Mental Health Practitioner

THE POSITION: THE POSITION Under the direction of the Director III, Community Schools Initiative, and working within the Community Schools Framework, the School Mental Health Practitioner provides multi-tiered school mental health supports to promote resiliency, emotional wellness, and positive school climate in service to students, families, and staff within their assigned school(s). These services include mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention and intensive direct services, including individual, group and family counseling and crisis intervention. Through these strategies, the School Mental Health Practitioner supports the educational process by and removes barriers to educational success. In addition, a key role of the School Mental Health Practitioner is to collaborate with school staff as a member of multidisciplinary school teams and coordinate with school and community partners to improve coordination of services and increase resources. Welcome to the Los Angeles County Office of Education! Thank you for your interest in joining the LACOE family. We are proud of the fact that we have talented staff, excellent growth opportunities, outstanding support and an invigorating mission. The primary function of LACOE is to service and support 80 K-12 school districts along with numerous other agencies, as we ensure educational excellence for the region’s two-million preschool and school-aged children. LACOE serves others by building capacity in our employees, being responsive to the needs of our customers and modeling integrity and respect in our actions and communications. We enhance our role through partnering with our communities, County and other educational institutions to provide outreach, support and specialized services. It is our mission to improve the lives of students and our educational community through our service, leadership and advocacy. We are seeking talented individuals who support our vision and strategic plan that encompasses “A Culture of Excellence in ALL We Do.” EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: • A Master’s Degree in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy or related field is required. • Training and experience utilizing mental health evidenced based practices. • One year of experience in the field of social work or mental health counseling working with school-age children, preferably in a school setting. • Previous experience working with at-promise youth (e.g. gang involved, truancy, foster youth). • Experience providing individual, group, and family counseling. • Experience facilitating presentations, monitoring programs, and report writing. • Experience collaborating with community-based organizations, law enforcement, and other government agencies. • Experience working with multidisciplinary teams. • Experiencing providing crisis response services including suicide risk assessments. • Experience providing school based mental health services for one or more years preferred.