Youth Mentor

***Great for those looking for experience in related field of study for Psychology, Social Work, Special Education, Counseling***

Who we are

Maple Lake Academy is a residential treatment center for adolescents (boys and girls 13 to 18) on the autistic spectrum.  Our students are high functioning dealing with deficits in social skills, life skills, inability to understand their own emotions or put their emotions in to words.  Many of our students are emotionally fragile or don’t have strong emotional intelligence.  We provide a safe and nurturing home like environment for our students to learn skills that push them in the areas mentioned above. Our team works with our client population daily, hands on, and in one on one situations.

Maple Lake Academy sets ourselves apart in the mental-health industry by using an attachment-based approach, focusing on relationship building and modeling what healthy, secure relationships look and feel like. As a member of the MLA team, you'll be trained extensively in attachment styles, and how to best help teens in our program to build healthy relationships with themselves, their peers, and caregivers. We seek to create a safe environment for students and employees to learn, grow, develop, explore, make mistakes, and build lasting impactful relationships with those around them. 

The Youth Counselor/Coach Role

Our Youth Counselors/Coaches are critical to the success of the students in our program. Youth Counselors/Coaches are the ones supporting students 24/7 and helping them learn and implement new social, life, and therapeutic skills. Youth Counselors/Coaches will find that they have great opportunities to work with other therapeutic professionals including therapists, medical staff, and teachers. We provide a supportive environment where you will learn A LOT and grow both personally and professionally. 

Benefits and Perks

• Immersive experience working with teens in the autism spectrum 
• Hands-on experience in related field of study for Psychology, Social Work, Special Education, Counseling
• Internship credit
• Full training provided in-house
• A very collaborative team between all departments, including Therapists, Teachers and other Administrative Staff
  
• Close teamwork among all staff
• A positive and supportive working environment
• Flexible schedule -  Great work-life balance
• Employee activities and company parties throughout the year
• Competitive pay
  
• Opportunities for growth inside our organization (many of our current Therapists and Administrative Staff started as Youth Mentors)

Schedule

• This position is "On-Call" (covering for "Shift Mentors")
• Flexible work schedule based upon needs (must work at least one 8 hours shift a week in order to stay current on training).
• Choose from 8-28 hours per week at hire
• Full Shifts (8 hours) available  
  
• Various shifts and times available
• May work on Sundays if needed
• Opportunity for advancement to Full-Time work

Qualifications and Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent is required
• 21 years or older (to be able to drive company vehicles), or turning 21 within the next few months
• Acceptable Driving Record
  
• Ability to pass a criminal background check upon accepting an offer

Duties

• Attend shift meetings once a week.
  
• Drive company vehicles to transport students to and from appointments and activities
• Attend monthly company training (minimum requirement is at last one each quarter)
• Provide a safe and nurturing environment for clients
• Implement therapeutic interventions for each client
• Provide structure, implement rules, implement time management, help with ADL’s, help clients process feelings/emotions
• Dependable, reliable, receive and carry out instruction, and genuinely care for others
• Work in the classroom helping clients stay on task and move forward in assignments
• Observe and monitor behavior and have the ability to chart on those observations in a professional and subjective manner
• Support your shift and the supervisor of that shift
• Ensure that the clients are keeping a clean home environment
• Take seriously the training program and is eager to learn and grown in your position as a mentor.
• Have the ability to pay attention to details and be aware of what is going on around you at all times
• Be aware of the Success program and how to implement it within the residential department while on shift with the clients
• Be able to keep personal feelings and emotions from influencing decisions around client’s treatment
• Be receptive to constructive feedback and training
• Keep track of clients and know where they are at all times
• Maintain current CPR and First Aid certifications
• Become trained and maintain current certification in Positive Control Systems
• Basic computer skills necessary to navigate employee portal and complete electronic documentation on client care
• All other duties as assigned

An ATTACHMENT Approach

Most youth residential treatment programs use a behavioral approach to therapeutic and residential support, but we set ourselves apart for our students by using an attachment-based approach. Everything we do is through the lens of attachment theory. As a member of the MLA team, you'll get great training in attachment styles, and how to best help teens in our program to build healthy relationships with themselves, their peers, and caregivers. Additionally, we focus on helping students identify the core issues behind their behaviors and thoughts, and then how to address those core needs. We seek to create a safe environment for students and employees to learn, grow, develop, explore, make mistakes, and build lasting impactful relationships with those around them.

Commitment

To maintain the stability and effectiveness in our program, and because our residents value the relationships they build with their mentors, it is important that our staff are committed to the role they undertake at Maple Lake Academy. While we do not require a minimum commitment period in the position; we believe it's important that staff are committed to their position for at least a six months to a year. Many Mentors at Maple Lake Academy's programs have been contributing their talents for at least 2 or more years, which also provides you a great team of dedicated coworkers

The Maple Lake Academy Team

While being part of the MLA team, you'll work with a talented group of mentors and professionals who are first and foremost dedicated to the well-being of our clients. You will receive both structured and on-the-job training, and have opportunities to learn about our Attachment Theory approach to care, where the focus is always on building trusting and safe relationships. We value our employees and do our best to create a rewarding and appreciative environment. You can also have opportunities for future advancements.

Open until: Filled

Position Starts: available immediately 

Interested applicants should apply to this posting, and you can expect an immediate email notification upon receipt of your application. Our hiring managers will reach out to candidates who appear to meet our needs within a few business days. If you don't see any emails come through upon submitting the application, or are awaiting a response from the hiring managers, check your SPAM folder. Sometimes emails from our application system get sent there.