Senior Therapist

Early Childhood Wellness Program

(1 Part-Time / 1 Full-Time)

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter square miles in the city have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Senior Therapistpositions.

An Overview

Within a variety of community settings, the Senior Therapist for the Early Childhood Wellness Program provides mental health prevention, early intervention and treatment services to support the healthy social and emotional development of children birth to age five across child serving systems. Utilizing a 3-tiered consultative model, the Senior Therapist focuses on early identification of concerns through clinical assessments and the provision of mental health consultation services to caregivers (e.g. parents, early care and education providers) regarding young children’s social-emotional, relational, behavioral health and development. The Senior Therapist collaboratively develops child centered support plans and coordinates plans with families, caregivers, teachers, and administrators for the purpose of consistent implementation. The Senior Therapist supports the implementation of evidenced-based social emotional curriculum for preschool children; monitors and supports the integration of key concepts into the daily operation of the classroom, conducts workshops on a variety of early childhood mental wellness topics, and assists families to access needed community resources and services. The Senior Therapist provides services to a culturally and ethnically diverse population within the City of Alexandria, many families are from Spanish speaking countries, Africa, and from the Middle East. Families and children served may present with developmental delays and disabilities, or complex trauma.

What You Should Bring

The ideal candidate should be passionate about serving in and creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective where everyone, from any background, can do their best work and stakeholders receive our best service. The incumbent should have strong knowledge of infant and early childhood typical and atypical development as well as effective intervention and prevention strategies for children aged birth to five and their parents. The incumbent should have strong knowledge of caregiver-child attachment and effective therapeutic modalities. The incumbent should have the ability to engage early care and education providers, preschool staff, young children and their families and the ability to collaborateeffectively with other agencies. The incumbent should have the ability to assess behavioral and emotional problems to develop an effective support plan. The incumbent should have strong training and consultation skills, excellent ability to communicate clearly and effectively, orally and in writing, with other professionals and with the general public, as well as the ability to work effectively as part of a team, demonstrating flexibility and the ability to evaluate fluctuating levels of need.

The Opportunity

1. Provides infant and early childhood mental health consultation and coaching to programs serving children birth to age five receiving services through the Parent Infant Education Program, early childhood preschool programs, family childcare homes and DCHS child welfare programs;
   
2. Conducts clinical observation and assessments of children birth to age five and develops strategies to support improved functioning;
   
3. Identifies functional and dysfunctional aspects of the child's behavior within the context of individual, family and learning environments and develops and adjusts support plans based on the children’s strengths and needs and caregiver preferences;
   
4. Maintains communication with referring agencies and other programs in order to coordinate support plans;
   
5. Conducts early childhood development presentations to preschools, parent groups and other organizations/programs that work with young children;
   
6. Prepares a variety of written reports including child support plans, progress notes, quarterly updates and reports to referral agencies and maintains data of program activities and outcomes;
   
7. May provide brief services to focus on child-centered goals identified in assessment, with the overall goal of strengthening caregiver/child relationship and refers children and their parents to outpatient programs and/or agencies which provide supplemental services;
   
8. Conducts program quality observations for family day home providers and center based childcare programs using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System® (CLASS);
   
9. Attends staff meetings, relevant training sessions and conferences and performs other related duties as assigned.
   

About the Department

The Center for Children and Families (CCF) provides programs and services for Behavioral Health, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, Child Welfare & Child Protective Services, Early Childhood and Youth Development. CCF provides compassionate, collaborative and effective person and family-centered services based on best practices. Our teams support self-determination, safety, recovery and resiliency for Alexandria children and all residents affected by abuse, neglect, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance abuse disorders.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Possession of Master’s degreein Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, Education or relatedfield; at least two years of post-graduate work experience in providing directclinical services to consumers having one or more substance abuse, psychiatric,and emotional disorders; and licensure or license eligible (has completed allrequired education and supervision as required by applicable board) as aLicensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW),Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner (LSATP) or ClinicalPsychologist in the Commonwealth of Virginia at the time of appointment; iflicense eligible, the employee must obtain Virginia licensure at the firstavailable opportunity, but no later than one year after appointment; or anyequivalent combination of experience and training which provides the requiredknowledge, skills and abilities. Must have a valid driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications

At least two years of experience providing mental health counseling services to diverse populations of young children birth to age five and their families. At least one year of specific knowledge, training, or experience in assessment and treatment of caregiver/child attachment issues. At least one year of experience in developing and presenting training workshops to groups. Certified by the State Lead Agency as an Early Intervention Professional or Early Intervention Specialist or obtain certification within six months of hiring. CLASS Observation Certification or obtain certification within six months of hiring. Must be Fluent and Bilingual in both English and Spanish.

Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to: FBI/Federal Records Check; VA State Child Abuse/Neglect Registry; Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Database; education/certifications; and driver’s license.

Schedule:

Part Time Position:

20 hours / week, flexible; minimum of one evening per week is required.

Full-Time Position:

Monday-Friday, 40 hours / week; flexible schedule, two evenings per week is required.