Cassondra L. Zigler
Littleton
Summary
Conscientious professional with extensive experience advocating for social and economic well-being of individuals and families. Skilled at providing guidance, support and assistance. Strong communication and management skills and committed to inspiring community service. Dedicated candidate eager to leverage knowledge in social services and program development. Skilled in running social services initiatives and developing policies and procedures. Collaborative and committed to addressing social issues to improve quality of life in marginalized communities.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Residential Program Director
Tennyson Center for Children
06.2024 - Current
- Serves as the subject matter expert in working with children and youth who have co-occurring mental health and IDD diagnoses
- Leads identifying and implementing a residential treatment program model to support the children and youth in care
- Ensures integration of Tennyson’s Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) model, the Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) Framework with the residential program model
- Provides agency training on best practices in working with children and youth with IDD
- Revises and develops relevant policies and procedures for the residential treatment program, ensuring best practices and regulatory compliance with all local, state, and federal requirements
- Along with the CPO, CEO and Operations Team, monitors building renovations and design of the milieu to ensure safety, fidelity to the program model, and thoughtful practices of TIC
- Leads the recruiting and hiring of residential treatment program staff
- Partners with Quality Improvement (QI) Department staff to develop, integrate, and ensure the monitoring and reporting of the residential treatment program’s key performance indicators and continual improvement processes
- Manages the application process for a Residential Child Care Facilities (RCCF) license through the state
- Coordinates with the Admissions Department on processes for reviewing and enrolling children and youth into the program
- Works with the marketing and communications team, as well as the Community Outreach Manager, to create materials and market the program to referral sources and the community
- Works closely with the Development Team, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), CPO and CEO to develop and monitor the program budget and position the organization for future opportunities
- Acts as the lead of clinical, programmatic, and operations of the residential treatment program
- Ensures timely compliance with all Council on Accreditation (COA) requirements and supports QI staff in preparing for site visits
- Maintains positive collaborative relationships with community partners, including County Departments of Child Welfare, Community Centered Boards (CCBs), Mental Health Centers, Medicaid Regional Accountability Entities (RAEs), school districts, emergency responders, etc
- Represents Tennyson in external human services initiatives or workgroups as needed
- Places the child/family voice at the center of all decisions and actively works to ensure that community voice and lived experience is an active part of programming, planning, and decision-making
- Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all client- and personnel-related matters
- Participates in the Clinical on Call (COC) crisis coverage rotation, as needed
Lead Social Intake Caseworker
Denver Human Services
01.2021 - 06.2024
- Create and implement a training and development plan for workers at all levels that encourages professional growth and commitment to excellence
- Create and implement a system that helps staff manage workload at a high volume and fast pace
- Obtain and maintain supervisory certification and participate in training the Social Case Worker staff
- Maintain current supervisory certification and participate in training the Social Case Worker staff
- Demonstrate critical decision-making skills with their staff and section
- Assist Social Case Worker Supervisors and perform supervisory roles in their absence
- Demonstrate competencies and critical decision-making skills when working with intake assessments, ongoing cases, and youth cases
- Lead by example and set a precedent for Social Case Workers
- Attend voices meetings and court hearings with Social Case Workers when needed
Social Intake Caseworker
Denver Human Services
06.2018 - 01.2021
- Performs case management activities involving complex problems/cases, assesses individual and family needs, develops appropriate service and/or treatment plan, and provides counseling, referral, and placement services
- Conducts initial needs assessment, ascertains nature and extent of complaint and severity of problems, and interviews defined clients and/or family members to elicit information to determine client's/family's medical, employment, economic, educational, and emotional history
- Evaluates client's needs, interest, motivation, and pattern of responsibility, reviews case records for client and family profiles, socio-economic history, previous treatment and services experience, and/or special problems and needs, and reviews and discusses case, problems, prognosis, behavior patterns, and needed services with a supervisor or other senior level staff
- Develops and implements a treatment plan that provides a variety of social services and referrals to meet social, behavioral, medical, and/or psychological needs, recommends and refers clients to appropriate support agencies and programs, and provides continuous counseling and crisis intervention to achieve objectives
- Establishes, maintains, and coordinates services and activities with relevant community agencies, monitors and evaluations activities of agencies contracted to provide a variety of social services, and evaluates progress of placements and/or other services
- Represents the department in accordance with Volume 7 and city rules and regulations
- Prepares case records, reports, and documents and compiles with state and federal standards in providing case notes, treatment plans, and evaluations
