You Matter 2 Inc. Art Therapist Flossmoor, IL · Contractor Company website

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You Matter 2 is a growing youth development nonprofit committed to closing opportunity gaps and empowering South Suburban youth to become confident leaders, engaged citizens, and future changemakers. We serve students in grades 6–12 through year-round programs that provide leadership development, college and career readiness, STEM education, academic support, workforce development, mentoring, service-learning, and enrichment experiences. At You Matter 2, we believe every young person deserves access to opportunities that inspire them to dream bigger, discover their strengths, and build the skills needed for lifelong success. Our programs are designed to help youth develop confidence, leadership, critical thinking, healthy relationships, and a strong sense of purpose while exposing them to experiences they may not otherwise have. Beyond direct programming, we are deeply committed to strengthening the communities we serve. Through signature initiatives such as the Juneteenth Parade & Block Party, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, community outreach events, and family engagement opportunities, we work alongside partners, volunteers, schools, and local organizations to create lasting impact. As our organization continues to grow, we are building a high-performing, mission-driven team that values collaboration, innovation, accountability, continuous learning, and a passion for serving youth. If you're looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful difference while helping shape the future of a dynamic and growing nonprofit, we'd love to have you join our team.

Expressions Unleashed | One-Year Contract

Organization: You Matter 2

Program: Expressions Unleashed

Position Type: Independent Contractor

Location: Flossmoor Community Church, Flossmoor, IL

Regular School-Year Schedule: Wednesdays, 6:00–7:00 PM

Summer Schedule: May vary based on summer programming calendar

Contract Term: One year

Estimated Sessions: Approximately 40–45 sessions annually

Compensation: $85 per facilitated one-hour session

Estimated Annual Compensation: Approximately 3,400–3,825

Reports To: Program Director

About You Matter 2

You Matter 2 is a youth development nonprofit serving middle and high school students throughout Chicago’s South Suburbs. Our mission is to close opportunity gaps and empower South Suburban youth to become confident leaders, engaged citizens, and future changemakers.

Through after-school and summer programming, college and career readiness, leadership development, mental wellness supports, enrichment opportunities, and community engagement, You Matter 2 creates spaces where young people can grow, connect, explore their interests, and thrive.

About Expressions Unleashed

Expressions Unleashed is You Matter 2’s art therapy and mental wellness program for high school students in grades 9–12. The program provides a supportive and engaging environment where students can use creative expression to explore emotions and experiences, strengthen coping and communication skills, build healthy connections with peers, and support their overall social-emotional well-being.

During the school year, Expressions Unleashed operates through two simultaneous cohorts:

• 9th–10th Grade Cohort
• 11th–12th Grade Cohort

Each cohort typically serves approximately 15 students and is facilitated by its own licensed therapist.

Sessions combine therapeutic art-making, guided reflection, group discussion, and relationship-building. Therapists have flexibility to identify themes and topics that are developmentally appropriate and responsive to the needs and interests of their cohort.

For the 11th–12th grade cohort, themes may particularly explore topics relevant to students transitioning out of high school and preparing for adulthood, including identity, independence, relationships, stress, decision-making, future planning, change, and personal growth.

Expressions Unleashed may also include culminating art projects that students develop over the course of a semester or program period, allowing individual sessions to build toward a larger creative and reflective experience.

The program continues during You Matter 2’s summer programming, although the schedule and format may differ from the regular school-year model.

Scope of Services

The Contract Art Therapist will:

• Plan and facilitate a one-hour therapeutic art session for an assigned high school cohort.
• Identify and develop engaging, age-appropriate themes responsive to the social-emotional needs and lived experiences of adolescents.
• Design therapeutic art activities connected to session themes and program goals.
• Facilitate guided discussions, reflection, creative expression, and other appropriate therapeutic group experiences.
• Establish a welcoming, affirming, culturally responsive, and youth-centered environment.
• Build consistent and appropriate therapeutic relationships with participating students.
• Develop sessions that build upon one another while maintaining flexibility to respond to emerging student needs.
• Develop and facilitate a semester-long or culminating art project when appropriate.
• Collaborate with the Program Director and You Matter 2 program staff regarding program themes, student engagement, scheduling, and implementation.
• Communicate significant student concerns to appropriate You Matter 2 staff in accordance with professional ethics, mandated-reporting requirements, confidentiality standards, and organizational procedures.
• Complete required program documentation and provide information necessary for program evaluation and grant reporting while maintaining appropriate clinical confidentiality.
• Maintain professional boundaries and comply with all You Matter 2 youth safety and program policies.
• Participate in reasonable program planning and coordination necessary to successfully deliver Expressions Unleashed.

