Mental Health Consultant

ALL INTERESTED APPLICANT MUST SUBMIT AN EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WACOG.COM/CAREERS

SUMMARY STATEMENT: Under direction, ensure Head Start goals, objectives, and activities are implemented as it relates to maximizing early childhood mental health and creating a shared vision between Head Start staff, children, and families. Work with administrators and staff on the program’s social and emotional climate, culture of wellness, and focus on equity for young children and families.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.

1) Collaborate with the Management Team and also specifically the Disabilities and Mental Health Specialist to provide a broad range of services, including early childhood mental health consultation in the classrooms; training and coaching staff; screening, assessment and referral services, promotion and marketing of group services, and providing parent trainings.

2) Build relationships and collaborate respectfully with families and staff to promote equitable, warm, and trusting relationships, consistent routines, and development-enhancing interactions that positively impact program and home climates. Provide support for children with behavioral difficulties or developmental challenges with the goal to support the overall well-being of children and families. Partner respectfully with families to understand the context and nature of a particular family’s life to enhance the young child’s and family’s well-being.

3) Maintain a systemic approach and aim for program-wide impact through a focus on multiple issues that affect the overall quality and equity of the program. Work to enhance programmatic functioning by assisting program administrators and staff in considering the program’s overall social and emotional climate, solving issues that affect more than one young child, staff member, and/or family, collecting and using disaggregated data to track program-wide disparities in both opportunity and the ways in which young children are disciplined, and support the development and implementation of policies that create more equitable experiences for young children and families. Work to strengthen bridges between systems serving young children and families to facilitate access to comprehensive and integrated care.

4) Use an organized approach to the stages of the consultative process (entering the new environment, establishing mutual expectations for the work, gathering information from and considering the perspective of all involved, facilitating the establishment of goals, supporting and assessing progress, righting the course of consultation when necessary, transitioning, ending).

5) Collect data to include recording observations in a timely manner, maintain current and accurate records, report on status, use data for follow up, and provide technical assistance to classroom staff to support accurate implementation of Center of Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFELS) and Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3 and ASQ-SE).

6) Adhere to the highest level of professional conduct and confidentiality. Adheres to ethics and standards of professional conduct, and, if licensed, adheres to the requirements for maintenance of licensure. Discusses confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality with program staff and families at the start of services, and, as circumstances indicate, revisits these topics during the course of consultative work.

7) Support mental health integration throughout all aspects of the WACOG Head Start program, ensuring the mission and philosophy of WACOG Head Start is clearly defined, understood, and integrated into the daily activities of staff, children, and families.

8) Promote cultural responsiveness in practices, policies, and procedures; Support staff in speaking with families in their preferred language; Provide training opportunities focused on increased cultural responsiveness to staff; Supports the capacity of others to work cross-culturally with the goal of positively influencing practice, policymaking, system functioning, and service delivery; Work to systematically involve families, key stakeholders, and communities in these efforts; Promote reflective practice with consultees, using this experience-based learning to support consultees’ professional growth and development.

9) Provide direct supervision of any mental health interns as part of agreements with a State college or university.

10) Assess the training needs and interests of the program to provide tailored professional development for staff.

11) Assist the management team in developing or facilitating communities of learning, which provide opportunities for self-reflection and peer-to-peer support within the program.

12) Provide services to help reduce stress including: supporting parents and staff through check-ins (virtual/in person); facilitate live/virtual/recorded trainings; lead staff wellness activities in person or virtually; share resources on mindfulness or stress reduction, and support Program in practicing the strategies and techniques; share resources to promote the mental health of children and families.

13) Partner with staff and families to identify and facilitate appropriate referrals for specific young children and families, for medical, developmental, mental health, and/or other needs; Consult and make recommendations for local community resources, including parenting and support groups, spiritually oriented services, and providers who offer mental health treatment to children and adults; Collaborate with other agencies and entities. Establish and maintain partnerships with programs and agencies within the service area serving young children and families (family support, early intervention, mental health treatment, child welfare) to collaborate on behalf of young children and families; Facilitate referrals to supports and services outside of the HSP/EHS program; Collaborate with local universities to promote the mental health workforce in Arizona.

14) Partner with families and staff in working to prevent mental health problems from developing or worsening and/or responding effectively to existing mental health concerns. Coordinate with systems leaders to build more equitable systems by addressing implicit bias, increasing positive relationships between early childhood providers and children with different abilities and from diverse racial/ethnic and language backgrounds, monitoring and using disaggregated data to reduce disparities, and developing and implementing new policies that support positive and equitable experiences for all young children.

15) Carry out mandate to report suspected child abuse and neglect, and support others in their responsibilities as mandated reporters.

