Supervising Mental Health Clinician - Prenatal to Three (Open and Promotional) en County of San Mateo, CA

About the Department

The Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Division of San Mateo County Health is seeking a well-qualified individual for the position of Supervising Mental Health Clinician, to supervise and coordinate the professional work of mental health professionals, paraprofessionals and interns in a geographic or service unit and participate in program planning, administration and evaluation; and provide specialized psychiatric casework counseling and therapeutic services to children and their families within the Prenatal to Three Specialty Team.
 

The current vacancy is in the Mental Health Youth Services, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, Prenatal to Three Program.
  
Prenatal to Three The Pre-Natal to Three (Pre-3) Program provides specialized mental health services for pregnant women, new caregivers, and children ages 0–5 who meet medical necessity criteria for Specialty Mental Health Services. The program is rooted in a trauma-informed and culturally responsive framework, recognizing the critical importance of the earliest years of life in shaping long-term health and development.

Pre-3 clinicians deliver direct mental health treatment and case management while also supporting the parent-child relationship through dyadic and family-based approaches. The program partners closely with Children and Family Services, San Mateo Medical Center, Family Health, and community providers to ensure comprehensive care for families navigating complex needs. Collaboration extends to interagency efforts such as the Keller Center and Child Welfare Team, strengthening coordinated systems of support for vulnerable young children and their caregivers.

By addressing perinatal mental health, early childhood trauma, and family stressors, the Pre-3 Program plays a vital role in promoting resilience, preventing deeper system involvement, and improving long-term outcomes for infants, young children, and their families.

The Supervising  Mental Health Clinician will oversee a   multidisciplinary team that provides clinical outpatient services to children and their families. The team may include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and peer support specialists (family partners). The clinical team may also include master and doctoral level interns/trainees and psychiatric residents.

 The ideal candidate will possess:

• Knowledge of  trauma informed system of care principles and general services.
• Knowledge of program management techniques, system of care principles,  and practices.
• Demonstrated expertise and skill in clinical work with infants, young children and families, young children with serious emotional disturbances.
• Experience providing clinical services for clients with co-occurring disorders of mental illness and substance use.
• Ability to provide clinical case management to support the team, as needed.
• Experience working with clients of diverse cultures and backgrounds and conducting outreach to underserved communities from a trauma-informed perspective.
• Knowledge of evidence-based clinical practice modalities, e.g. Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Treatment, Child Parent Psychotherapy, Parent Child Interaction Training, etc.
• Knowledge of Medi-Cal and Medicare regulations and managed mental health care.
• Strong clinical assessment, diagnostic and evaluation skills.
• Strong supervisory/leadership skills which demonstrate an ability to direct and motivate a multi-disciplinary team.
• Collaborative skills and the ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with consumers, families, professionals and the public; including collaborative community engagement to plan and implement needed services.
• Ability to make sound decisions and manage crises based on the exercise of judgment and the consideration of all available information.

NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.

Position Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Function as the Unit Supervisor, and plan, assign, train, and supervise the work of a group of inter-disciplinary mental health professionals and interns.
• Plan, implement and coordinate all unit related activity.
• Participate in administrative staff meetings to formulate overall program plans and review ongoing operations.
• Establish and maintain program procedures which are consistent with federal, state and local laws governing mental health services.
• Monitor and consult with contract providers to ensure compliance with services requested by the County and to help determine jointly beneficial solutions to problem areas.
• Maintain unit records and collect statistical data for routine, evaluative and research purposes.
• Lead clinical meetings for cooperative planning of treatment and accountable case disposition.
• Facilitate development of training program for staff and interns.
• On occasion, the Unit Supervisor will conduct therapy for individuals, couples and families; 
   and make diagnoses.
• When appropriate, conduct case management functions.
• Maintain patient/client case documentation adhering to state and division policy and procedures.
• Provide crisis consultation, support and triaging for clinicians and their clients
• Screen for new clients and their families.
• As needed, act as liaison for clients hospitalized.
• Provide guidance and support to clinicians in discharge planning, follow-up care, and triaging to clients and family members.
• Provide both client-centered and program-centered consultation to external agencies, institutions and individuals.
• Provide community education and information to external agencies, institutions and individuals.
• Perform related duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Licensure/Certification:  Possession of a current California license in at least one of the following:  Clinical Psychology; Clinical Social Worker or Marriage and Family Therapy.

Education and Experience:  Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is a Master's degree in a mental health specialty, such as social work, nursing, or clinical counseling and two years of professional post-graduate experience in a mental health setting.

Knowledge of:

• Basic program management techniques and practices.
• Principles and practices of supervision and training.
• Principles and practices of Infant Mental Health.
• Trauma-informed care for young children and pregnant women.
• Neurobehavioral development, attachment, and relationship-based intervention approaches.
• Assessment and early relationship-based interventions for infants and mothers who have experienced trauma.
• Human and health services system in the county including private agencies and their community resources.
• Current philosophy, principles and practices for services to clients with serious mental illness.
• Legal and policy aspects of community mental health methods.
• Techniques of family, individual and group counseling and diagnosis.
• Individual, group and family psychodynamics.
• Current principles and practices of psychiatric casework.
• Mental health consultation and education.
• Problems, needs, attitudes and behavior patterns of clients.

• Supervise, train and evaluate inter-disciplinary staff.
• Work collaboratively with other senior professionals in planning and developing programs of a geographic or service unit.
• Prepare and deliver written and oral reports.
• Plan, implement and evaluate all operations of a geographic or service unit.
• Provide treatment to adults and/or children/adolescents with various dysfunctions.
• Establish and maintain objective working relationships with clients, other professionals, and the public.
• Evaluate degree of mental disability or emotional distress of clients.

Other Qualifications

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score.

A supplemental application form must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire. 

The examination will consist of an interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or a screening committee may select those applicants whose education and/or experience appear to best meet the needs of the position based solely on the information provided in the application materials. Because of this screening process, all applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. 

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the 'Apply Online' button above or below. If you are not on the County's website, please go to http://jobs.smcgov.org to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Final Filing Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025, by 11:59PM PST
Application Screening: Week of October 6, 2025
Panel/Departmental Interviews: Week of October 20, 2025

About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

The County of San Mateo is committed to advancing equity to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.