Therapeutic Support Practitioner
To apply send a resume and cover letter to info@freedomstl.org!
Position Title: Therapeutic Support Practitioner
Reports to: Director of Transformative Justice
Location: Saint Louis City, MO
The Freedom Community Center (FCC) is a Black-led organization in North St. Louis founded to dismantle systems of oppression that inflict harm and trauma on Black communities in St. Louis City, particularly the police and the criminal punishment system. We ground ourselves in the knowledge that the Black survivors of St. Louis have the solutions to the question: What will keep us safe? We seek to build a community-based approach centered in power, healing, accountability, and repair. Given the resources to alleviate immediate economic needs, the space to facilitate communal healing, and the time to dream collectively of alternative approaches, our community of survivors will meaningfully address harm happening in St. Louis City at the individual and systemic level. We dismantle mass incarceration by modeling alternative responses to the criminal punishment system.
The current punitive approaches to violence such as police and incarceration do not prevent future violence, they create it. At FCC, we take a survivor centered approach to build solutions that interrupt violence at its root. In the place of violence, we make peace and build power. Our approach fosters accountability, healing, repair and transformation. The cornerstone of our peacemaking work is the Free Us Project which is made up of several different transformative justice processes. One of our transformative processes is a restorative justice program that seeks to intervene and work with people who are experiencing or perpetuating harm before they interact with the police or at the beginning of their interaction with the criminal punishment system. In addition, we intervene with individuals who have experienced a violent injury in order to promote repair and reduce the likelihood of retaliation or re-injury.
At FCC, we have an opportunity to seek a different path, one marked by healing, true accountability, and reparative solutions that will transform those involved so that they might participate in imagining an alternative future for themselves and our community. This work is materialized through our Free US project but also through our community organizing branch called Power Builders, where we build power within our community members. We interrupt violence both systemic and interpersonal by forging a different path toward reconciliation, transformation, healing, and freedom.
Position Summary:
The Therapeutic Support Practitioner (TSP) provides community-based, trauma-informed mental health services that promote healing, accountability, and long-term wellness for participants in Freedom Community Center's Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) and Transformative Justice Programs (TJP). Reporting to the Director of Transformative Justice, the TSP delivers evidence-based individual therapy, conducts comprehensive mental health assessments, and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to provide culturally responsive, person-centered care.
The TSP provides ongoing individual therapy for Stride I participants, including individuals accused of causing serious violence, supporting emotional regulation, accountability, and successful engagement in diversion services. The practitioner also conducts behavioral health screenings and clinical assessments for prospective TJP participants, develops treatment recommendations, monitors participant progress, and maintains clinical documentation in accordance with professional licensure and ethical standards.
Recognizing that community safety is strengthened through healing, the TSP provides therapeutic support to both individuals who have caused harm and survivors of violence. The role also includes preparing participants for restorative justice processes, responding to behavioral health crises through clinical intervention and de-escalation, coordinating care with FCC staff and community providers, and serving as a clinical resource to strengthen FCC's restorative and transformative justice programs.
What You’ll Do
Provide trauma-informed individual therapy to participants enrolled in FCC's Alternatives to Incarceration and Transformative Justice programs, supporting healing, emotional regulation, accountability, and sustainable behavior change.
Conduct comprehensive mental health screenings and clinical assessments using evidence-based tools to identify behavioral health needs and develop individualized treatment recommendations.
Provide therapeutic preparation for survivors, responsible parties, and support persons participating in restorative justice processes by assessing readiness, strengthening emotional regulation, and supporting meaningful participation.
Deliver clinical support before, during, and after restorative justice processes to promote participant healing, accountability, and long-term transformation.
Integrate evidence-based, culturally responsive therapeutic approaches—including somatic interventions, narrative therapy, mindfulness practices, and trauma-focused modalities—into participant care.
Respond to participant mental health crises through clinical assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, stabilization, and coordination with community behavioral health providers.
Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential clinical documentation in Salesforce, SimplePractice, and other required systems in accordance with ethical, legal, and licensing standards.
Collaborate closely with case managers, restorative justice practitioners, community partners, and FCC leadership to coordinate participant care and strengthen program outcomes.
Participate in clinical supervision, multidisciplinary case consultations, and ongoing program development to ensure high-quality, participant-centered services.
Serve as a clinical resource within FCC by contributing behavioral health expertise that strengthens restorative justice practices and community healing efforts.
Who You Are & Keys to Success (the must-haves)
Clinical Excellence: Demonstrates sound clinical judgment and effectively delivers trauma-informed, evidence-based therapy that promotes healing, accountability, and sustainable behavioral change.
Assessment & Diagnostic Skills: Conducts thorough behavioral health assessments, accurately identifies participant needs, and develops individualized treatment recommendations using evidence-based clinical tools.
Commitment to Transformative Justice: Understands restorative and transformative justice principles and believes healing—not punishment—is essential to creating community safety.
Trauma-Informed Practice: Builds trusting therapeutic relationships through empathy, cultural humility, and participant-centered care while recognizing the impacts of systemic oppression and community violence.
Crisis Intervention Skills: Remains calm under pressure and effectively assesses, de-escalates, and responds to behavioral health crises while prioritizing participant safety.
Collaboration: Works effectively within multidisciplinary teams and develops strong relationships with participants, colleagues, and community-based providers.
Documentation & Organization: Maintains accurate clinical records, manages multiple priorities, and consistently meets documentation and reporting deadlines.
Commitment to Black Liberation: Possesses a strong political analysis of race, class, structural violence, and abolition while remaining grounded in community healing and participant self-determination.
If You Were Here Right Now You Would Be:
Providing weekly therapy sessions to ATI participants working toward healing and successful diversion from the criminal punishment system.
Conducting behavioral health assessments for individuals being considered for participation in FCC's Transformative Justice Program.
Preparing survivors and responsible parties for upcoming restorative justice circles through individualized therapeutic support.
Collaborating with restorative justice practitioners, case managers, and community partners to develop participant care plans.
Responding to a participant experiencing a behavioral health crisis by providing clinical intervention, safety planning, and connection to ongoing services.
Documenting clinical progress notes, treatment plans, and assessment findings while participating in multidisciplinary case consultations.
To excel in this role you should have:
Master’s degree (or higher) in social work, counseling, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or a related clinical field. Full or partial licensure (LCSW, LPC, LMFT) strongly preferred;
Demonstrated clinical expertise in addressing the impacts and root causes of serious violence, including work with individuals who have caused harm and survivors of harm.
At least 2–4 years of experience providing clinical therapy and crisis intervention services, preferably with populations impacted by incarceration, violence, or systemic oppression.
Deep commitment to transformative justice, abolitionist values, and Black liberation, with a strong historical analysis of race, class, and structural violence.
Experience facilitating both individual and group therapy sessions using trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and evidence-based healing modalities.
Familiarity with restorative justice principles and the therapeutic preparation necessary for accountability and healing processes.
Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments, both independently and as part of a collaborative team.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to maintain detailed and confidential clinical documentation.
Deep investment in the St. Louis political landscape, with a creative and activist-minded approach to systemic change.
This is a full-time non-exempt position. The salary for the position is $60,000. The Freedom Community Center offers competitive health benefits, dental and vision plans, flexible PTO, and life insurance.
Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter to info@freedomstl.org.
In the cover letter, please address the following:
Why do you want to work for Freedom Community Center?
Additionally, please share 1-2 experience(s) that highlight why you would be a strong candidate for the position.
No faxes or phone calls please. Applicants will be notified regarding whether or not they have been selected for an interview. Applications without cover letters will not be processed.
The Freedom Community Center is proud to be an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and actively seeks the candidacy of people of color, women, LGBTQIA people and formerly incarcerated individuals. We are committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff.