The Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant is an important role within the Head Start environment.
The Mental Health Consultant applies professional expertise in mental health discipline and works in cooperation with the Head Start Administrative Team to provide internal consulting services, staff training, and compliance monitoring with Head Start Performance Standards. This role requires knowledge of and experience serving young children ages birth to five and their families.
Consultant Responsibilities:
· Implement strategies to identify and support children with mental health and social and emotional concerns using integrated screening systems and observations.
· Assist teachers and educational staff to improve classroom management and teacher practices through strategies that include using classroom observations and consultations to address teacher and individual child needs and creating physical and cultural environments that promote positive mental health and social and emotional functioning.
· Provide required timely documentation to include written and verbal reviews of all classroom and child observations and enter that documentation into agency tracking software program.
· Assist staff to address prevalent child mental health concerns, including internalizing problems such as appearing withdrawn and externalizing problems such as challenging behaviors.
· Assist both parents and staff to understand mental health and access mental health interventions, if needed.
· Assist in implementation of policies to limit suspension and prohibit expulsion.
· Research and develop collaborative relations with local partners to provide mental health assistance as needed.
· Research and develop materials for distribution in areas of community resources, mental health, child abuse prevention and parenting education
· Conduct parenting classes and implement parenting curriculum.
· Guide parents and staff in the development of skills and strategies to deal with their challenges, and encourage them to express their feelings to develop insight into themselves and their relationships.
· Implement and coordinate activities of center staff to ensure that: parents are involved in planning a program for their child including parent/teacher conferences; and children identified as having atypical behavior or development are provided services after parental consent is obtained.
· Act as an advocate to coordinate services or to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
· Debrief staff regarding issues related to child abuse, domestic violence and mental health concerns.
· Provide consultation to assure that written policies and procedures are kept current in accordance with Federal Performance Standards.
· Attend interagency, organizational and committee meetings per request.
· Provide timely invoices for consultant wages.
· Assures compliance with HSCFDC Code of Conduct, Head Start Performance Standards, and Wisconsin Daycare Licensing Regulations.
· Perform other duties as requested.
Preferred Education and Experience
Prefer Master's Degree in psychology, social work, or counseling, combined with a license from the appropriate governing board in that discipline.
Minimum three years working in a social service environment.
Thorough understanding of mental health in Early Childhood, ages birth - five.
Consultant position for the school year, August 1 through May 31.
Able to lift and carry 50 pounds safely, sitting, standing, walking, bending, crouching, kneeling, reaching, pulling, pushing, twisting, turning.
Ability to pass criminal background check and fingerprinting required.
Hold a valid driver's license and auto insurance.
Applicants are to submit a cover letter and required job application. Materials and a job description are available online at HeadStartCouleeRegion.com under the Employment tab. Applications taken until vacancy is filled.
Job Type: Contract
Schedule:
Work setting:
Application Question(s):
- What is your experience in the Early Childhood mental health field?
Education:
Work Location: In person