Therapeutic Program Specialist in Bridgeport, Connecticut at Full Circle Youth Empowerment

Therapeutic Program Specialist

Full Circle Youth Empowerment, Inc. (FCYE)
Salary: $45,000 annually + employee benefits
Employment Type: Full-Time
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, with flexibility for after-school hours, evenings, school vacations, special events, and occasional weekends.
Location: Primarily on-site in Bridgeport, CT

Position Summary

Full Circle Youth Empowerment, Inc. is seeking a Therapeutic Program Specialist to provide direct, hands-on support to youth participating in FCYE's therapeutic, after-school, summer, and supportive service programs.

The Therapeutic Program Specialist is responsible for engaging youth in structured educational, recreational, social-emotional, therapeutic-supportive, and life-skills activities that promote positive youth development, emotional wellness, healthy relationships, academic success, and independent living skills.

This is a direct-service position. The Specialist will regularly work one-on-one and in small and large groups with youth, facilitate structured activities and groups, assist with youth assessments, provide behavioral support, document services, and collaborate with program leadership, families, schools, DCF, and other service providers as appropriate.

The ideal candidate is creative, dependable, energetic, youth-centered, and comfortable engaging adolescents who may have experienced trauma, behavioral challenges, foster care involvement, or other barriers to success.

Essential Responsibilities

The Therapeutic Program Specialist is a hands-on, youth-facing position responsible for engaging, supporting, and facilitating programming for adolescents, including DCF-involved youth. The successful candidate must be comfortable leading groups, managing challenging behaviors, creating engaging activities, and building positive relationships with youth.

• Engage & Mentor Youth: Build trusting, professional relationships with youth while providing direct supervision, mentoring, individual support, and positive behavioral guidance.
• Facilitate Groups & Activities: Plan and lead individual, small-group, and large-group activities focused on social-emotional development, coping skills, communication, conflict resolution, life skills, healthy relationships, goal setting, workforce readiness, and academic success.
• Provide Educational Support: Deliver or facilitate at least 45 minutes of educational programming, homework assistance, tutoring, or academic support as required by the program.
• Support Behavioral & Emotional Needs: Use trauma-informed, strengths-based approaches to provide redirection, de-escalation, conflict resolution, and emotional support while maintaining a safe and structured environment.
• Conduct & Support Assessments: Assist with youth intake, strengths/needs assessments, behavioral and social-emotional assessments, and individualized support planning. Monitor progress and communicate concerns appropriately.
• Create Engaging Programming: Develop creative, age-appropriate activities that incorporate recreation, arts, movement, discussion, leadership, life skills, and youth interests to promote participation and positive development.
• Maintain Safety & Supervision: Provide active supervision during programming, transitions, field trips, transportation, and community activities while following FCYE, DCF, safety, confidentiality, and mandated reporting requirements.
• Document & Communicate: Complete attendance, progress notes, assessments, incident reports, and other required documentation accurately and on time. Communicate effectively with supervisors and the multidisciplinary team regarding youth needs.
• Collaborate & Participate: Work collaboratively with program leadership, clinical staff, DCF, schools, families, and community partners. Participate in team meetings, supervision, training, and professional development.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for someone who is energetic, creative, patient, dependable, and genuinely enjoys working with teenagers. The ideal candidate can confidently stand in front of a group, facilitate meaningful conversations and activities, respond calmly to challenging behaviors, and create an environment where youth feel supported, respected, and engaged.

Qualifications

Required:

• Minium of bachelor’s degree in human services, Social Work, Psychology, Education, Youth Development, Counseling, or a related field preferred.
• At least 3-5 years of experience working directly with adolescents or young adults in youth development, after-school programs, foster care, behavioral health, education, community-based services, or a related setting.
• Ability to facilitate individual, small-group, and group activities.
• Ability to work effectively with youth who may demonstrate behavioral, emotional, academic, or social challenges.
• Strong communication, organization, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Ability to remain calm and professional during challenging or crisis situations.
• Ability to document services accurately and in a timely manner.
• Ability to work independently while also functioning effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Must be dependable, flexible, energetic, and comfortable working in a fast-paced youth-serving environment.

Preferred:

• Experience working with DCF-involved, foster care, system-involved, or trauma-impacted youth.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care, positive youth development, and behavioral support strategies.
• Experience conducting youth assessments or participating in individualized service planning.
• Experience facilitating social-emotional, therapeutic-supportive, life-skills, or youth development groups.
• CPR/First Aid certification or willingness to obtain certification.
• Experience with electronic case management or youth documentation systems.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Youth-Centered Approach: Builds meaningful, professional relationships and prioritizes youth needs and strengths.
• Group Facilitation: Can confidently lead structured groups and activities.
• Creativity: Develops engaging activities that keep youth interested and participating.
• Emotional Intelligence: Responds to challenging behaviors with patience, consistency, and professionalism.
• Trauma-Informed Practice: Understands how trauma may affect behavior, relationships, and engagement.
• Accountability: Completes documentation, follows procedures, and communicates concerns appropriately.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with program leadership, clinicians, DCF, families, schools, and other partners.
• Adaptability: Can adjust activities and approaches based on the needs of individual youth and the program environment.