Full Time or Part Time (0.5 - 1.0 FTE) - School Mental Health Therapist or Behavior Specialist (Social Work, Counseling, School Psychologist, etc.)
Reports To: Director of Special Education
Purpose Statement: The School Mental Health Therapist or Behavior Specialist position exists for the purpose of providing social emotional support to students within West Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative.
Qualifications:
Required to hold a current and valid license to provide mental health services in the state of Kansas, issued by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board or the Kansas Department of Education.
The license must be at the master's or Clinical Specialist levels.
Physical Requirements: (The candidate may need to use the requirements below during any part of the working day.)
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, sit, talk, and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. The employee is required to interact with staff and to meet demands from several people.
Performance Responsibilities:
Working together with teachers to ensure the access of all children to a free and appropriate education, and to clinical social work services as needed.
Participating in comprehensive evaluations to identify family, health, developmental, emotional, and community elements that may affect a student's ability to learn.
Identifying those factors in the life of an exceptional student (home, school, and community) that may impact his/her education.
Applying knowledge and skills when working with exceptional students and families, individually or in groups, for the purpose of enhancing positive educational and community experiences.
Collaborating with family, school, and community agencies to enable an exceptional student to receive maximum benefit from his/her educational program.
Providing direct IEP services to students with disabilities, and billing insurance for acceptable services to those students who are both disabled and eligible for Medicaid.
Consulting with the building IEP Team Process.
Supporting students’ mental health and behavioral needs to develop the skills necessary to transition to their base school.
Supporting the development of skills in staff members to support students.
Special assignments are available to those interested or as assigned. These may include representing the district in community service organizations, being on district-level steering committees, and providing training in programs such as CPI.
APPLICATION OF CLINICAL SKILL
Mental health and behavior support services are related to the social, emotional, and developmental adjustments of exceptional students within the context of their community. As mental health providers, this role requires clinical expertise in the following areas:
Family Contacts __ which may include interviewing the family to discuss their child's educational adjustment; identifying with the family the resources they might access to alleviate family stress; working with parents to facilitate support of their children's school adjustment; and serving as liaison between the home and school.
Individual Interventions __ which may include crisis intervention regarding suicide/hospitalization; working with an exceptional student in a therapeutic goal-directed process; and working with school staff to find ways to respond more effectively to a student's needs.
Group Dynamics __ which may include forming groups of exceptional students and non-identified students to work toward specific goals; consulting with teachers of exceptional students about classroom management techniques; and offering group support opportunities for parents of exceptional students interested in enhancing their parenting skills.
School-Community Liaison __ which may include linking and/or coordinating school and community resources to better serve the families of exceptional students; helping schools obtain appropriate support from social and mental health agencies; and advocating with community planning bodies for new or improved services to children with special needs.
System Interventions – which includes identifying problem areas and, in conjunction with other staff members, planning and implementing programs for exceptional students (such as those at risk for dropping-out or those needing help with transitions).
Problem Solving __ which may include identifying problem areas and, in conjunction with other staff members, planning and implementing programs for exceptional students (such as those at risk for dropping-out or those needing help with transitions).
Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis __ which may include using professional clinical skills when interviewing parents; formalizing information gathered about a student in a manner helpful to the understanding of that student in an educational setting; and employing this knowledge in referral of families to community agencies when appropriate.
Professional Development – which includes: continuously updating clinical knowledge on the mental health of children, the role of family dynamics, socio-cultural environmental factors in the community and in our school buildings – all toward the development of effective therapeutic interventions.
Internship Supervision – Mental Health Therapists may choose to contract with local universities offering graduate level programs, to supervise interns doing 600 or 720 hour practicum placements in a school setting. Training in field instruction is required.
Terms of Employment:
9 months; salary and work year to be determined by the Board of Education.
Evaluation:
Performance of this position will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the board policy on evaluation of Personnel.
Significant associations:
The performance responsibilities are not limited to those outlined in this description and may include any other responsibilities as assigned by the administrator/supervisor.
Position Contact:
Kyle Carlin
785-623-2400
