Dedicated, knowledgeable staff are the heart of every great organization. Child First, Inc. is a rapidly growing non-profit with high energy professionals focused on providing services of the very highest quality. Our staff is committed to transforming the lives of those we serve - very young, vulnerable children and their families. Come join a team of motivated and creative individuals working together to make a difference.
Employment Opportunities
Employment Opportunities at Child First Affiliate Agencies
Family First of Palm Beach County, Palm Beach County, FL
Mental Health Clinician
Child First is an evidence-based, early childhood intervention that helps very vulnerable families build strong, nurturing relationships that protect and heal young children from the devastating impact of trauma and chronic stress. Most families have experienced multiple challenges, including poverty, violence, depression, substance use, and homelessness. Research demonstrates that these adverse experiences damage the developing brain of the young child. Therefore, Child First works in the home with a two-pronged approach: (1) Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), an attachment-based, trauma-informed, dyadic intervention which protects the brain from the impact of stress and trauma, and
(2) Care coordination that provides wrap-around services and supports for the whole family, decreasing “toxic” stress. In this way, Child First is able to decrease the incidence of serious emotional disturbance, developmental and learning problems, and abuse and neglect among young children (prenatal to age six years). This intervention has been designated by Health and Human Services (HHS) as one of the 17 national, evidence-based home visiting models under the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Initiative (MIECHV).
Child First is currently in a period of rapid growth, now in 15 sites across Connecticut. The first national replication site will be Palm Beach County, Florida. The Child First National Program Office (NPO) in Connecticut oversees and supports the local affiliate agencies, such as Families First of Palm Beach County, that are authorized to implement the Child First model. The Mental Health and Developmental Clinician is an employee of Families First of Palm Beach County.
SUMMARY OF POSITION:
The Child First Mental Health and Developmental Clinician partners with a Care Coordinator to engage families who are referred to the Child First home-based intervention. Child First’s primary goal is to strengthen the caregiver-child relationship so that it serves both as a protective buffer to unavoidable stress and directly facilitates the child’s emotional, language, and cognitive growth. The Clinician uses trauma-informed CPP, a relationship-based, dyadic, parent-child treatment model, which focuses on the primary attachment relationships of the young child. The Clinician engages with both the caregiver and child in a supportive, reflective, and exploratory manner which fosters a protective, nurturing, and responsive parent-child relationship. The Clinician’s therapeutic intervention focuses on: 1) helping caregivers understand typical developmental challenges and expectations; 2) increasing caregivers’ ability to reflect on the meaning and feelings motivating a child’s behavior; 3) supporting caregivers’ problem solving; and 4) helping caregivers understand the psychodynamic relationship between parental feelings, history, and the caregiver response to the child. The Clinician also provides consultation to teachers in early care and education settings, as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master’s or Doctoral level mental health provider (e.g., LCSW, LMFT, clinical psychologist, other), licensed in Florida.
- Experience working psychotherapeutically with culturally diverse children and families, including parent-child therapeutic work and play therapy with very young children (0-5 years), for a minimum of three years. Past CPP training is highly valued.
- Openness to learning, capacity for self-reflection, and eagerness to participate in reflective clinical supervision.
- Knowledge of relationship-based, psychodynamic intervention and early child development; parent-child relationships and attachment theory; effects of trauma and environmental risks on early childhood brain development, especially violence exposure, maternal depression, and substance abuse; and community-level risk factors (e.g., poverty, homelessness).
- Experience providing mental health assessment and consultation to early care and education sites.
- Knowledge and experience working with adults with mental health, substance use, and cognitive challenges.
- Experience providing intervention within diverse home and community settings.
- Ability to speak a second language (Spanish, Creole, other), highly valued.
- Strong commitment to the vision, mission, and goals of Child First.
- Highly organized, self-motivated, reliable, and flexible (including willingness to work non- traditional hours, including evening and weekend hours as needed.)
- Able to work as part of a team.
- Able to communicate well verbally and in writing.
- Comfortable with computers and experienced with Microsoft Word.
- Reliable vehicle and appropriate insurance for home visits.
KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Engage with the Child First family and the Care Coordinator in the collaborative family assessment process (i.e., gather information from interviews, observations of interactions and play, reviewed records, collateral sources, and standardized measures).
- Use all available information to develop a thoughtful, well-integrated clinical formulation and Child and Family Plan of Care, in partnership with the Care Coordinator and family.
