California Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Specialist

WestEd • San Francisco, CA

4d • $50 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Network Consultants (Specialists) work in communities providing direct in-person and virtual support to center-based administrators, teachers, staff, and home-based care providers. IECMHC Network Specialists are matched with assignments based on geographic location, areas of expertise, individualized program needs and consultant availability. The IECMHC Network team coordinates the referral and intake processes with programs and providers. It also provides resources and an array of supports for IECMHC Network Specialists, including individual and group reflective practice. IECMHC Network Specialists adopt the Consultative Stance in applying diversity-informed, reflective and relationship-based approaches to collaborating with home-based providers, center-based staff, and program leaders to build their capacity to:

Respond effectively to children’s developmental, social, emotional and behavioral health needs.
Consider all relationships influencing young children’s relational health and well-being, adult-child relationships and those amongst the adults caring for children.
Engage in self-reflection about personal values, perceptions, beliefs, culture, and connections between adult’s feelings and behavior and children’s feelings and behavior.
Reframe children’s behavior to problem solve and practice new ways of responding to children’s needs.
Gain knowledge and skills in understanding the impact of trauma on young children and develop a trauma-responsive lens to inform their approaches working with young children and their families.
Develop inclusive and equitable policies and procedures that reflect a commitment to serving all children and families.
Promote staff/provider health and well-being by attending to their feelings and experiences within the context of their relational work and interactions with young children and their families.
Increase awareness and connection to community resources.
Consultant hours are intermittent and will vary based on program needs and consultant availability.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in social work, psychology, mental health, counseling, early childhood special education, early childhood education or child development, and/or a closely related field.
• At least 3 years experience providing consultation, coaching, and/or technical assistance with child care and early education staff/providers.
• At least 2 years providing and receiving reflective practice.
• Experience working directly in a child care or early education setting with children birth through five years old and their families.
• Experience working with home-based providers, including family child care home providers and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers.
• Ability to provide relationship- and strength-based consultation using inquiry and reflective practices.
• Knowledge of social, emotional and relational health, and fostering the well-being of young children and the adults who care for them.
• Knowledge of trauma-responsive practices and policies in child care and early education settings.
• Knowledge of community resources for children ages birth to five and their families.
• Knowledge of inclusive practices and IDEA and ADA requirements.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.
• Must perform all work physically located in California.

Nice To Haves

• Clinical licensure or license eligible preferred but not required.
• Endorsement in Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health and Reflective Practice Facilitation.
• Fluency in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Farsi/Persian, Hindi, and Arabic.

Responsibilities

• Providing direct in-person and virtual support to center-based administrators, teachers, staff, and home-based care providers.
• Adopting the Consultative Stance in applying diversity-informed, reflective and relationship-based approaches to collaborating with home-based providers, center-based staff, and program leaders.
• Building capacity in providers to respond effectively to children’s developmental, social, emotional and behavioral health needs.
• Building capacity in providers to consider all relationships influencing young children’s relational health and well-being.
• Building capacity in providers to engage in self-reflection about personal values, perceptions, beliefs, culture, and connections between adult’s feelings and behavior and children’s feelings and behavior.
• Building capacity in providers to reframe children’s behavior to problem solve and practice new ways of responding to children’s needs.
• Building capacity in providers to gain knowledge and skills in understanding the impact of trauma on young children and develop a trauma-responsive lens.
• Building capacity in providers to develop inclusive and equitable policies and procedures.
• Building capacity in providers to promote staff/provider health and well-being.
• Building capacity in providers to increase awareness and connection to community resources.

Benefits

• WestEd supports individual initiative, excellence, and hard work of all individuals in our hiring and work practices.
• WestEd complies with all applicable federal and state anti-discrimination laws, as well as OFCCP requirements.
• All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, or status as a protected veteran.
• The option of working at one of its facilities for employees.
• Many roles allow employees to choose to work remotely for their own convenience.
• Individual and group reflective practice.
• Criminal background check and education verification for all new hires.
• For more details about our benefits, go to: https://www.wested.org/work-at-wested/#benefits
• WestEd is a Drug Free Employer and maintains a drug-free workplace.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Mid Level