16) Support and facilitate plans for mental health support during crises or disasters. Provide guidance related to the manner in which crisis drills are implemented. Considers developmentally appropriate explanations, procedures, advance preparation, and debriefing for staff, families, and young children. Proactively establish plans to address needs and concerns before, during, and after the crisis.

17) Lead, facilitate, or attend meetings, work groups, and trainings regularly or as needed; take responsibility for ensuring an adequate flow of information in all directions so that families, staff, and management are well informed; promote Head Start's mission and active parent engagement in the classroom/center.

18) Travel within WACOG service area, including overnight stays as needed; additional travel may be required.

19) Maintain reliable and predictable attendance; work outside of standard business hours as needed.

20) Utilize tact and discretion to maintain confidentiality of information and a positive image of WACOG.

21) Perform other duties as necessary to carry out the administrative/ programmatic goals and objectives of WAGOG and/or department.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES (KSAs) The individual who holds this position must be able to perform the essential duties and responsibilities satisfactorily. The KSAs listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed for satisfactory performance.

-Demonstrated understanding of Mental Health Consulting as an indirect service that helps to build the reflective capacities and relational health of families, staff who work in programs serving young children and families, and others who care for or provide services to young children. Can convey the difference between mental health consultation and other modes of intervention that involve direct mental health treatment for young children and/or families.

-Understanding of the impact of trauma (including racialized, historical trauma and family violence) on young child and family development and can educate others about trauma-informed approaches as needed.

-Skill in the use of a multi-disciplinary body of knowledge that informs consultation, including mental health concepts and psychological processes related to adults and adult functioning, including how caregivers’ current and historic access to opportunities and resources and their experiences with discrimination impact mental health. Help others understand parallel process and the ways experiences can affect interpretation of another’s behavior, and experiences with or responses to trauma.

-Ability to explicitly and intentionally act to create equitable and positive experiences for all young children, including those from historically marginalized and oppressed communities.

-Ability to understand and respond effectively to a young child’s mental health needs, behavioral difficulties, and/or developmental challenges or to a caregiver’s mental health needs.

-Knowledge of an organized approach to entering the new environment, establishing mutual expectations, gathering information from and considering the perspectives of all involved, facilitating the establishment of goals, supporting and assessing progress, righting the course of consultation when necessary, transitioning, ending.

-Demonstrated ability to recognize and maintain appropriate professional boundaries; Adheres to ethics and standards of professional conduct.

-Explicitly and intentionally promotes equity-from the individual level to the systemic level.

-Demonstrates understanding of the multidisciplinary body of knowledge that informs consultation.

-Demonstrates the understanding of the nature of and influences on development.

-Demonstrated understanding of the importance of self-awareness and the nature of reflective practice.

-Understands the functioning of and relationships between families, caregivers, mental health consultant, and systems.

-Demonstrates an awareness of race and racism, cultural variation, and normative differences in family structure.

-Promotes cultural responsiveness in practices, policies, and procedures.

-Uses self-reflection to enhance consultation. Assists others in reflecting.

-Values and promotes the power of relationships and the importance of relationship building.

-Ability to work collaboratively to understand a young child’s behavior.

-Demonstrated ability to support and facilitates referrals, service provision, and community collaboration.

-Ability to foster a deepened understanding of mental health issues and related interventions for child’s behavior in the context of mental health, trauma, and healing.

-Demonstrated ability to support and facilitate program-wide approaches to supporting the mental health of young children and families. Engages in group facilitation. Understanding and ability to evaluate the complexity of working within multiple systems.

-Knowledge of community resources, and limiting unnecessary barriers that prevent families from accessing services by making effective referrals.

-Demonstrated ability to promote mental health and social and emotional well being throughout the Head Start program.

-Working knowledge of the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

-Ability to write technical reports, and skill in navigating a variety of software programs.

-Ability to verbally communicate, instruct, read, and write in the English language.

MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology or related field. Must be licensed in the state of Arizona as a LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, Licensed Psychologist or State Certified Child Development Specialist. Clinical license required. At least two years professional experience working with young children and their families.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Direct experience providing prevention and/or mental health therapy to young children and families. Five years of experience working in early childhood education and with federal grants.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Current AZ DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card/ Criminal History Affidavit/Central Registry Background Check

Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-energy environment

*Ability to secure and maintain a driver’s license valid in the state of Arizona, or an acceptable alternative means of transportation. May be required to drive an agency vehicle. Employees authorized to operate a private vehicle for WACOG business are required to carry liability insurance minimums. For purposes of vehicle insurance, minimum 21 years of age.

**WACOG employees who are paid primarily from Head Start Program funds (≥50%)are required to obtain and maintain a current Health Physical and TB clearance

ALL INTERESTED APPLICANT MUST SUBMIT AN EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WACOG.COM/CAREERS

EOE/ADA

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $57,266.00 - $71,572.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

Salary : $57,266 - $71,572