- Provide Child First home-based psychotherapeutic intervention with young children and their caregivers using relational, dyadic psychotherapy (CPP) and other modalities.
- Help the caregiver gain insight regarding personal history (including trauma history), feelings for the child, and current parenting practices.
- Avert crisis situations by assisting the family in times of urgent need (e.g., risk of harm to child or caregiver, pending child removal), in consultation with the Care Coordinator and Clinical Director.
- Provide mental health and developmental assessment and consultation within early care and education settings and to other early childhood providers.
- Embrace use of videotaping to enhance both therapeutic work with families and reflective supervision.
- Engage in weekly individual, Team, and group reflective clinical supervision with Clinical Director.
- Engage actively in all aspects of the Child First Learning Collaborative, including in-person trainings, distance learning curriculum, and specialty trainings.
- Keep all appropriate documentation for clinical accountability and reimbursement.
- Participate in other clinical and administrative activities as appropriate.
theBridge Family Therapy, Monroe, LA
Mental Health Clinician
Summary:
The Mental Clinician partners with a Care Coordinator to support families referred to Child First. The Clinician uses Child Parent Psychotherapy, a relationship-based, dyadic, parent-child treatment model, which focuses on the primary attachment relationships of the young child. The Clinician engages with both the caregiver and child in a supportive, reflective, and exploratory manner which fosters a protective, nurturing, and responsive parent-child relationship. The Clinician’s therapeutic intervention focuses on helping caregivers understand typical developmental challenges and expectations, increasing caregivers’ ability to reflect on the meaning and feelings motivating a child’s behavior, supporting caregivers’ problem solving, and helping caregivers understand the psychodynamic relationship between parental feelings, history, and the caregiver response to the child. The Clinician also provides consultation to teachers in early care and education settings, as needed. The best candidate for this position is highly organized, self-motivated, reliable, and flexible with an openness to learning, capacity for self-reflection, eagerness to participate in reflective clinical supervision.
Key Responsibilities
- Commitment to the CHILD FIRST® model.
- Graduate degree in human services or related field.
- Licensed master’s level mental health provider or License-Eligible (e.g., LMSW, P-LPC, other)
- Experience working psychotherapeutically with culturally diverse children and families, including parent-child therapeutic work and play therapy with very young children (0-5 years), for a minimum of three years preferred. Past CPP training is highly valued.
- Knowledge of relationship-based, psychodynamic intervention and early child development; parent-child relationships and attachment theory
- Experience providing mental health assessment and consultation to early care and education sites preferred.
- Knowledge and experience working with adults with mental health, substance use, and cognitive challenges preferred.
- Ability to exercise discretion and maintain client confidentiality.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills.
- Valid driver’s license and vehicle in good working condition.
- Valid Louisiana registration, certification, or licensure in a mental health related field.
- First aid and CPR certification.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite, Email, and Internet.
- Approved to meet the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services
Qualifications
- Licensed or license-eligible master’s level mental health provider (e.g., P-LPC, LMSW or similar.)
- Experience working psychotherapeutically with culturally diverse children and families, including parent-child therapeutic work and play therapy with very young children (0-5 years), for a minimum of three years preferred.
- Past CPP training is highly valued.
- Knowledge of relationship-based, psychodynamic intervention and early child development; parent-child relationships and attachment theory sites preferred.
- Knowledge and experience working with adults with mental health, substance use, and cognitive challenges preferred.
- Experience providing intervention within diverse home and community settings preferred.
- Able to communicate well verbally and in writing.
- Comfortable with computers and experienced with Word and Excel.
- Reliable vehicle and appropriate insurance
Salary: $62,000-65,000 Please send resume to: kmj@thebridgefamilytherapy.com
Coastal Horizons Center, Inc. in New Hanover County, NC.
Child First Clinical Supervisor
Summary: First Program. We have this specific opportunity in New Hanover County, NC. Primary duties will be providing supervision with up to four Child First Clinical Teams who are conducting Child First’s home-based therapeutic intervention. This role also serves in the Clinician role with up to two Child First families. As an administrator, works very closely with the Child First State Clinical Director to ensure fidelity to the Child First model and optimal outcomes for families. In addition, serves as a liaison to community-based providers serving young children and families and to the
local early childhood collaborative.
Qualifications: Licensed mental health clinician with Masters or Doctoral degree in social work, psychology, APRN-child psychiatry, marriage and family therapy, or related field. Minimum of five years’ experience working psychotherapeutically with young children (0-5 years) and their families using a relationally-based model. Specific experience with dyadic parent-child psychotherapy preferred. Minimum of 3 years’ experience conducting reflective supervision with Master’s level clinicians.
