Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant for Child Care Centers - Shreveport Area

Job Purpose:    Provides mental health consultation to childcare centers as part of a state funded initiative to increase the quality of childcare centers in the state of Louisiana. Provides program-centered and child-centered consultation as needed for at least eight centers per each 6-month period.  Centers with eight or more classrooms will be counted as two centers towards the total. This includes, but is not limited to, bi-monthly interactive didactic seminars with center staff, bi-monthly classroom observations, in-vivo modeling of appropriate caregiving techniques for children ages 0-6 years, meetings with children’s parents, and making appropriate referrals to outside agencies. Consultant should be able to clinically conceptualize a wide variety of cases including young children with challenging behaviors, attachment problems, developmental delays, and/or other mental health problems and make appropriate referrals. Consultants should also be able to clinically conceptualize relationship difficulties that may occur between staff and children, staff and parents, and between staff members and to competently work with the individuals involved. Consultants are accountable for appropriate documentation of all services and contacts with center personnel and are responsible for responding to program director requests in a timely manner.

Experience and Knowledge:
Ph.D. or Master’s degree in clinical, counseling, school, or applied developmental psychology, clinical social work or closely related field and appropriate licensure or eligibility for licensure in Louisiana.
Completion of specialized training in infant mental health or capability to complete training in infant mental health.
Two years of experience in a clinical setting working with children and adults (e.g., mental health clinic, private professional practice, etc.).
A working knowledge of child development and childcare classroom practices preferred.

Skills and Abilities
Ability to form working relationships with childcare center staff, children, and families.
Must have the necessary physical skills to visit childcare centers, complete consultations and required documentation
Ability to organize and manage time independently
Flexibility in working schedule to accommodate childcare providers’ schedules and day to day operational conflicts
Effectiveness in planning and arranging work responsibilities including handling deadlines and changes in priorities
Must provide own reliable transportation for the implementation of job responsibilities
Must provide laptop/computer as necessary to fulfill all job duties
Verbal and written communications skills, including the ability to record with clarity and promptness
Good listening skills and the ability to ask appropriate questions
Ability to maintain poise, control and effectiveness in providing services to clients even under extreme stress and unexpected crises
Appropriately assertive even in difficult situations
Must demonstrate mature and objective, non-judgmental behaviors
Ability to assess situations both within and outside the client system and determine priorities
Maintains positive work relationship with other staff, is cooperative and promotes teamwork
Ability to identify and use community resources
Maintains personal appearance consistent with agency image
Assumes responsibility for own learning
Handles delicate situations tactfully
Ability to work within the purpose, structure and constraints of the Agency and to make suggestions for change in a responsible manner
Must maintain strict client confidentiality
Commitment to professional growth

Core Values of Staff
Compassion.                 We act with compassion toward others and work for the good of others by respecting people as the authors of their own lives.
Customer Service.         We work to delight our customers, both internal and external
Integrity.                       We act with the integrity that promotes the highest confidence, trust and accountability
Leadership.                   We demonstrate leadership in our organization and the community.
Teamwork.                    We work as a team, achieving more collectively than individually

Job Related Training Courses & Programs
Orientation
On-going in service training
Forty hours annually of continuing education in service area

Principal Duties & Responsibilities:
Conduct consultation visits to childcare centers (70% of time)
Observing the childcare setting to become familiar with the program and observing individual children, when requested, to assess functioning, relationships, or behavior difficulties.
Conducting regular meetings with center director to discuss goals for consultation.
Providing interactive didactic meetings to childcare center staff on the following topics: building positive relationships, building supportive environments, implementing social-emotional teaching strategies, working with families, and managing challenging behaviors.
Scheduling observations and didactic meetings to fit within pre-existing center schedules.
Maintaining & updating, when needed, all materials for didactic meetings.
Securing resources for staff and families about various topics related to child development (e.g., handouts on biting, end of consultation notebook, etc)
Completing child-centered consultation when needed using appropriate behavior checklists and providing written and oral feedback to parents as directed.
Maintaining up-to-date referral sources for the region and making appropriate referrals when indicated.
Facilitating the use appropriate assessment measures when indicated (e.g., Ages & Stages Questionnaire, Child Behavior Checklist, etc.)
Facilitating relationships between center staff, center staff and families, and center staff and children.
Maintaining professional & ethical conduct at all times while in a center.
Conducting parent meetings or seminars, when indicated, at times convenient to parents’ schedules using programs as directed (e.g., nurturing families program).
Conducting “follow-up” visits to childcare centers that have previously received consolation.
Maintaining reliable transportation at all times.
Travel to childcare centers within in designated region.
Participating in Infant Mental Health training if required, attending at least 80% of classes.
Participating in Consultant Retreats as required.

Must conduct a maximum of 4 childcare community trainings per year in person or via webinar platform as directed by the MHC program director.  Topics are determined by MHC program director.  (17% of time)
Must respond in a timely manner to all requests from MHC director and/or reflective supervisors.
Must interact with program research assistants in appropriate manner within prescribed timetable and participate in program evaluation as required.
Participate in sub-contracting agency staff meetings as required by sub-contracting agency.
Must recruit centers to fill case load (at least 8 per 6 month period).

Maintain all necessary records of program and case centered consultation. (10% of time)
Maintain confidentiality of consultees.
Keep an accurate and regularly updated record of all consultation related interactions including but not limited to:  consultation visits, seminars, referrals, assessments, and parent meetings.

Actively participate in reflective supervision (group & individual) as directed by program coordinator. (3% of time)