General Activities Therapist 2

JOIN OUR TEAM! CHANGE LIVES WHILE BUILDING YOUR CAREER!

We are transforming and saving lives at DYS!

A safer Ohio: one youth, one family and one community at a time.

About Us…

Our mission at the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) is to improve Ohio's future by habilitating youth and empowering families and communities. We believe that all youth will be given an opportunity to live up to their greatest potential and staff are our greatest resource. 

DYS is the juvenile corrections system for the state of Ohio. DYS is statutorily mandated to confine felony offenders, ages 10-21, who have been adjudicated and committed by one of Ohio's 88 county juvenile courts. During their stay with DYS, youth are engaged in programming that is designed to address their criminological and behavioral needs. DYS reaches thousands of youth in facilities and those on parole.

Our Guiding Principles…

• Demonstrate staff are our greatest resource
• Treat everyone with respect
• Cultivate a trauma responsive environment for staff and youth to thrive
• Provide the best support and services for youth and families
• Advance our culture of inclusion through understanding and appreciating staff and youth differences
• Commit to and encourage collaboration and continuous improvement to produce better outcomes for those we serve
• Celebrate collective successes and support one another through opportunities to improve

To learn more about DYS, please visit our website by clicking here.

What You'll Do:

DYS is seeking a General Activities Therapist 2 to join our diverse team! This person will plan, organize and conduct activity programs. The ideal candidate will be a strong leader with a solid background and a passion to help youth.

Specifically, the General Activities Therapist 2  will:           

• Work under direction from the Activity Therapy Supervisor for the Ohio Department of Youth Services Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility to plan, organize, conduct & ensure implementation of clinical adjunctive therapy program/services for youth assigned to residential treatment units.

• Organize & conduct individual &/or group recreational & activity therapy activity (e.g., individual &/or teams sports, arts & crafts, music, drama, physical fitness &/or community service functions, etc.).

• Plan & instruct youth in a variety of leisure & therapeutic activities designed to expand youth knowledge, skills & fitness level; participates in weekly treatment team meetings to provide update on youth recreational participation & progress; prepare reports &/or progress notes for inclusion in youth record; review youth physical fitness assessment to prepare individualized activity therapy program; develop & coordinate community service projects; maintain community contact via church groups, volunteer opportunities &/or civic organizations to augment & support community service projects; supervise youth workers assigned to work area.

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  Maintain recreations equipment &/or areas: neatness, orderly & accurate inventory of supplies &/or equipment; ensures safety measures are applied to all activities &/or use & storage of equipment.  Serves as official for all group activities performed by the youth.  

   

• Transport youth to off grounds activities; coordinates activities for youth with other agencies &/or DYS departments.  

• Perform other duties as assigned (e.g., participate in organized functions within facility & DYS, attend meetings, seminars &/or trainings related to area of expertise, etc.).

At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees*. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website! Our benefits package includes:

• Medical Coverage
• Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period
• Paid time off, including vacation, personal, sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year
• Childbirth, Adoption, and Foster Care leave
• Education and Development Opportunities (Employee Development Funds, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and more)
• Public Retirement Systems (such as OPERS, STRS, SERS, and HPRS) & Optional Deferred Compensation (Ohio Deferred Compensation)

*Benefits eligibility is dependent on a number of factors. The Agency Contact listed above will be able to provide specific benefits information for this position.

30 mos. exp. with coaching, personal training, &/or fitness instruction or 30 mos. exp. providing work direction to incarcerated persons & training &/or development.

-Or completion of associate degree in recreation; 12 mos. exp. in activity therapy or recreation.

-Or completion of undergraduate core program in recreation; 6 mos. exp. in activity therapy or recreation.

-Or 6 mos. exp. as General Activities Therapist 1, 44211.

-Or equivalent of Minimum Class Qualifications for Employment noted above.

Job Skills: Therapy/Therapeutical Services

The final candidate selected for this position will be required to undergo a pre-employment drug screening and criminal background check that includes results from BCI & FBI, Public Safety, and State of Ohio Taxation. An individual assessment of an applicant's prior criminal convictions will be made before excluding an applicant from consideration.   

All new candidates hired to the Department of Youth Services must partake in paid, mandatory 4 weeks of training. Week 1 is held at CJCF, weeks 2 through 4 are held in Orient, Ohio, 10-hour training days, Monday through Thursday.

DYS is a "qualifying employer" for the purposes of the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

Ohio is a Disability Inclusion State and strives to be a model employer of individuals with disabilities. The State of Ohio is committed to providing access and inclusion and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws.

The State of Ohio is a drug-free workplace which prohibits the use of marijuana (recreational marijuana/non-medical cannabis). Please note, this position may be subject to additional restrictions pursuant to the State of Ohio Drug-Free Workplace Policy (HR-39), and as outlined in the posting.