Mental Health and Developmental Clinician

Paragon•Aurora, CO

6d•$60,000 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Child First Mental Health and Developmental Clinician partners with a Family Support Partner to engage families referred to the Child First home-based intervention. The role focuses on strengthening caregiver-child relationships as a protective buffer against stress and as support for children’s emotional, language, and cognitive growth. Using trauma-informed Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and other relationship-based, dyadic approaches, the Clinician works with caregivers and young children in a supportive, reflective, and exploratory manner. The Clinician helps caregivers understand child development, reflect on the feelings and experiences influencing children’s behavior, strengthen problem-solving, and consider how their own histories affect their responses to their children. The role may also include consultation with teachers and other early childhood providers. Child First is an evidence-based, two-generation intervention for vulnerable young children from prenatal through age five and their families. It provides intensive home-based services intended to reduce serious mental health problems, developmental and learning disabilities, and abuse and neglect through dyadic psychotherapy and care coordination. The position is based in Aurora, Colorado, with hybrid work involving travel to clients’ homes, schools, and other community settings, including one day per week serving Otero, Crowley, and Bent Counties. The schedule is flexible but requires availability for two to three evenings per week from 4–7 p.m. or three to four weekend hours. Salary is $60,000–$75,000 for provisionally licensed staff and $75,000–$85,000 for fully licensed staff.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Counseling, Social Work, Clinical Psychology, or a related field.
Obtain a preliminary clinical license within one month of employment; listed provisional licenses include LPCC, LSW, and LMFTC. Fully licensed candidates may hold LPC, LCSW, or LMFT credentials. Licenses must remain current and valid during employment.
At least three years of experience working psychotherapeutically with culturally diverse children and families, including parent-child therapeutic work and play therapy with children ages 0–5.
Experience providing mental health assessment and consultation to early care and education sites.
Knowledge and experience working with adults with mental health, substance use, and cognitive challenges.
Experience providing intervention in diverse home and community settings.
Valid driver’s license and auto insurance, and willingness to travel to homes and communities.
Live in or near the posting location.
Remain ethical and eligible to apply for a National Provider Identifier (NPI) and Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) credentials to provide clinical services under Medicaid.
Strong written and oral communication skills, including by phone and face-to-face.
Understand HIPAA, protected health information, and confidentiality.
Knowledge of relationship-based and psychodynamic intervention; early child development; parent-child relationships and attachment theory; effects of trauma and environmental risks on early childhood brain development; and community-level risk factors.
Openness to learning, capacity for self-reflection, and willingness to participate in reflective clinical supervision.
Strong commitment to the vision, mission, and goals of Child First.
Highly organized, self-motivated, reliable, and flexible, including willingness to work nontraditional hours.
Ability to work as part of a team and independently, maintain confidentiality, prioritize assignments, and manage time effectively.
Comfort with computers and experience using Word and Excel.
Strong conflict-resolution skills and rational decision-making skills.
Ability to build trust and engagement with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds, and to demonstrate sensitivity and acceptance of individual experiences.
Knowledge of parenting skills and childhood developmental stages.
Availability for two to three evenings per week from 4–7 p.m. or three to four weekend hours.

Nice To Haves

Past Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) training is highly valued.
Bilingual Spanish skills are preferred, depending on location.

Responsibilities

Engage with Child First families and the Family Support Partner in collaborative family assessments using interviews, observations of interactions and play, records, collateral sources, and standardized measures.
Develop an integrated clinical formulation and Child and Family Plan of Care in partnership with the Family Support Partner and family.
Provide home-based psychotherapeutic intervention using relational, dyadic psychotherapy (CPP) and other modalities.
Help caregivers gain insight into their personal histories, including trauma, their feelings toward the child, and current parenting practices.
Help avert crises by assisting families in urgent situations, in consultation with the Family Support Partner and Clinical Supervisor.
Provide mental health and developmental assessment and consultation in early care and education settings and to other early childhood providers.
Use videotaping to enhance therapeutic work with families and reflective supervision.
Participate in weekly individual, team, and group reflective clinical supervision with the Clinical Supervisor.
Participate in the Child First Learning Collaborative, including in-person trainings, distance learning, and specialty trainings.
Maintain appropriate documentation for clinical accountability and reimbursement.
Participate in other clinical and administrative activities as appropriate.
As clinical lead, oversee and motivate a multidisciplinary team and manage day-to-day team operations.
Ensure employees receive appropriate training and provide additional training when needed.
Travel to homes, schools, and community settings, including one day per week in Otero, Crowley, and Bent Counties.