Clinician - Early Childhood

Employer Information

Clifford Beers is a mental health clinic serving children and families. Our mission is to provide integrated services addressing mental, physical, and social determinants in order to improve health, resiliency and quality of life for children, families and communities.

Purpose

The clinician role at Clifford Beers Clinic will have the opportunity to work closely with children, their parents, and the community. Under general supervision this position is responsible for delivering consultation services to support New Haven Head Start (NHHS) and New Haven School Readiness (NHSR) children, families and staff and for coordinating services and resources for families in need.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage with the New Haven Head Start sites to identify children and families in need of consultation and support
• Offer early childhood mental health consultation through classroom observation, assessments and in-home visits (when indicated) to NH School Readiness locations throughout the City.
• Gather information through screening, assessment, interviews, observations of interactions and play, review records and collateral sources
• Use all available information to develop thoughtful, well-integrated clinical recommendations for HS student success in partnership with NHHS staff
• Provide parent feedback and coaching to help the caregiver gain insight regarding personal history (including trauma history) and current parenting practices
• Provide guidance to staff and model developmentally appropriate activities for children and effective ways to work with and support young children mental health and developmental assessment and consultation within early care and education settings
• Support, coordinate and provide staff training related to social-emotional development, impact of trauma on children and families
• Offer parent training on related topics
• Keep all appropriate documentation for clinical accountability and reimbursement
• Participate in other clinical and administrative activities as appropriate
  
  

Competencies

Must demonstrate the following competencies:

• Diversity and Inclusion: Foster an environment in which all members of the Clifford Beers community, from staff to partners and clients, are treated equitably and are able to contribute fully and meaningfully to the mission of Clifford Beers. Employees must make every effort to:
• Treat others with respect
• Practice cultural humility
• Elicit and welcome different points of view
• Integrity: Act ethically with honesty and consistency regardless of the situation. Employees must make every effort to:
• Be accountable for his or her own actions
• Make decisions based on what is better for the families and employees
• Build and maintain trust among co-workers and our families
• Uphold honesty in all actions
• Excellence: Commitment to deliver outstanding practices in both managing the organization, service delivery, and collaborating with partners. Employees must make every effort to:
• Utilize data and research to provide the highest quality of care
• Regularly participate in professional development to stay abreast of most recent and progressive practices
• Promote continuous quality assessment and improvement
• Communication: The ability to express oneself clearly and professionally both in writing, conversations, and in nonverbal communication with others. Employees must make every effort to:
• Oral Communication
• Speak clearly and in an organized manner that can be easily understood
• Express ideas concisely and respectfully
• Summarize or paraphrase his/her understanding of what others have said to verify understanding and prevent miscommunication
• Hold herself or himself accountable for pitch, speed, tone and volume of voice while speaking
• Show understanding of professional and cultural implications of body posture, stance, gestures, proximity to listener, facial expressions and appearance
• Written Communication
• Write clear and concise sentences devoid of grammatical and spelling errors
• Tailor writing style to the audience of the message
• Write in a respectful and tactful manner
  
  

Education

• Master’s Degree in a Mental Health Discipline (LMSW if MSW). LCSW, LMFT, or LPC preferred
  
  

Requirements

• 3+ years experience preferred working in a mental health setting
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
  
  

Skills

Must exhibit knowledge and or proven ability in delivering developmentally appropriate services according to the program being supported, while demonstrating the following skills:

• Demonstrated understanding of infant and early childhood mental health
• Demonstrated knowledge of early childhood mental health and support systems
• A proven ability to document work in Electronic Medical Records
• A proven ability to conduct screenings and evaluations, and formulate diagnoses in accordance with the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM)
• A proven ability to provide case management and referrals for families
• A proven ability to triage clinical emergencies to appropriate level of care
• A proven ability to utilize trauma informed practices in the work with families
• A proven ability in working with adults with mental health, substance abuse, and cognitive challenges helpful
• Proven knowledge of relationship-based, early child development; parent-child relationships and attachment theory; effects of trauma and environmental risks on early childhood brain development, especially violence exposure, maternal depression, and substance abuse; and community-level risk factors (e.g., poverty, homelessness)
• A proven ability to apply principles of reflective supervision
  
  

Travel

• This role may require travel throughout the New Haven area
  
  

Physical Abilities

• 20% of the time is spent making repetitive motions
• 40% of the time spent sitting
• 20% walking, bending, standing, stooping, crouching or kneeling
• 20% of the time is spent using hands to type, write, or use controls
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
  
  

Environmental Conditions

• Indoors, Environmentally controlled
• Close Physical Proximity to coworkers