Salary: Commensurate with experience, medical/dental insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement savings plan/401K, paid time off programs.
Please send (or fax) resume and cover letter to:
Coastal Horizons Center, Inc.
Attention: NH Child First
615 Shipyard Blvd.
Wilmington, NC. 28412
(no phone calls please)
Email resume to: jobs@coastalhorizons.org
Fax: 910-790-0189
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, CT
Child First Psychiatric Clinician
Summary: The Child First Psychiatric Clinician will provide intensive, home-based, caregiver-child psychotherapy with families with multiple challenges, as part of a team with a Child First Care Coordinator. This will include comprehensive assessment of child and family strengths and needs and development of a comprehensive, coordinated family-driven Child and Family Plan of Care. S/he will also provide child specific mental health consultation in early care and/or educational sites, as appropriate, and collaboration with all other service providers working with the family.
A Master’s degree in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or M.S. in Counseling. Current State of Connecticut licensure as an LCSW, LMFT, or LPC required.
To view more detailed information and to apply: https://www.hhccareers.org/jobs/6362683-psychiatric-clinician-lcsw-lpc-lmft-child-first?tm_job=21153354&tm_event=view&tm_company=12631&bid=326&src=JB-10061
Wheeler Clinic in Plainville, CT
Clinician
Summary:
Wheeler Clinic’s Child First program is seeking an Early Childhood Clinician to visit with children, birth to age 5, and their caregivers in the family’s home. The Clinician, teams with a Care Coordinator to help heal and protect children and their caregivers from the effects of trauma, and chronic stress. The team strengthens caregiver-child relationships, supports caregivers to understand the meaning of their child’s behavior, and connects families to community supports. The Clinician uses trauma-informed Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), a relationship-based caregiver-child treatment. The intervention focuses on enhancing the caregiver’s capacity to provide sensitive, age-appropriate care and protection, promoting security and mutual joy in caregiver-child relationships. We engage with children in a way they know how to communicate, through play. The Early Childhood Clinician will receive thorough training in the evidence-based Child First model, child development, and CPP. Supervisors provide regular reflective supervision, and support your work-life balance.
Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, or Social Work. 3 years of experience working in a therapeutic capacity with young children, including ages birth to five, and their families is preferred. Must hold one of the following credentials: LMSW, LCSW, LPCA, LPC, LMFTA or LMFT
View more and apply here: https://us59.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePortal/en-US/wheeler/Posting/View/1602
Child Guidance Clinic for Central Connecticut in Meriden, CT
Clinician
Summary: The Child Guidance Clinic is searching for a dynamic Clinician to provide intensive home-based services to children and families in the Child First Program. The children served range in age from prenatal to six years old. Services provided include attachment-based dyadic therapy, parenting skills training, crisis support, extensive case management, and advocacy. Child First operates from a team approach and consists of a Clinician and Care Coordinator, both of whom participate in sessions and provide treatment to families. The Clinician participates in weekly reflective individual, team and group supervision and is responsible for maintaining clinical documentation according to licensing, accreditation and Child First requirements. Services provided are in collaboration with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), schools, pediatricians, and other community-based providers. Interested candidates should e-mail resume to lnetter@cgccentralct.org or contact Leeora Netter, Clinical Director, at (203)235-5767 x. 3045 for more information.
Child First/Easter Seals UCP North Carolina
Child First Therapist
Summary: Child First is seeking to fill the position of a full time therapist in Greenville, North Carolina. The selected candidate will engage with children and families in their homes for the duration of treatment/therapy. In addition, s/he will provide Child First home-based psychotherapeutic intervention with young children and their caregivers using relational, dyadic psychotherapy (CPP) and other modalities. See the attached job description for more details.
ChildFirst Clinician Easter Seals UCP North Carolina.pdf
The network of Child First providers in North Carolina is growing!
Power of U will be expanding their program by two teams this summer and four new affiliate organizations Family Solutions, Children's Home Society, Family Service of the Piedmont, and Thompson will be joining our network with 4 teams each, serving Guilford and Mecklenburg counties.
If you know of anyone interested in a career with Child First, please encourage them to visit the websites of these organizations for more information on the open positions. The Power of U, Children’s Home Society, Family Service of the Piedmont, and Thompson are actively hiring in North Carolina.
