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Counselor

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organization:Open Adoption & Family Services
position summary:

Counselor Open Adoption & Family Services

Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) is a nonprofit agency with a progressive approach to building healthy families. The agency supports birthparents in making decisions about parenthood in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. When the choice is adoption, we facilitate child-centered open adoptions.

Child-centered open adoption begins with a close and trusting relationship between birthparents and adoptive parents. This unique partnership acknowledges not only the parties’ mutual respect and shared love for the child, but also their separate and distinct roles. Birthparents and adoptive families create healthy long-term relationships addressing the ongoing needs of the child. Ongoing contact enables birthparents to see for themselves that the child is thriving in the adoptive home. This helps them feel at peace with the adoption. Secure in the knowledge that the birthparents fully support the adoption, adoptive parents are free to welcome birthparents into their lives.

OA&FS is licensed in Oregon and Washington, with offices in Portland, Seattle, Eugene, Medford and a contracted social worker in eastern OR and eastern WA. At Open Adoption and Family Services, we take pride in providing comprehensive services to our clients. We are the premier Northwest adoption agency, and we have over 23 years experience facilitating child-centered open adoptions. OA&FS completes the most domestic infant and newborn adoptions in Oregon and Washington.

We continually re-evaluate and upgrade our services through client surveys, staff/board committees and staff meetings. Current projects include reaching out to the Latino communities and expanding into the tri-cities area of eastern WA.

*** We are a very progressive adoption agency. We are pro-choice and we work with same sex, as well as heterosexual, adoptive parents. Please check out our website: www.openadopt.org .

Please email cover letter and resume to [email protected] Resumes will not be considered unless accompanied by a cover letter.

Salary / Pay Rate:Commensurate with experience
Required Skills and Abilities:Counselor Job Description General Duties: Responsibility for providing counseling and mediation services to clients, including but not limited to the following: • Counsel clients on options, implications of choices upon themselves and their families, and community resources available that will support their choice. • Educate clients about open adoption and offer guidance and support as they navigate their open adoption experience. • Mediate adoption plans and legally enforceable Open Adoption Agreements between birth and adoptive parents. • Coordinate client services facilitate necessary legal arrangements, and coordinate as needed with medical professionals and hospital social workers. • Complete homestudy and post-placement assessments. • Write formal reports including homestudies, post-placement reports and reports to the court. • Schedule meetings and deliver public presentations which promote OA&FS and the concept of open adoption to diverse populations in the region including teachers, hospital administrators, counselors, attorneys, high school students, clergy, college faculty, midwives, physicians and other organizations. • Continue employee's professional counseling and mediation skills development. • Participate in Agency development and conform with Agency procedures. • Provide post-adoption counseling and mediation for adoptive and/or birthparents. • Coordinate support group meetings. • Requires occasional evening and weekend availability and occasional travel.
Qualifications:Qualifications: • Shall have a Masters degree in social work, counseling or psychology. The ability to speak Spanish would be ideal. • Shall have demonstrated skill in the following areas: counseling, interpersonal relations, mediation, adoption planning, writing reports, record keeping, interviewing and office organization. • Shall have references substantiating ability to initiate, persevere and follow through with clients in arranging open adoptions and the highest professional and ethical standards. • Shall demonstrate compassion and understanding for the birth parents' difficult position, current adoption issues, and the open adoption process. • Shall show willingness to participate in and support planning and development of the agency and its social services.
Education Required:Graduate degree
Other:Equal Opportunity Employer
website link:www.openadopt.org