Assessment Specialist - Postdoc (2025-2026)

Job Description

Job Description

WestCoast Children's Clinic, located in Oakland, California, is a non-profit community psychology clinic that provides mental health services to Bay Area children, youth and families. Working at WestCoast Children's Clinic means being part of an organization that is client-centered, trauma-informed, collaborative, and committed to justice and equity.

Assessment Specialist (Prelicensed / Postdoctoral Level ok)

WestCoast Children's Clinic is seeking skilled Assessment Clinicians at the post-doctoral level who are collecting hours toward becoming a licensed psychologist in the state of CA. WCC clinicians provide mental health services to youth and families.

WestCoast Children's Clinic does not have a formal postdoctoral training program. However, pre-licensed staff are able to meet all supervision and training requirements for collecting hours toward licensure in the state of California. In addition, all staff participate in monthly program staff meetings and trainings to support professional development.

Assessment Program

The Assessment Program provides collaborative mental health assessments that answer our clients' questions in meaningful ways. Our clients receive services through MediCal. We serve youth and their families, ages 0-21. Most of our clients are between the ages of 5 and 18. We serve youth with diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identities, and many of our clients are current or past foster youth. We serve many Spanish-speaking clients and families.

We use a broad range of psychological and neuropsychological tools to answer assessment questions. Testing domains include neurodevelopmental, cognitive, attention, executive functioning, mood and emotion, social functioning, adaptive functioning, and impact of trauma. Throughout the assessment process, we listen to clients' voices, seek to understand challenges, and foster a deeper understanding of clients' lived experiences in order to help make changes and support growth.

As an Assessment Specialist, you will :

• Provide screening, assessment, and therapeutic assessment services; assess functioning, strengths, and needs depending on client's assessment questions.
• Identify useful services and supports, and support engagement in mental health services.
• Collaborate closely with youth and the adults in their lives to answer questions that are meaningful to them, from a collaborative-therapeutic assessment framework.
• Collaborate with other professionals on behalf of clients, including fellow WCC clinicians, school staff, medical providers, and other important stakeholders.
• Seek consultation with supervisors and colleagues in order to better serve clients and families with complex needs.
• Conduct services at WCC and in the community when indicated (for example, in youth's home and community, at other agencies, or at schools). Because this is a core component of our assessment program, the ability to travel to meet with clients in the community is required.
• Provide assessment services that align with our program and agency values, including assessments that are strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming, and hold clients' intersecting racial, cultural, and gender identities with intention.
• Engage in conversations around race, power, and privilege with clients, caregivers, and teams in order to serve diverse youth and families.
• Collect feedback from clients and families throughout the assessment process, and use this feedback to guide the assessment process.
• Clinicians may have the opportunity to provide individual or family therapy as part of their role, depending on need within other WCC programs.
• As clinically indicated, assess risk, and provide crisis intervention and stabilization.

What will you gain?

Minimum Requirements :

Based on our funding sources, California Department of Mental Health requires that we apply for a professional licensing waiver for all unlicensed psychologists. In order for us to obtain this waiver you need to have your degree conferred / degree requirements completed and be collecting hours towards licensure. Waivers expire 5 years after issuance.

Pay :

Starting salary for Assessment Specialist as a Post-Doctorate is $76,000 annually depending on experience and current licensure status, plus a 10% Spanish language differential, if applicable.

Benefits :

Application Materials

Along with your resume / CV, please submit the following along with your application :

IMPORTANT DATES :

If you need to be notified of your application status prior to the 2025 common hold date, please submit your application by January 31st, 2025. All other applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

POSITION START DATE : September-October 2025

Join us and make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families in the Bay Area.

WCC is passionate about leading and encouraging open conversations around race, gender, power, and privilege and how these impact community mental health. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diminishing the influence of privilege and discrimination in our field and our workplace, whether due to differences concerning age, citizenship, color, disability, marital or parental status, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Salary : $76,000