- By position, testifies in court as needed by providing expert testimony and preparing comprehensive reports that allow the court to make finding and recommendations that affect court-ordered treatment plans
- Performs other related duties as assigned
- Lead and support caseworkers on the unit, and provide training as needed
Program Manager
Cottonwood Community Alternatives
06.2017 - 07.2018
- Program Manager for adults with disabilities
- Responsible for all aspects of residential program and services related to this program
- Supervise, schedule, recruit and train residential staff/providers
- Programmatic development, coordination and monitoring for approximately 25 clients in accordance with SP
- Ensure maintenance and monitoring of agency units
- Completion and submission of monthly paperwork
- Attend all SP and IDT’s for individuals; ensuring completion of all required annual information as requested by CCB
- Schedule and facilitate six-month review staffing, inviting all IDT members and disseminating such information
- Develop residential ISSPs, behavioral plans, nutrition and safety plans, protocols, as per SP or addendums to SP
- Programs to be reviewed by Program Director prior to implementation
- Maintenance of individual master files and database with all pertinent information, completing and updating Emergency Face Sheet and Safety Information as needed
- Ensure basic knowledge of individual specific personal need monies, benefit information, and financial assistance needs with timely follow up on issues as they arise
- Complete monthly HRC reports as assigned, submitting to Program Director for review prior to turning in to CCBs
- Ensure appropriate coverage for resident’s needs, and to accommodate leave requests, respite requests, in-service needs, and emergency coverage
- Collect, review, sign off on and submit all timesheets the first day following time period cut off, or as directed, ensuring needed leave requests and mileage reports are present
- Ensure 30-day trial placement of individual with HHIC/Staff goes well with weekly visits to monitor interactions and phone contact with timely follow up on any issues
- Receive and review all monthly attendance from HHIC and units, turning in for payment and billing
Youth Success Advocate at High Tech Early College (HTEC)
OFFICE OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
08.2016 - 05.2017
- Company Overview: Denver, CO
- Successfully completed 480 hours of practicum experience
- Recruited and managed a caseload of 17 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) eligible youth
- Case management and facilitated groups
- Strategized effective ways to communicate with Spanish speaking families
- Facilitated job readiness trainings and post-secondary preparation with 19 students, resulting in 8 students gaining employment and 12 students accepted into college
- Assisted students in getting jobs, scholarships and applying to colleges
- Worked with students and families finding them resources to be successful
- Denver, CO
Full-time Youth Counselor
ResCare Youthtrack
02.2014 - 01.2016
- Company Overview: Morrison, Co
- Supervised 5 youth residents ages 12-17 within a group home facility
- Appropriately trained interns and new staff
- Adequately implemented a behavior modification program established by their treatment plans designed with the LCSW
- Facilitated daily life skills groups with youth which included: teamwork, health, self-esteem, coping, and career readiness
- Effectively utilized verbal de-escalation skills with distressed patients
- Assisted students dealing with mental health issues and worked hands on with their treatment plans
- Morrison, Co
Full-time Youth Counselor
Work and Learn ResCare
08.2014 - 05.2015
- Company Overview: Denver, CO
- Collaborated in multidisciplinary treatment teams to establish goals for patients
- Referred patients to community resources
- Participated in court-ordered committal hearings
- Facilitated evidence-based treatment groups to help rehabilitate DYC offenders into the community and transition from incarceration
- Denver, CO
Education
Master of Social Work -
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, CO05.2024
Bachelor of Social Work -
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, CO05.2017
Associates of Liberal Arts -
Red Rocks Community College
Lakewood, CO05.2014
Skills
- Inclusion practices
- Motivational interviewing
- Detail-oriented
- Document filing
- Mental health support
- Process improvement
- Document review
- Confidentiality
- Team leadership and direction
- Team leadership
- Project coordination
- Behavior management
Internship
Denver Human Services, 06/24,
Work Groups:
Native American/Indigenous workgroup,
Retention workgroup,
Partnering for safety workgroup and Pilot,
Domestic violence workgroup
Certification
- Child Welfare License or Certification – CO Department of Children and Families or equivalent.
- First Aid Certification
- CPR/AED Certification
- Certified School Social Work Specialist (C-SSWS) - National Association of Social Workers.
- TCI
- QMAP
- Motivational Interviewing
- CBT
- Crisis Intervention
Timeline
Residential Program Director
Tennyson Center for Children
06.2024 - Current
Lead Social Intake Caseworker
Denver Human Services
01.2021 - 06.2024
Social Intake Caseworker
Denver Human Services
06.2018 - 01.2021
Program Manager
Cottonwood Community Alternatives
06.2017 - 07.2018
Youth Success Advocate at High Tech Early College (HTEC)
OFFICE OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
08.2016 - 05.2017
Full-time Youth Counselor
Work and Learn ResCare
08.2014 - 05.2015
Full-time Youth Counselor
ResCare Youthtrack
02.2014 - 01.2016
Bachelor of Social Work -
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Associates of Liberal Arts -
Red Rocks Community College
- Child Welfare License or Certification – CO Department of Children and Families or equivalent.
- First Aid Certification
- CPR/AED Certification
- Certified School Social Work Specialist (C-SSWS) - National Association of Social Workers.
- TCI
- QMAP
- Motivational Interviewing
- CBT
- Crisis Intervention
Master of Social Work -
Metropolitan State University of Denver
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