Job Summary

Seeking an experienced mental health therapist to provide individual, group, and family therapy to elementary school children in a specialized academic setting. Students receiving therapy services are K-8 Grade students who have an academic disability and have a mental health diagnosis. Bilingual Spanish and Arabic therapists are highly encouraged to apply!

New Alternatives is contracted with Cajon Valley Union School District to provide school-based therapy to students who have therapy supports in their IEP’s. We are highly skilled professionals working collaboratively to implement evidenced based interventions to students who have emotional and behavioral disabilities. We work alongside teachers, school psychologists, behavioral staff, and administrators to provide positive academic settings and interventions designed to foster healing and growth. We believe in individualized, client-focused and strength based interventions utilizing the power of relationship, positive reinforcement, and trauma-informed care.

Please be aware that these students have incredibly challenging behavior. This can include physical aggression, property destruction, anger outbursts, verbal aggression, and awol. Many of our students have extensive trauma histories, limited resources, as well as organic mental health diagnoses. At New Alternatives, we believe that challenging behaviors are the direct results of lacking the developmental skills needed to manage a day to day demands. We believe that these children are doing the best that they can given the resources and circumstances at that given time. We utilize the power of relationship with our clients to develop lagging skills, as well as evidenced based interventions in our therapy sessions.

Responsibilities and Duties

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Other duties may be assigned)

• Provides individual, group, family and/or milieu based therapy in a school based setting.
• Completes comprehensive intake assessment that includes mental health, physical health, trauma, and possible substance abuse
• Formulates, monitors, and revises goals alongside the IEP team focused on improving social, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
• Assists families in creating crisis/safety plans to prevent/respond to unsafe behaviors or environments that may exist in the home or community
• Facilitates a wide array of therapeutic interventions based on evidence based practices.
• Provides crisis intervention to students on school sites.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and timely case records.
• Maintains positive relationships with school staff, co-workers, clients and families.
• Attends and contributes to IEP meetings.
• Follows county guidelines with regard to Pathways to Wellbeing including those related to teaming, collaboration, documentation, use of proper service codes, scheduling of child and family team meetings, and other responsibilities as assigned
• Required to travel between office and community locations, including client homes, in personal vehicle
• Active participation in individual and group supervision

Qualifications and Skills

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s Degree in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology, Counseling, or related field from an accredited university
• Must be a registered intern in social work (ASW), psychology (Ph.D/Psy.D.), or marriage and family therapy (IMFT), or licensed LCSW, MFT, or Psychologist

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability to work effectively in a multi-faceted team of professionals
• Strong collaboration and communication skills
• Ability to provide psycho-education to IEP team around various diagnosis and/or clinical presentations.
• Strong awareness and proficiency working with clients from multi-cultured backgrounds.
• Strong self-assessment, self-awareness, and self-regulations skills.
• Bilingual Spanish / Arabic strongly preferred.
• Experience with providing school-based therapy and understanding of the IEP process
• Experience providing therapy to children with autism and/or sensory processing challenges.
• Knowledge of Trauma Informed Care, Positive Discipline, Play Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing
• Pro-Act trained and/or experience with crisis and de-escalation
• Ability to conceptualize a client from a wide lens, taking into consideration trauma, early childhood experiences, culture, family dynamics, physical health, social functioning, intellectual ability and other domains that contribute to the client’s current presentation
• Strong systemic assessment skills of team and family dynamics
• Experience providing individual, group, family and milieu based therapy to children and adolescents
• Case Management skills and experience with linking families and clients to supports in their community

Benefits

• Excellent Medical and Dental Benefits
• Vacation and Sick Time
• 403B Plan
• Family Fit Program through LA Fitness

Job Type: Full-time

Required experience:

• providing school-based therapy and understanding of the IEP: 2 years

Required education:

• Master’s

Required license or certification:

• IMFT, ASW, Ph.D/Psy.D,LCSW, MFT, or Psychologist

Required languages:

• Spanish
• Arabic