Bilingual Mental Health Clinician - Sonoma County
Here is your opportunity to join a team committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of vulnerable and under-served children and their families. As a Mental Health Clinician, you’ll be rewarded by knowing that you are truly making a difference in the community. The Mental Health Clinician serves abused and neglected children by diagnosing, developing treatments plans and by providing counseling and advocacy for foster youth in our Sonoma County community. You can help provide safety and stability to some of the most vulnerable children and families as a Mental Health Clinician at Alternative Family Services.
You will earn supervised hours for licensure in a dynamic and growing mission-driven agency. In this full-time role you will be fully trained in Medi-Cal documentation, become certified in CANS Assessments, and gain the client and case management hours needed for licensure as an LCSW, MFT, or LPCC. This program is based on a culturally relevant, family-centered, strength-based approach to treatment. We provide extensive training, clinical supervision and support for a career that will develop you professionally and reward you personally. Alternative Family Services offers a competitive salary, an excellent benefits package, and a $2,500 sign-on bonus. See details below!
About Alternative Family Services
Alternative Family Services is a Foster Family, Adoption and Mental Health Agency that has been serving abused and neglected children in our community since 1973. Our mission is to support vulnerable children and families in need of stability, safety, and well-being in communities. We provide a wide range of foster, adoption, mental health and transition-aged youth services in English and Spanish. We have eight locations throughout the Bay Area including Oakland and over 200 employees. We celebrate diversity, equal opportunity, and excellence.
Responsibilities
- Conduct assessment, diagnosis and treatment plan development for each client on caseload
- Provide counseling, intake, clinical case management, advocacy, linkage, support and individual and family therapy for clients and families
- Drive and transport children into a variety of community settings using a personal vehicle that is maintained in safe working order
- Work collaboratively within a team-based and Child Welfare informed approach
- Consistently meet agency productivity expectations as delineated by job title
- Write and enter progress notes on a computer on a daily basis to document delivery of services and assure charts are in compliance with Medi-Cal
- Adhere to all Medi-Cal requirements and Quality Management standards with consistent chart approval at Utilization Reviews
- Meet on a weekly basis with Clinical Supervisor and attend weekly treatment team and administration staff meetings/trainings
- Use supervision effectively by incorporating feedback into clinical practice
- Demonstrate the flexibility to meet client and families scheduling needs
- Identify obstacles to delivering treatment services during supervision and follow through on problem-solving measures as discussed
- Identify client risk issues and manage those risks by seeking supervision and following agency protocols
- Provide services via methods consistent with the agency’s treatment philosophy and approach; implement/apply clinical tools
- Provide emergency response; evenings and weekends may be required
- Consistently engage clients and families in services
- Positively contribute to program and agency team culture through collaboration, professional group participation, the de-escalation of conflict, and positive communication
- Deliver culturally sensitive services
- Maintain a professional demeanor in a stressful environment
- Interact calmly and professionally with clients during periods of escalation
- Interact with co-workers, county representatives, and other treatment team members as part of a cooperative team
- Work with autonomy in the field, manage time, and prioritize workload
- Train or supervise new staff or graduate student interns (can include but will not be limited to peer mentoring, and in-field shadowing opportunities)
- Assume other duties as assigned by supervisor
- Participate in site maintenance activities as needed
Desired
- Experience with in-home or community based services for children and families
- Proven track record of implementing evidenced based or evidenced based informed models of service delivery
- Experience in social services and system involved youth
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Experience with EPSDT Medi-Cal funded programs
- Experience working as part of a treatment team providing intensive services
Needed Upon Hire
- Licensure (LCSW, LMFT, LPCC) or registration (ASW, AMFT, APCC) with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Candidates who expect to be registered within 4 months of being hired will be considered
- Master’s Degree in related field
- Bilingual (English/Spanish)
- First Aid/CPR Certified
- Ability to obtain fingerprint and government background clearances
Driving Requirements
This position requires the employee to work out in the community and within foster homes throughout the Bay Area. Thus, position requires employee to possess a valid CA driver’s license and valid automobile insurance with his/her name on the verification card as an insured driver on the policy at all times. Position requires daily access to a car in safe working order.
We Offer
- Starting salary $70,000-$72,000
- $2,500 sign-on bonus with half paid in first paycheck and half paid after 90 days of employment
- Licensure stipend $3,000
- Earn supervised hours and gain the client and case management hours needed for licensure as an LCSW, MFT, or LPCC
- Stipend to support licensure process and outside training
- Various in-house training on modalities including family therapy, play therapy, trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive practices, Triple P Positive Parenting, early childhood mental health, navigating the child welfare system, and other evidence-based models such as CBT and DBT
- We qualify as a public service loan forgiveness agency
- A professional and supportive work environment
- Benefits package which includes:
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- Chiropractic and Acupuncture
- Flex-spending options
- Life and disability insurance
- 403(b) option
- Over 8 weeks time off annually! (11 vacation days the first year – accruals starting on your 1st day and progress up to 20 days a year! 12 paid holidays including your birthday off & 12 sick days annually!)
AFS makes substantial monthly contributions on your behalf to keep out of pocket premiums at an all time low!
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of Ancestry, Age, Color, Disability, Genetic Information, Gender, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Marital status, Medical condition, Military or veteran status, National origin, Race, Religion, Sex, or Sexual orientation.