The Saratoga ACT team (Assertive Community Treatment team) is a multidisciplinary team including clinicians, nurses, prescriber(s), and case managers. The ACT team provides intensive, community-based mental health support to people with severe and persistent mental illness. Services are delivered in the person's home or community, available 24/7, and focus on helping individuals stay stable, avoid hospitalization, and build skills for independent living. The Family Specialist is a professional staff member of the multidisciplinary Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team, responsible for providing family-focused clinical interventions, psycho-educational, and support services to individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and their natural supports. The Family Specialist helps strengthen family involvement, improve communication, and reduce stressors that may affect recovery and stability. Services are provided in the community, including homes, shelters, and other natural settings.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Provide family therapy, family counseling, and structured psycho-educational interventions grounded in evidence-based practices. Conduct family assessments to identify strengths, needs, relationship dynamics, and goals related to treatment and recovery. Offer education to families on mental health conditions, symptoms, coping strategies, treatment options, and community resources. Support families in developing skills to manage crises, encourage engagement in treatment, and promote client stability. Facilitate family involvement in service planning, treatment decisions, and goal-setting with the ACT team. Participate in daily team meetings to coordinate care, plan interventions, and provide insight on family-related concerns. Engage families through outreach and home-based services to strengthen natural support systems. Collaborate closely with the psychiatric provider, nurses, peers, case managers, and other ACT team members to ensure holistic, recovery-oriented care. Assist in crisis intervention and provide family-focused support when clients experience acute symptoms or safety concerns. Document all services accurately and in compliance with regulatory, Medicaid, and agency requirements. Maintain professional boundaries and uphold confidentiality, HIPAA requirements, and trauma-informed practice standards. Participate in ongoing supervision and training specific to family systems, co-occurring disorders, and the ACT model.
Qualifications:
Master's degree in social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, or related human services field required. Professional licensure or license eligibility (e.g., LMSW, LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LCAT) preferred or required per state regulations. Experience providing family therapy or structured family interventions in mental health settings strongly preferred. Knowledge of family systems theory, communication approaches, and culturally responsive practice. Experience working with individuals with severe mental illness and co-occurring disorders preferred. Strong communication, engagement, and motivational skills, especially in home- and community-based settings. Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team. Commitment to trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and strengths-based care.
Work Environment:
The Family Specialist provides services in the community and client homes, requiring travel within the service area, flexibility, and comfort engaging families in nontraditional settings. #HP123
Pay:
$70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
401(k) Dental insurance Employee assistance program Flexible schedule Flexible spending account Health insurance Health savings account Paid time off Parental leave Vision insurance People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Education:
Master's (Required)
License/Certification:
NYS Driver's License (Required) LMSW, LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, or LCAT or eligibility (Required)
