Early Childhood Court Infant Mental Health Therapist (Field-based)
GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: Provides specialized clinical services to families with young children. Clinicians will be trained in the Zero to Three Safe Babies Court Teams approach – a national model for families with children 0-5 involved in child welfare. The Early Childhood Court program statewide initiative designed to improve outcomes for families by addressing the underlying challenges they may face. Clinicians will be primarily field based, providing parent-child relationship assessments, Child Parent Psychotherapy, and working closely with the case management team with focus on attachment and bonding. Clinicians maintain a trauma-informed approach to engage caregivers in the therapeutic process, understanding that many families involved in child welfare have trauma histories. Candidates will be required to attend court and family team meetings on a regular basis and have must strong report writing and communications skills.
REPORTS TO: Early Childhood Court Clinical Supervisor
` Covering both Manatee and Sarasota counties
STATUS: Full time, Non-Exempt
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
¨ Minimum of a Master’s degree from an accredited university in the area of psychology, social work, or related human services field.
¨ Must be licensed or a registered Florida mental health or social work intern.
¨ Strong foundation in providing trauma informed care, preferably with the early childhood population.
¨ Candidates trained in CPP (Child Parent Psychotherapy) preferred.
¨ Must have a flexible schedule to accommodate families’ needs.
PRINCIPLE DUTIES
¨ Provide field-based parent-child relationship assessments, Child Parent Psychotherapy and working closely with the case management team.
¨ Complete family intake assessments on each case, comprehensive assessments/biopsychosocial, treatment plans and reviews and other related and/or medical record/case file documentation within the required time limits according to agency policy and procedure.
¨ For children in foster care: provide their Case Manager with the necessary verbal and written information to present at court, family team meetings, reviews, intake and discharge planning and information relative to the completion of the visitation plan, etc.
¨ Attend and participate in monthly court proceedings, as appropriate and/or when required (required monthly to present on assigned case progress, by subpoena, and/or by direct request).
¨ Attend and participate in staffings/family team meetings, i.e., including but not limited to: administrative meetings, permanency meetings, school staffings when applicable, treatment/service plan meetings and reviews, supervisory meetings, as appropriate, and according to agency policy and procedure.
¨ Maintain a minimum of 1 hour direct face-to-face contact weekly, through the provision of individual and/or family therapy, with each of the assigned eligible children/families in the foster home, primary residence of the child and/or family, school, day care, preschool or any appropriate setting. In cases where children are out of the area and/or have existing behavioral health care services in place, the need for, type and frequency of contacts by the therapist will be made on a case-by-case basis by the team and supervisor of provider agency.
¨ Provide after-care planning, follow-up services and refer clients to supportive services to supplement and/or augment treatment and counseling.
¨ Provide, strengthen and maintain a clinical support role by providing support and training to foster parents, birth parents, primary caregiver(s) and other team members and professionals involved in the case.
¨ Provide on-going support to the child’s family unit, ensuring that the family is providing a safe and secure home environment for the child including the provision of crisis intervention and supportive counseling to the primary care giver in order to stabilize the child in their family context.
¨ Assist the primary caregiver(s) and/or foster parents in developing and implementing weekly activities/tasks directed to each child according to specific case plan, service plan and/or treatment plan goals and objectives.
¨ For foster children; provide on-going supervision and support to the biological family in completing the therapeutic goals and objectives required for reunification.
¨ Attempt to create, strengthen and maintain positive, supportive working relationships between the foster parents, biological parents, all professionals involved and the child.
¨ For foster children, provide input to Case Manager to assist in completion of the visitation plan.
¨ Provide input to child’s teacher and the Children’s first social emotional consultant provider to support child’s academic functioning.
¨ Abide by the Children and Families Incident Reporting Procedure (Supplement I to HRSR No. 215-6) and agency Incident Reporting Procedures, as appropriate.
¨ Develop and maintain appropriate documentation and concurrent planning in accordance with administrative regulation and according to agency policy and procedure.
¨ Intervene and assist agency staff in crisis situations, as necessary.
¨ Close cases when appropriate according to agency policy and procedure.
