Jewish Family Service of San Diego / Hillel of San Diego

Role Overview

The Hillel Wellness Counselor is a position that reflects a strong partnership between Hillel of San Diego and Jewish Family Service of San Diego. The Wellness Counselor plays a critical role supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Jewish college students through Hillel of San Diego. Utilizing the resources and expertise of JFS, the Hillel Wellness Counselor serves as a core part of the Hillel team and JFS. This position will connect with students who are navigating a myriad of mental health challenges and provide meaningful wellness experiences to foster resilience and community amongst college aged young adults. The Wellness Counselor will provide culturally appropriate care, 1:1 short-term counseling service, and ongoing support for each client to attain and maintain self-sufficiency. The Wellness Counselor will provide ongoing care that is client-centered and outcome-oriented.  

Position Type: Full-Time (37.5+ hours/week), Non-Exempt

Work Setting: Onsite at Hillel (Glickman Center at UCSD) 

Reports To: Hillel Associate Executive Director and Jamie Nadel at JFS for clinical supervision

What You’ll Do

• Provide ongoing case management, coaching, and care coordination services to a designated caseload of clients who are experiencing mental health concerns
• Provide mental health assessments to assist clients in identifying appropriate mental health resources
• Provide coaching to stabilize immediate mental health crises with improved coping skills while also navigating towards longer-term community providers and insurance-eligible counseling and support groups
• Offer up to eight to ten one-hour mental health counseling sessions for students through Hillel who need short-term assistance or need help getting more comfortable with a mental health referral
• Offer resources to clients, both within JFS and in the community
• Offer Mental Health First Aid, wellness workshops, and/or similar trainings at Hillel at both the Melvin Garb Hillel Center and Beverly and Joseph Glickman Hillel Center
• Act as the client's consistent touchpoint and cross-team coordinator to monitor continued progress in other services including Counseling and Psychological Services or on-campus or through JFS
• Monitor client progress to determine effectiveness of service delivery and to assess progress towards individual goals and objectives
• Maintain client information and case documentation in a confidential and professional manner in software system with integrity and in line with the quality standard set by supervisor
• Participate in maintaining a network of services and resources for clients in San Diego County with emphasis on mental health resources
• Establish and maintain relationships with mental health providers in the community with Jewish cultural competency
• Consult and coordinate with Jewish and secular partners to establish warm hand-offs and referrals
• Attend program related meetings, including case consultation meetings as necessary, grant progress meetings, and staff meetings

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• Master’s degree in counseling or social work (with a clinical focus)
• Licensed (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LPC) or working toward licensure required
• Minimum of two years of experience in a mental health assessment/case management/resource coordination role
• Understanding of the concept of trauma informed care
• Demonstrated persistence in finding resources that address the multi-factored impacts of poverty
• Experience setting limits when working with stressed clients, often at some level of urgency
• Ability to show an unconditional positive regard for clients
• Previous training in Motivational Interviewing and Trauma Informed Care preferred
• Ability to work with multiple software systems, including Microsoft Teams, ETOi (efforts to outcomes) complex case management databases
• Comfort in providing services to clients in person and in the community, as needed
• Knowledge of Jewish culture and the local Jewish community
• Desire to work in an integrated team environment
• Position will require scheduling flexibility and will include some night and Sunday hours

What You’ll Receive

• Pay Range: $32-$36/hour
• Comprehensive, low-cost healthcare coverage for employees
• Generous employer 401(k) contributions
• Employer-covered life insurance
• Paid vacation time and sick leave
• 15 paid holidays, including Federal and Jewish holidays (as long as the holiday lands on a normal scheduled work day), and floating holidays
• 2 Wellness Days to be taken any time during the year to support employees’ mental wellness

About Hillel of San Diego

Hillel of San Diego is on a mission to invest in the future of the Jewish community. We serve four main campuses: San Diego State University, University of California-San Diego, University of San Diego, and Cal State University San Marcos. We seek to transform the way Jewish students connect to each other, meaningful causes, Israel, and our world. To deliver on this, we need to be world-class and provide quality experiences and opportunities that engage and inspire and that’s where you come in! Hillel of San Diego is a fun place to be and an awesome place to work- our goal is for you to come in motivated to enrich the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the world.

About Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Jewish Family Service of San Diego is a client-centered, impact-driven organization working to build a stronger, more resilient community.  For over 100 years, Jewish Family Service has been a trusted resource for the entire community, offering an array of services that are always life-changing, and often life-saving.  At Jewish Family Service, we believe our employees are the backbone of our Agency.  We strive to ensure that each employee is treated with dignity and respect.  Our goal is your success.  Come work at JFS and be our partner in Moving Forward Together.  To learn more about JFS, please visit jfssd.org. 

*Jewish Family Service is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.