Recreational Therapist

About The Center for Resilience:

The Center for Resilience is the only therapeutic day treatment program in Louisiana. We provide educational and intensive mental health supports in an innovative partnership with the Tulane University Medical School Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to ensure the emotional well-being and academic readiness of children with behavioral health needs in the Greater New Orleans region. Children in grades K-12 with behavioral health and autism or related spectrum diagnoses receive instructional, medical, and therapeutic services at our day program site with the goal of building the skills necessary to successfully transition back to the traditional school setting. Our mission is to improve the emotional well-being and academic readiness of children by delivering high-quality, interdisciplinary care, and collaborating with partners to develop new programs that meet the needs of our region’s children and families. We love children and believe in a strengths-based framework for working with even the most challenging of students. We believe healthy relationships are the cornerstone of any behavioral health growth, and expect our team members to model healthy relationships with one another and with the children with whom we work.

More specifically, CfR provides a caring, therapeutic milieu with positive behavioral supports, trauma-informed approaches, evidence-based mental health practices, small-group classroom instruction, and therapeutic recreation activities. Our goal is to build students’ skills so they can transition back to their home school setting. We love children and believe in a strengths-based framework for working with even the most challenging of students. We believe healthy relationships are the cornerstone of any behavioral health growth, and expect our team members to model healthy relationships with one another and with the children with whom we work.

Typically, students referred to CfR have moderate to significant emotional health needs. While there is no “typical” child at CfR, a student’s profile might include a history of hospitalizations, physically aggressive behaviors towards peers and/or adults, property damage, family and/or community trauma, challenges with impulsivity and executive functioning skills, internalizing/withdrawn behaviors, and/or self-injurious behaviors.

Recreational Therapist: About the Position

The Center for Resilience seeks an experienced Recreational Therapist to provide developmentally appropriate activities, support and coaching on the middle school campus.

Responsibilities of the Recreational Therapist fall into four major areas:

• Designing and leading engaging, developmentally appropriate activities on the middle school campus during morning circle, PE, recess, homebase time, therapeutic activities and other activities as determined by the K-8 Site Director.
• Provide coaching, modeling, and support for milieu, clinical, and instructional staff in designing and providing developmentally appropriate activities and engagement in alignment with CfR practices.
• Participate in and provide support in all milieu based activities including crisis prevention and response, proactive and responsive restorative practices, meeting participation, documentation and other areas of program as determined by the K-8 Site Director.
• Consult and liaise with the K-8 Site Director and Activity Coordinator as needed to ensure all milieu activities are designed and implemented in ways that reflect best practice for working with adolescents with identified behavioral disabilities.

Qualified Candidates: About You

You have a warm heart and thick skin. You care deeply about children and don’t take things personally. You believe in what’s possible for our children to achieve but don’t get frustrated when they’re telling us they’re not yet ready to achieve those things. You know the difference between love and tough love, and you show love to kids at The Center for Resilience. You can build warm, caring relationships with children and adolescents but still set and enforce limits with regards to what and what is not acceptable behavior at The Center. You’re excited to partner with clinicians who have deep expertise in trauma and therapeutic approaches, and about being part of a culture that treats kids with dignity and respect. You’d rather respond to challenging behavior by working with a child to solve the problem than administering a disciplinary consequence. You act as a steward of our organization and, in so doing, uphold our team commitments, all aspects of your job description, and a focus on child wellness. You’ve got no time for drama and are willing to have direct and honest conversations with colleagues. You’re human, so every once in a while you fall down when executing on the job, and then you ask for help. You take our work seriously, and yourself less so. You’re nice.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• A belief in positive interventions and supports and a strong commitment to providing a trauma-informed, therapeutic, positively-oriented experience to students with severe behavioral health challenges
• Proven track record in creating and maintaining a positive work environment
• Ability to proactively recognize and address obstacles and challenges
• Desire for continuous growth as a professional and ability to receive and incorporate feedback
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team and ability to work in an innovative, start-up environment
• Ability to hold colleagues accountable regardless of reporting structures
• Strong one-on-one and large-group communication skills
• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to project manage yourself
• Flexibility, grit, and an asset-based mindset
• Experience working with adolescents with severe behavioral disabilities and trauma symptomatology strongly preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation or Recreation with a Therapeutic concentration. Must be licensed or certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification plus one year of professional level experience in recreational therapy.
• On rare occasions, some evening or weekend hours may be required.
• CfR is committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourages applications from candidates of color, and native to New Orleans

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $52,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

COVID-19 considerations:
All staff and visitors are required to wear a mask. Weekly COVID testing is offered on-site.

Education:

• Bachelor’s (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• CTRS? (Preferred)

Work Location: One location