¨ Attend and participate in professional development training for professional growth as developed by the agency, as required by the Department and according to agency policy and procedure.
¨ Other duties as assigned.
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS/PERSONAL QUALITIES
¨ Willingness to carry out the mission of The Florida Center for Child and Family Development and its programs.
¨ Demonstrated problem solving skills, decision-making skills and sound judgment.
¨ Ability to get along with all types of people in various situations.
¨ Demonstrated time management skills, effective public speaker, attention to details, and demonstrated independent mobility within the community.
¨ Ability to tolerate continuous stress and pressured situations.
¨ Ability to interpret, adapt and apply guidelines and procedures.
¨ Ability to work independently and utilize initiative, ability to be organized and meet deadlines.
¨ Computer experience in a Windows environment, ability to learn and utilize other software programs.
¨ Possess excellent communication skills appropriate for children and parents.
¨ Work to continue personal competency through in-service training, education, outside literature, seminars, etc.
¨ Complies with agency/state/legal mandates for reporting suspected abuse/maltreatment/neglect or person at risk of homicide/suicide to appropriate authorities and completes all necessary paperwork.
¨ Attends staff meetings. Standard 90% attendance.
¨ Ability to complete assigned paperwork in compliance with standards, including time sheets, mileage logs, leave requests, client records, client appointments and management information system.
¨ Ability to provide quality services to clients and families as evidenced by assessment of services and the quality improvement system.
¨ Attend staff development training for professional growth.
¨ Understanding and support for the values of family-centered services.
¨ Commitment to children’s safety and family stability.
¨ Accepts differences in norms, values and heritage.
¨ Ability to work in partnership with other team members.
¨ Maturity and experience in successfully working with children and their families.
¨ Ability to maintain established caseload productivity requirements.
¨ Ability to maintain established standards for direct client contact.
¨ Ability to maintain client confidentiality according to established policies, federal and state statutes as evidenced by obtaining needed releases of information and maintaining updated releases of information.
¨ Ability to provide complete documentation for services rendered within established time frames, including daily log, progress notes, assessments and case plans and other required documentation.
¨ Understanding that work will take place in the family home and/or community.
¨ Ability to work a flexible schedule in order to meet the families’ needs consistent with the practice model and program design.
¨ Understands the role in which cultural identity plays in motivating human behavior.
¨ Identifies personal and institutionalized bias or discrimination.
¨ Ability to work with families who may not want service.
¨ Ability to engage persons served in a way that the families’ competencies emerge.
¨ Ability to use clinical and/or other skills to carry out the program as designed.
¨ Valid Florida Driver License and full-time access to a reliable vehicle with appropriate insurance coverage.
¨ Able to research and analyze.
¨ Positive attitude.
¨ Ability to adhere to drug free workplace policy.
¨ Professional appearance and behavior.
¨ Ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment.
¨ Ability to work in partnership with other service providers.
¨ Ability to forge a mutually respectful partnership with persons served and their families in which they are helped to gain the skills and confidence to address any issues and problems they face.
¨ Conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change.
¨ Ability to intervene appropriately to meet the needs of the persons served or other family members.
¨ Commitment to empowering families to solve their own problems and to the value of a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a child.
¨ Ability to intervene decisively, when necessary, to protect family members from one another or others.
¨ Ability to set appropriate limits and boundaries with clients and families as a practitioner in order to assure the safety and protection of the family members and maintain the helping role of the practitioner.
TYPICAL WORKING CONDITIONS
Therapy room, classroom, client’s home or other community settings.
TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Requires individual to perform a broad range of activities. Requires full range of motion, including manual and finger dexterity and hand and eye coordination. Requires corrected vision, speech, and hearing to normal range, or special accommodations made of sufficient nature for completion of assigned tasks. Ability to lift 30 pounds. Occasionally requires working under stressful conditions or working irregular hours. Requires seated work at desk, including use of a computer. Ability to drive.
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Mileage reimbursement
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Vision insurance
Medical specialties:
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
Work setting:
Application Question(s):
- Are you licensed or a registered Florida Mental Health or Social Work Intern?
Education:
Work Location: In person