D insurance. Additional benefits include an employee assistance plan, pet insurance, critical accident and illness, wellness services, tuition reimbursement, and retirement savings. The opportunity to work for an employer consistently rated one of the Top Workplaces in Western Connecticut by Hearst Connecticut Media and a perfect 100 Encompass rating by Charity Navigator 10.

For staff working in our FCHC program: Eligibility for Student Loan Repayment Program through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program (LRP), which offers primary medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health care clinicians the opportunity to have their student loans repaid, while earning a competitive salary, in exchange for providing health care in urban, rural, or tribal communities with limited access to care.

Family Centers is a United Way, Community Fund of Darien and New Canaan Community Foundation partner agency and is a member of the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies and the Alliance for Children and Families. The agency is also accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), The Joint Commission, licensed by the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, and is a Department of Children and Families-licensed child psychology center.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Special Note: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our community and beyond, it is Family Centers’ commitment to the safety of employees, contractors, volunteers, patients, clients, and student interns, by requiring proof of vaccinations for COVID-19 (or have an approved medical or religious exemption on file).

For more information and to apply, please visit http://www.familycenters.org/ or on our LinkedIn page

Family Centers is an Equal Opportunity Employer and offers a competitive salary, training, and generous benefits package.