Early Childhood Mental Health Counselor presso Kidango

What You’ll Be Doing 

• Demonstrate understanding of early childhood mental health counseling 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 to influence what brings to the consultative work, relationships and interactions. Ability to assist others in self-reflection and perspective-taking.
• Ability to develop trusting and collaborative relationships with supervisees to support their professional growth and program quality.
• Show flexibility and comfort working in natural environments including early care/education classrooms, homes or other non-traditional clinical settings. Occasionally, work evenings and/or weekends.
• 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 counseling work.
• Understand and embrace a 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 counselor assignments at Kidango centers. Must have own reliable transportation.

 Preferred qualifications

• Clinical licensure as a LMFT, LCSW, LPCC or psychologist in California highly preferred (unlicensed professionals considered only with relevant experience, training, education and fit).
• Master’s degree or higher marriage and family therapy, psychology, social work or related behavioral science field required.
• At least 1 year 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.
• 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 counseling 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 (Other languages also considered include Vietnamese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Farsi, Tagalog)