Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant - KSA Latino/e/Spanish

This position is 32 hours per week and has summer-leave. The Early Childhood (EC) Mental Health Consultant - KSA Latino/e/Spanish provides culturally and trauma responsive preventative mental health consultation services to Albina Head Start, Albina Home Visitors, and Portland Public School Head Start administrators, staff, and the families receiving their services for the purpose of improving adult provider and caregivers' capacities to promote the healthy social emotional development of children in their care, especially Latino/e and Spanish-speaking children and families. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA): Latino/e cultural KSA requires the understanding of cultural/racial/ethnic factors, including systemic disadvantage; acculturation, intergenerational immigrant family challenges and protective factors, effects of trauma during immigration, war, separation from family/primary supports, detention, generational trauma, and any factors related to non-dominant culture affecting mental health/substance abuse and treatment. This would be demonstrated by knowledge of the traditions, values and customs of the community being served as well as the ability to identify specific examples of experience working directly with individuals and families who identify with the Latino/e and Spanish-speaking community. (Language testing will be required)

***As a newly hired Mental Health Consultant, you will receive a one-time New Hire Recruitment and Retention Incentive payment of $1,500 on your first paycheck. The incentive will be prorated based on the position's FTE status.***

As the EC Mental Health Consultant - KSA Latino/e/Spanish, duties will include:

Mental Health Consultation and Collaboration

• Provides culturally and trauma responsive preventative mental health consultation services to Albina Head Start, Albina Home Visitors, and Portland Public School Head Start administrators, staff, and the families receiving their services for the purpose of improving adult provider and caregivers' capacities to promote the healthy social emotional development of children in their care. 

• Serves all staff, children, and families and additionally provides culturally responsive support to Latino/e and Spanish-speaking staff, children, and families. 

• This involves conducting formal observations, consultation, and support plans for children in the classroom, conducting mental health screenings of young children referred by the agency staff, building classroom and program-wide capacity for equitable and trauma and culturally responsive Pyramid Model implementation, and specific outreach and engagement with Latino/e and Spanish-speaking children, families and care providers, who may have cultural or other barriers to mental health services. 

• Routinely uses Spanish speaking skills when communicating with Spanish-speaking Head Start staff and families. 

• Additionally, coordinates with community agencies, natural support systems, churches, etc. to increase awareness of and access to positive mental health development for Latino/e and Spanish-speaking children and families. 

• Requires use of personal vehicle to travel to assigned sites and home and community visits. 

Mental Health Services

• Provides mental health services (can include triage, screening, case management, or crisis intervention for individuals, groups, families, caregivers, etc.) to young children and their caregivers, for prevention of mental health, emotional, social, and familial difficulties.

• This involves conducting observations, developing social emotional support plans, and providing ongoing consultation for the childcare/educational, and/or home environments; and assisting in finding and referring to housing, food, medical, dental, and mental health resources. 

• Understands early childhood mental health and development and cultural, racial and ethnic factors, including systemic advantage or disadvantage; acculturation, intergenerational immigrant family challenges and protective factors, effects of trauma during immigration, war, separation from family and/or primary supports, detention, refugee camps, etc.; generational trauma, and any factors related to non-dominant culture affecting mental health and treatment. 

Clinical Documentation and Training

• Initiates and maintains clinical record keeping on individual prevention clients, to comply with legal, medical, mental health Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) compliance, and programmatic standards for clinical care documentation, using computer and related equipment. 

• Completes administrative data collection to record quantitative information about service delivery, for compliance with program, department, county, and contractor data requirements, using computer and related equipment. 

• Participates in individual and group supervision with the program supervisor or lead for the purpose of reviewing clinical cases; administrative meetings; and department sponsored training with other Mental Health Consultants (MHCs) and Behavioral Health Division (BHD) administration.

Multnomah County offers an exceptional benefits package, benefits website. 

Required Minimum Qualifications: Education/Certification: Must have a Masters degree and must meet the standards of Qualified Mental Health Professional - R (QMHP-R) with the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO). Please visit the MHACBO website to confirm your eligibility to apply. This position requires a QMHP-R within 30 days of hire and/or licensed Board of Oregon (LPC, LCSW, CSWA, PhD, etc.) AND

• Masters degree in psychology or

• Masters degree in social work or counseling or

• Masters degree in a behavioral science field

Other:  

• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA): This position requires the ability to read, write and speak in Spanish and English languages, and have knowledge of and experience with the Latino/e community and culture. (Language testing will be required)

• A driver’s license is required.

• This position requires a Background Investigation, which may include being fingerprinted. 

Preferred Qualifications/ Transferable Skills*: You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications/ transferable skills to qualify. However, keep in mind we may consider some or all of the following when identifying the most qualified candidates.

• Appropriate Oregon Licensing Board LCSW, LCP, Clinical Psychologist (preferred)

• Screening and/or Investigator experience in an adult and/or child protective services  program.

• Knowledge of challenges and barriers faced by those with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) and the systems they encounter in Residential Services, Adult Protective Services and Crisis Services.  

• Lead with race through actions and advocacy with internal programs, with community partners and across departments throughout the county.

• Demonstrate the ability to flex style when faced with myriad dimensions of culture in order to be effective across cultural context.  

• Respect and appreciation for ethnic and cultural diversity.

• Ability to collaborate and build relationships to achieve positive work outcomes.

• Ability to maintain a safe and healthful workplace.

• High degree of resilience, is outcome driven and can thrive in an environment of rapid change while effectively managing pressure in an effective and professional manner.

REQUIRED:  The Application Packet: You must submit ALL requested items below. Failure to do so will be deemed as an incomplete application.

1. Attach a Resume demonstrating you meeting minimum qualifications; AND

2. Attach a Cover Letter addressing the following: 

• Demonstrate your experience working with diverse and marginalized populations; and

• How you meet the qualifications for this position, including your current certifications; and 

• Why you are interested in the position; AND

3. Attach a copy of your QMHP-R Certification and/or Oregon Licensure if applicable.

Questions? Contact recruiter: Caitrin Thomaselli   Email: [email protected]   Phone: +1 (971) 4218257