Mental Health Advisor

SUMMARY

The Mental Health Advisor is responsible for providing onsite mental health consultation to teaching staff and families within all SJB Child Development Centers. The consultations are intended to directly support the social-emotional health and development of all children in the classroom, and allow SJB staff to work effectively, responsively, and collaboratively with children and families with mental health concerns, challenging behaviors, and individual developmental differences. Additional responsibilities include staff training, creating nurturing and emotionally responsive environments, increasing staff effectiveness in their interactions with young children and families, and developing strong school/home alliances.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Implement all aspects of the delivery of the SJB model of early childhood mental health consultation services to staff, children and families that includes system, program, center and child-level consultation to support child care.
• Enhance all relationships involved in the childcare setting.
• Strengthen staff effectiveness and their interactions with young children and families.
• Conduct consistent and ongoing consultation meetings/conversations, observations, assessments and other consultative/therapeutic activities.
• Establish and maintain strong collaborative and professional relationships with children and families with mental health concerns, challenging behaviors and individual developmental differences.
• Conduct in-person evaluative child observations and support the referral process for community-based services and resources, as needed.
• Collaboratively develop the center’s Child Success Plans and ensure their success. I did not see this on your JD, but it was on the final.
• Support the social-emotional health and development of all children in the classroom.
• Develop and/or facilitate trainings on a range of early childhood mental health topics for consultation as part of consultation support.
• Cultivate positive and inclusive learning environments.
• Provide intervention with mental health or behavioral crisis as they arise while adhering to laws and regulation. Situations may be related to mandated reporting and suspected child abuse.
• Attend clinical supervision with Lead Mental Health Advisor.
• Attend required meetings.
• Other duties as assigned by the Educational Health and Supportive Services Director, Program Director, Chief Executive Officer, or Chief Financial Officer.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Ensure that mandated reporting laws and regulations are followed appropriately.

Ensure the health and welfare of staff and children is maintained at all times.

• Mandated to report suspected child abuse.
• Ensure staff understand and follow agency procedures and reporting requirements related to health and safety standards.
• Report safety hazards and injuries immediately and ensure proper paperwork is competed in a timely manner.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrate understanding of early childhood mental health consultation as building the mental health capacities of teachers, staff, families and others who care for young children and utilize the principles of the consultative stance in the oversight and implementation of the program.
• Demonstrate the value of self-reflection and practice the examining of one’s own values, beliefs, assumptions, biases and experiences and how influence what bring to the consultative work, relationships and interactions.
• Ability to assist others in self-reflection and perspective-taking.
• Ability to support the mental health of infants, young children and the adults who care for them.
• Understand and embrace the complexity, ambiguity and process-orientation of consultative work.
• Understand and embrace multidisciplinary approach for working with young children, families and other caregivers and staff.
• Understand typical and atypical growth and development of young children. Understand cultural variations in development, teaching practices, childrearing practices and caregiver expectations.
• Respect diversity and embrace working with multi-cultural communities.
• Understand the influence of power, inequity and oppression as related to adult and child behavior and relationships.
• Communicate respectfully and maintain effective relationships with all staff, partnering agencies and other stakeholders.
• Ability to provide accept responsibility, set goals, work independently and in cooperation with others.
• Professional, self-motivated and self-directed.
• Effective and strong communicator. Ability to communicate clearly in English both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to write concise, informative written information in a timely manner as needed within the position.
• Ability to exercise good judgment clinically, legally and ethically and willing to consult with supervisor as needed.
• Ability to make decisions and multi-task.
• Position requires travel to consultation assignments within Santa Clara County.
• Must have own reliable transportation to travel to various locations.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Clinical licensure as a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist (LMFT), Licenses Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), Licensed Psychologist in California, or licensure eligible.
• At least one (1) year of previous experience working with young children 0-5 and their families in as a mental health clinician or other clinical role specializing in psychotherapeutic work with young children and their families.
• At least one (1) year previous experience working with children with IEP’s and determining the required accommodations for their needs.
• Knowledge of early development and work experience in group settings for children.
• Experience with assessment of young children’s social and emotional functioning.
• Experience with and/or knowledge of group dynamics and intervention with adults.
• Experience working within multi-cultural and under-resources communities.
• Experience therapeutically supporting children and adults affected by poverty, trauma and the multitude of other stressful, adverse experiences.
• Endorsement as an infant/family early childhood mental health specialists/reflective practice facilitator or reflective mentor highly preferred although not required.
• Education or training in infant mental health, early childhood mental health and early childhood development including evidence-based, trauma-informed models (i.e. Child Parent Psychotherapy).
• Familiarity with school-based mental health consultation in early care and education settings such as Early Head Start, Head Start, and state-preschool programs.
• Practice from a bio-psycho-social clinical approach, inclusive of ecological, attachment, trauma, neuroscience and developmental theories and rooted in infant mental health philosophy and principles.
• Strongly seeking bilingual in Spanish/English.
• Must be in good health as verified by a current health screening, including a test for tuberculosis performed under the supervision of a physician not more than one year prior to employment.
• Proof of up-to-date immunization records to include but not limited to measles, pertussis, tuberculosis and influenza (annual).
• Must be able to pass a fingerprint clearance, criminal record, FBI and DOJ clearance and Child Abuse Central Index Check prior to employment.
• Must possess a valid California Driver’s License and meet minimum insurance requirements for personal vehicle and have a driving record which meets the standards set forth in Administrative Regulation 4532 and 4533. If current auto insurance has a “Business Use Exclusion” it will need to be removed from your policy.
• Completion of Mandated Reporter Training as per Assembly Bill 1207. Must be completed every 2 years.
• Current Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid certificate from an approved vendor required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Physical Demands:
• Requires an employee to do the following on a regular basis: stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, feel, reach with hands and arms, stoup, kneel, crouch, crawl, talk, hear, smell, lift 35 pounds or more, move safely and quickly across surfaces on a regular basis.
• Requires an employee to occasionally climb or balance.
• Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
• Requires an employee, on a regular basis to use the following visually: close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to judge distances.
• Requires an employee to use their hearing on a regular basis to: respond quickly to sounds, recognize alarms, and receive detailed information through oral communication.
• Requires an employee to access and navigate each department at the organization’s facilities on a regular basis.
• Requires an employee to drive a vehicle to conduct work on a regular basis.
• Requires an employee to have the ability wear personal protective gear correctly most of the day (as needed).
• Work Environment:
• Requires an employee to work indoors in a noisy environment on a regular basis.
• Requires an employee to work outdoors in cold, wet and heat conditions on occasion.

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