Schedule & Annual Commitment

You Matter 2 is seeking a therapist interested in making a one-year commitment to Expressions Unleashed across fall, spring, and summer programming.

During the school year, regular Expressions Unleashed sessions are held:

Wednesdays | 6:00–7:00 PM

Flossmoor Community Church | Flossmoor, Illinois

Summer programming may operate on a modified schedule based on You Matter 2’s annual summer calendar. Summer dates and times will be communicated in advance and coordinated with the contractor.

The contract is expected to include approximately 40–45 sessions annually, although the exact number may vary based on the approved program calendar, holidays, organizational closures, summer programming, and other scheduling considerations.

Consistency is an important part of the Expressions Unleashed model. You Matter 2 is seeking a therapist who can establish continuity with students and build an ongoing relationship with their assigned cohort throughout the contract period.

Compensation & Resources Provided

Based on current grant and program funding, compensation is:

$85 per facilitated one-hour session.

With an estimated 40–45 sessions annually, anticipated compensation is approximately $3,400-$3,825 over the one-year contract period, depending on the final program calendar and number of sessions actually facilitated.

You Matter 2 provides:

• Dedicated program space
• Art supplies and materials
• Student recruitment and registration
• Student and family communication
• Attendance coordination
• Program administration
• On-site program staff support
• Snacks and student participation incentives
• Support coordinating culminating projects and other program activities

The therapist is not expected to personally purchase routine program art supplies or materials.

Required Qualifications

Candidates must:

• Be a currently licensed mental health professional authorized to practice in the State of Illinois and maintain active, unrestricted licensure throughout the contract period.
• Have education, training, or professional experience in art therapy, counseling, clinical social work, psychology, creative arts therapy, or a closely related behavioral health field.
• Have experience providing therapeutic services to adolescents, preferably in a group setting.
• Have experience incorporating art, creative expression, or expressive interventions into therapeutic practice.
• Understand adolescent development and the social-emotional needs of high school students.
• Be comfortable independently facilitating a therapeutic group of approximately 15 students.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop engaging, age-appropriate therapeutic activities and discussion topics.
• Utilize a strengths-based, youth-centered, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approach.
• Demonstrate strong relationship-building, communication, documentation, and group facilitation skills.
• Maintain appropriate clinical boundaries, confidentiality, professional ethics, and standards of care.
• Understand and comply with mandated-reporting responsibilities.
• Be dependable and able to maintain consistent participation throughout the one-year contract period, including school-year and applicable summer programming.
• Successfully complete required background checks and You Matter 2 contractor onboarding requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference may be given to candidates who:

• Hold credentials, certification, or specialized training in art therapy, expressive arts therapy, or another creative therapeutic modality.
• Have previous experience facilitating art therapy or therapeutic arts groups for high school students.
• Have experience working with youth from diverse communities and/or community-based youth development organizations.
• Have experience supporting adolescents around identity, relationships, coping, stress, grief, trauma, future planning, transition to adulthood, and other social-emotional needs.
• Have experience designing semester-long or culminating therapeutic art projects.

Independent Contractor Relationship

This opportunity is structured as a one-year independent contractor engagement. The selected therapist will enter into a written agreement with You Matter 2 outlining the scope of services, compensation, program calendars, documentation requirements, confidentiality expectations, youth safety requirements, and other applicable terms.

Program schedules may vary between fall, spring, and summer programming periods.

The contractor is responsible for maintaining all required professional licenses, credentials, professional liability insurance, and other professional requirements applicable to the therapeutic services provided.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal Expressions Unleashed Art Therapist understands that the program is about more than completing an art activity each week. We are seeking a licensed professional who can use art and creative expression as vehicles for connection, reflection, healing, self-discovery, and meaningful conversation.

The strongest candidate will be able to build trust with young people, understand what adolescents are navigating in their everyday lives, and translate those experiences into therapeutic sessions that are clinically appropriate, engaging, relevant, and meaningful to students.