School Mental Health Clinician

SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN

This is a 10 month position.

NATURE OF WORK

Under direction of district administration and within the scope of the license, provides supportive and direct mental health services to students and families. Provides assessment, diagnostic, counseling, and psychotherapeutic treatment services to students. May provide educational consultation services to other school staff, community agencies, and the public. Support the district implementation of Social Emotional Learning and School Mental Health policy. Work collaboratively with Specialized Instructional Support Personnel to provide a full continuum of behavioral/mental health support.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This is a grant-funded position to provide individual and small group counseling to middle and high school students. Position will include training and consultative support provided by the NC Child Treatment Program of The Center for Child and Family Health, Inc., in the delivery of Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS). SPARCS is a small group intervention for adolescents ages 12 - 21 who have a history of chronic interpersonal trauma, live with significant ongoing stressors, may have been diagnosed with PTSD, or exhibit other functional impairment. SPARCS uses a strengths-based approach to help adolescents enhance their coping skills and make choices more mindfully. SPARCS is based on three empirically-informed interventions that were adapted and integrated to address topics specifically relevant to adolescents exposed to chronic trauma and/or stress: 1) Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT); 2) Trauma Adaptive Recovery - Group Education and Therapy (TARGET); and 3) Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents (TGCT-A). Over the course of sixteen weeks, adolescents learn concrete skills to help them better manage stress and conflict, making it more likely that they can get their needs met in productive and healthy ways. Each mental health clinician will serve three schools and will provide the SPARCS group intervention to a minimum of 2 groups of 10-12 students at each school site during the 2026-2027 school year.

Duties may include conducting initial intake/diagnostic assessments, including suicide and threat, and substance abuse assessments; developing/monitoring individual treatment plans; identifying the needs of students and linking them to the necessary resources; providing individual, group, and family therapy; providing training and consultation to school staff; contributing to multidisciplinary, SEL, behavior support, and IEP teams; implementing protocols for students re-entering school following acute/residential mental health treatment; documenting services and submitting data for reimbursement; and writing clinical reports; and other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of behavioral change theories and practices including early intervention positive behavior supports; tiered intervention practices; brief counseling techniques and crisis intervention; behavioral and education-based mental health needs of students including mental health disorders and substance use disorders; trauma-informed care; special education programs, 504 and the IEP process; mental health and wellness related community and state resources; health regulations and ethics related to school-based mental health services including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA); effective staff development methods; documentation and reimbursement requirements for behavioral health services.

SUGGESTED TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Master's Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, or a related field and two (2) years clinical therapy experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Valid NC license to practice as one of the following: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) Licensed Psychologist (LP) Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA) Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA) Licensed Psychological Associate (LPA) Candidates who meet the educational qualifications, but who currently have a provisional license of either LCSWA, LCMHCA, or LPA may be considered, given appropriate supervision is in place. *

This specification has been designed to represent the general nature and level of work found in positions in this class. As such, it is not intended to contain all the duties and qualifications required of an employee in a single position (job). Consequently, it is not to be perceived as a position (job) description or as identification of essential functions as required by ADA.