Living an abundant life is a big deal here.
Work for Kindred Life Ministries and help teen families thrive in every area of life.
We live and work by our conviction that every life is precious.
Working at Kindred Life Ministries is a unique opportunity.
Kindred Life Ministries exists to help teen families thrive.
Our program provides essential services including:
- Life Skills
- Mentoring
- Counseling
- Goal-setting
- Childcare Financial Assistance
We are a Christian human services ministry. We extend the Gospel and support teen families with the life-changing help they need. We engage the church, the community, and the teens’ families to help them thrive.
If you have a passion for youth, ministry, and social services, a career with Kindred Life may be for you.
Kindred Life Ministries offers work-life balance.
1
Work from home and in a church setting.
Many of your job-related tasks can be accomplished at home. Staff meetings and Life Education Groups are held inside local churches.
2
Choose some of your own hours.
Many of your job-related tasks can be accomplished at a time that works for you. Balance that with pre-determined weekly meetings.
3
Work independently and with a team.
Many of your job-related tasks will be accomplished with a high degree of autonomy. Sometimes you’ll work as a team with colleagues and volunteers.
A word from the Executive Director
Counseling and Program Interns (unpaid)
Bachelor’s and Master’s level counseling and social work internships available in each of the Kindred Life Ministries’ locations for teen mothers, teen fathers and extended family members. 20-21 Internships will include one-on-one, family and group counseling and/or program service provision in a Christian environment.
Responsibilities Include:
- Providing services for 15-20 teen mothers, teen fathers and their families.
- Facilitating a monthly Life Education Group Night
- Attending Kindred Life Ministries’ training and staff meetings where appropriate
Supportive environment to learn and serve. Supervision provided by a licensed social worker. Kindred Life Ministry locations are easily accessible.
Program Director
Manage and implement services in the Kindred Life Office providing teen mothers and their families the opportunities to grow and thrive. The Program Director role is an hourly, part-time position (25 hours per week).
Responsibilities
Teen Moms
- Recruit, interview and assess prospective teen parents for the Kindred Life Program as needed. Maintain a group size of seven mothers and children and where appropriate the children’s father
- Complete required intake and application process within three weeks of initial contact during the program year to determine motivation and fit
- Develop and maintain a professional relationship with each teen parent family through one on one and group meetings
- Connect teen mothers with a volunteer mentor when available and the site office counselor/life coach within the first three weeks of admittance
- Develop and review teen parent goals on a monthly basis with their mentors, financial and personal counselor/life coach using the growth chart assessment tool
- Create, update and maintain teen mom organizational files on a monthly basis
- Plan and attend the annual teen parent retreat in partnership with the Outreach Director every Fall with the office teen parents, their mentor and with the other Kindred Life Program Sites
- Network and conduct outreach on an ongoing basis to area schools, government agencies and other referral agencies that provide resources to meet teen mother needs
- Track and report client information on a monthly basis using the client and office reporting spreadsheets
Teen Parent and Grandparent/Extended Families
- On an ongoing basis engage and invite co-parent to participate in the teen father program as appropriate
- On an ongoing basis engage and invite grandparents to participate in socials and available counseling as appropriate; work with Program team to develop and create new ways to serve them
- On an ongoing basis network with schools, government agencies and other referral agencies that provide resources to serve teen fathers and extended families; provide referrals
- Track and report client information on a monthly basis using the client and office reporting spreadsheets
Life Education (Ed) Groups
- Plan, evaluate and execute the curriculum theme for the respective program year (Sept-May) with the Kindred Life Program team
- Plan, set up, lead and manage the weekly group meeting using the Kindred Life curriculum schedule
- Create a safe, positive working environment for clients and volunteers
- Recruit and prepare Life Ed Group volunteers including appropriate application paperwork, create and update files (speakers, meals, childcare, etc.) at the beginning of each semester
- Assist and plan individual and group counseling sessions for teen parents each month with the site counselor/life coach and the financial counselor
Volunteers
- Recruit, interview and orient volunteers in partnership with the Outreach Director to prepare for each program year
- Train and supervise volunteers with the appropriate orientation meetings, training and coaching respective to their role as required
- Recognize and appreciate volunteers on an ongoing basis and formally at the annual appreciation night
- Evaluate volunteers at the end of each program year where applicable to assess volunteer enrichment opportunities
- Create and maintain volunteer files with required paperwork
- Track volunteer hours and in-kind donations monthly utilizing online spreadsheets
- Network and conduct outreach on an ongoing basis to churches, community resources and partners in partnership with the Outreach Director
- Communicate the Kindred Life Vision and Mission at local ministry fairs, church presentations, volunteer recruitment meetings, etc. in partnership with the Outreach Director
Corporate
- Adhere to the policies set forth in the Kindred Life Employee Handbook
- Create an Annual Budget for the site office, work within the approved budget and provide updates as requested
- Attend monthly staff, bimonthly team and monthly supervisory meetings
- Collect, track and record client information (i.e., Storybank, Prayer Requests, Donor Receipt Letters) on a monthly basis for ministry communications and development
- Support and partner with ministry Corporate team with fundraising programs and events as required
Requirements
- Education: Social science degree or three years related ministry or work experience; proficient in Microsoft Office, Google and Social Media
- Religious Background: Strong Christian faith; in-depth knowledge of The Bible; active participation in a local church
- Competencies: teamwork; verbal and written communication skills, self-managed/work autonomously, priority setting/time management; networks and builds relationships, professional presence
Location
Position located in our Cook County Office
Counselor
The Counselor is a Masters Level Clinician, licensed or in process, who provides mental health support and treatment to Kindred Life teen parents and their families, empowering them to thrive socially and emotionally healthy lives.
The Counselor works in partnership with the Program Director at the respective program site to coordinate the provision of individual counseling weekly or bi-weekly and group counseling monthly to teen or young adult clients.
The Counselor schedules and provides both individual and monthly group counseling to clients and maintains case records and notes that meet the community standard. The Counselor also maintains the confidentiality of client records at all times.
The Counselor provides a three year mental health curriculum in the course of individual and group counseling which provides an understanding of good mental health practices, how to address challenges, and transitioning to successful independence, all relevant to the population served.
The Counselor assists with training site location staff and volunteers on client-related issues when needed.
The Counselor attends staff meetings and completes ministry personnel forms and timesheets as needed in a timely fashion.
The Counselor represents the organization in a professional manner, advocating for the agency and mission whenever possible.
The Counselor position requires the following qualifications;
- A Master’s Degree in Counseling, Social Work, or a related field.
- Licensure is required at a professional level; a clinical level license is preferred but not required.
- Spanish-speaking is preferred but not required.
- The ideal candidate would have a strong, Christian faith and be able to integrate Christian principles in their counseling and address a client’s faith issues as desired by the client.
- The Counselor would be committed to weekly attendance at the program meeting unless otherwise arranged with the supervising therapist. The counselor would also provide an abbreviated counseling schedule during the summer months of June, July, and August.
- A candidate would need to be able to function well in a multi-disciplinary setting with both paid staff and volunteers.
- Strong verbal and written skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google preferred.
- The position is a part-time position serving one or two sites, approximately 4-6 hours weekly at each site during the months of September through May, and approximately 4-6 hours monthly during the summer months of June, July, and August.
- The Counselor assists with training site location staff and volunteers on client-related issues when needed.
- The Counselor attends staff meetings and completes ministry personnel forms and timesheets as needed in a timely fashion.
- The Counselor represents the organization in a professional manner, advocating for the agency and mission whenever possible.