Intensive FFT Therapist, The ATLAS Project in Brooklyn, New York at Rising Ground, Inc.

About Us

Founded as an orphanage in 1831, Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs. Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping children, adults, and families rise above adversity, and each year, Rising Ground is a positive force in the lives of more than 72,000 individuals annually. We do this through 101 programs across 138 sites, throughout New York City and Westchester. Our strong belief and commitment to diversity is shown not just through our work with supported persons but is integral to the building of a strong staff that reflects the communities we serve. Rising Ground is headquartered in New York City.

Role Overview

ATLAS, an initiative of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety in partnership with United Way of NYC, aims to reduce community and interpersonal violence by engaging people in a change process that nurtures hope and strengthens relationships. Atlas meets people at times of crisis, such as an interpersonal or family conflict, a recent arrest, or a recent court case and connects them to free community-based therapeutic programming. The therapeutic approaches offered through Atlas are evidence-informed, meaning they have strong evidence of effectiveness in promoting personal change and preventing future involvement in violence or incarceration. The approaches are culturally competent, trauma-informed, and deeply respectful of the strength, wisdom, and personal agency that resides in people.

ATLAS seeks to enhance peace and prevent violence in New York City through transformative investments in families, community-based organizations, and in the systems meant to maintain accountability and public safety. We recognize the impact “systems” have on the lives of marginalized persons; keeping them in a cycle of involvement that impacts their freedom, self-efficacy, and dignity. Atlas is an investment in the agency and self-reliance of people affected by system involvement and in the community partners that serve them.

Through our work, we are committed to building on people’s strength and agency, and transforming government from enforcement and coercion to avoiding harm and ensuring that we approach people with transparency about racial trauma, economic disparities, the impact of poverty on experiences and behaviors, and social justice as factors that contribute to their true and perceived success.

The FFT Therapist provides Functional Family Therapy (FFT) to youth ages 13–18 referred to a specialized program serving youth who are high-risk, difficult to engage, and have a history of violent felony offenses. Youth may be living in the community, residential settings, or juvenile justice facilities. Unlike traditional voluntary services, referred youth may not be aware of the referral or interested in participating, requiring the therapist to use creativity, persistence, and strong clinical and relational skills to establish trust and build therapeutic alliances.

All services are provided in person, with therapists expected to meet youth where they are and partner with families, peer groups, and systems to establish and maintain engagement. Therapists are supported by Case Managers and Credible Messengers who provide complementary engagement and wraparound services to help connect participants to the program and support successful completion of FFT. The therapist maintains an active caseload of approximately 5–8 youth and is expected to demonstrate flexibility in scheduling and service delivery to maximize participant access and engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide in-person, intensive Functional Family Therapy (FFT) to an active caseload of approximately 5–8 youth ages 13–18.
• Engage youth who may be unaware of their referral, resistant to services, distrustful of providers, or otherwise difficult to reach, using creative and persistent engagement strategies.
• Establish therapeutic relationships and alliances with youth who may initially demonstrate little motivation or willingness to participate in services.
• Deliver services in the community and wherever the youth is located, including homes, schools, residential programs, juvenile facilities, and other appropriate settings.
• Develop relationships with and engage the youth’s nuclear and extended family, caregivers, and, when clinically appropriate, peer networks to strengthen the participant’s support system.
• Partner with juvenile justice, residential, educational, behavioral health, and other systems to gain proximity to and maintain access to youth when traditional referral and engagement pathways are insufficient.
• Collaborate closely with Case Managers and Credible Messengers to provide wraparound engagement and support, address barriers to participation, and maintain the youth’s connection to the program.
• Utilize the multidisciplinary team to support participant engagement while maintaining primary clinical responsibility for delivery of the FFT model.
• Assess and respond to family safety, behavioral health, and other risks in accordance with FFT requirements and program protocols.
• Participate fully in FFT training, clinical consultation, supervision, fidelity monitoring, and program review activities.
• Complete all required clinical, programmatic, and FFT documentation accurately and within established timelines.
• Maintain flexibility in scheduling to accommodate the needs and availability of participants and families, including evenings and other nontraditional hours when clinically and programmatically appropriate.
• Travel throughout the community and to participant locations as required to ensure services are accessible and responsive to participant needs.
• Maintain strong communication and collaboration with internal and external partners involved in the participant’s care and service network.
• Demonstrate sound clinical judgment, professionalism, persistence, and emotional regulation when working with youth and families experiencing significant risk, instability, resistance, or system involvement.
• Participate fully in community engagement, outreach, and community response activities, including activities designed to establish relationships, increase program visibility and access, respond to emerging community needs, and strengthen connections with youth, families, and community partners.
• Other related duties as assigned by supervisor.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice

Required Qualifications

• Ideal candidate must have a passion and active drive to dismantle systems of oppression that have historically caused harm within NYC’s communities of color.
• Master’s degree in social work, or another field in which community, mental health, public health, or sociology are central areas of study, is preferred.
• Experience in a clinical setting is preferred.
• Experience working with adolescents and/or young adults who present with significant behavioral, emotional, social, or justice-system involvement is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to engage youth and families who are resistant to services, distrustful of providers, difficult to reach, or ambivalent about participating in treatment
• Ability to establish and maintain therapeutic relationships when engagement may initially be limited or absent, using creativity, persistence, flexibility, and sound clinical judgment.
• Exceptional interpersonal and engagement skills; demonstrated ability to connect with, understand, and build trust with youth and families across a wide range of circumstances.
• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and clinically grounded when working with individuals and families experiencing crisis, conflict, resistance, or rapidly changing circumstances.
• Ability to assess and respond appropriately to safety concerns, behavioral health needs, and elevated levels of risk while maintaining therapeutic rapport and appropriate professional boundaries.
• Comfort working in community-based settings and traveling to meet youth where they are, including homes, schools, residential programs, juvenile facilities, and other community settings.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team, including Case Managers, Credible Messengers, families, and external system partners.
• Ability to make connections between the experiences of families and the impact of systemic oppression.
• Commitment to a strengths-based perspective and helping families identify and access their internal and external resources as a path to growth and change.
• Competency in serving LGBTQIA+ identities is strongly preferred.
• Ability to set appropriate boundaries and limits consistent with best practice.
• Willingness and ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and other non-traditional hours when necessary to meet the needs and accessibility of participants and families.

• No

• Home Based
• Community Based
• Rising Ground Offices (Brooklyn Hub, Harlem Hub, Headquarters)

• Competitive salary structure
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• PTO policy (11 Paid Holidays, Paid Sick Time, Paid Vacation & Paid Personal Days)
• Remote / flexible work options (If applicable)

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Ability to work in-person in New York City (NYC)
• Ability to travel to other Rising Ground Sites (if required)
• Ability to travel within the community and do visits