Therapeutic Case Manager

Founded in 1875, East End House (EEH) is a non-profit, multi-service community center serving culturally diverse families and individuals in Cambridge, Somerville, and surrounding communities. We provide fully licensed early education and out-of-school-time programs, grocery and infant essentials support, senior services, and more—advancing achievement and strengthening communities through a holistic, trauma-informed approach grounded in our Theory of Change and the Five Promotive Factors for Strengthening Families.

Position Summary

The Therapeutic Case Manager / Social Worker provides intensive, family-centered, and trauma-informed support to children, youth, and caregivers experiencing challenges related to housing instability, financial insecurity, mental health, and social-emotional or behavioral needs. Working closely with program directors and frontline educators, this role conducts assessments; develops and monitors individualized support and behavior plans; provides short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and warm handoffs to community partners; and coordinates wraparound services that help families stabilize and thrive.

Beyond case management, this position also serves as EEH's on-the-ground behavior support leader—confidently stepping into classrooms to stabilize challenging moments, modeling co-regulation, de-escalation, and restorative practices, and coaching educators and caregivers through hands-on guidance until strategies are consistently and effectively used across settings.

Key Responsibilities

1) Child, Youth, and Classroom Supports

• Conduct observations, assessments, and psychosocial screenings to identify social, emotional, and behavioral needs using appropriate tools and protocols.
• Design and implement individualized behavior support plans in collaboration with program directors, teachers/group leaders, and parents/caregivers; coach staff and families to apply strategies consistently across school and home settings.
• Provide short-term counseling, skill-building, and crisis intervention; facilitate case conferences and family meetings as needed.
• Track progress, reflect with families and staff on plan effectiveness, and iterate interventions to promote regulation, inclusion, and positive participation.
• Serve as a first-responder for escalated behaviors across Early Education and OST programs; assess safety, lead de-escalation, and restore regulation using trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically sustaining practices.
• Model in the classroom (shoulder-to-shoulder coaching) during routines, transitions, and known trigger times; gradually fade support as staff demonstrate consistent implementation.
• Conduct brief functional behavior assessments (FBAs) to identify triggers and replacement skills; translate findings into simple, actionable behavior supports and visual tools.
• Build and maintain classroom toolkits (calming menus, visual schedules, reinforcement systems, social stories, sensory supports) and train staff on when/how to use each.
• Lead post-incident huddles that focus on learning (what worked/what to try next), update plans quickly, and communicate follow-ups to educators and families.

2) Family Case Management & Wraparound

• Complete intake, baseline assessments, and individualized service plans (ISPs) with clear goals, actions, and follow-up timelines.
• Deliver comprehensive information, referral, and application support related to public benefits, food security, childcare, mental health, basic needs, and other social services.
• Provide housing-focused assistance (e.g., eviction prevention coordination, relocation supports, housing search, landlord liaison activities) and connections to financial coaching.
• Advocate with and for families to access equitable, culturally responsive services across schools, DCF, healthcare, mental health, and community systems.

3) Partnerships, Navigation & Community Resources

• Build and maintain effective partnerships with local schools, early intervention providers, DCF, mental health agencies, and healthcare organizations to expand support options and warm hand-offs for families.
• Coordinate resource fairs, family workshops, and informational sessions responsive to community-identified needs.
• Represent EEH in community meetings and coalitions to deepen system navigation pathways for families.

4) Data, Documentation, and Compliance

• Maintain timely, accurate, and confidential records (assessments, plans, progress notes, incident reports, outcomes) in alignment with EEH policies and funder/contract requirements.
• Monitor utilization and outcomes; contribute to reporting, quality assurance, and continuous improvement efforts across programs.

5) Staff & Family Capacity-Building

• Provide ongoing consultation, training, and coaching to staff on trauma-informed practice, behavior supports, inclusion, family engagement, and de-escalation.
• Deliver bite-size PD and practice labs on prevention (predictable routines, priming), teaching replacement skills, reinforcement, and de-escalation.
• Run structured coaching cycles with educators focused on supporting challenging behaviors in the classroom to build the staff capacity.
• Offer caregiver coaching aligned to the BSP (brief weekly touchpoints, home visuals, scripts), and co-facilitate family meetings focused on shared strategies, not blame.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work, Human Services, Counseling, or related field required; LCSW/LICSW (or in process within an agreed timeframe) strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in case management and brief therapy/task-centered counseling with children/youth and families; strong crisis-response and de-escalation skills.
• Commitment to trauma-informed, strengths-based, culturally responsive, and anti-racist practice.
• Excellent organization, communication (written and verbal), relationship-building, and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple priorities with quality and follow-through.
• Skilled in developing and operationalizing intensive case management systems and processes.
• Familiarity with local systems (public schools, DCF, Early Intervention, behavioral health, housing, and benefits navigation).
• Ability to design and deliver short, practice-based PD; skilled in feedback that is clear, strengths-based, and actionable.
• Commitment to professional development (minimum 20 hours annually) and attendance at required meetings/trainings.
• Preferred/Pluses: Training in Motivational Interviewing (MI) and/or Restorative Justice (RJ); basic data collection/interpretation (e.g., SurveyMonkey); experience supervising graduate interns (social work/counseling/related fields); bilingual/bicultural and/or lived experience.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $65,000 to $75,000 annually, commensurate with experience and licensure.
• Benefits: Comprehensive package including health and dental insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, generous Paid Time Off (vacation, sick, personal), long-term disability, child care assistance, and more.

To Apply

Please send a resume and cover letter to:

Chris Del Vecchio, Chief Operating Officer

East End House, Inc. 105 Spring Street · Cambridge, MA 02141

Email:

Equal Employment Opportunity

East End House provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other protected class, and complies with all applicable state and local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave, compensation, and training.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $65, $75,000.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• 403(b) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan

Work Location: In person