Mental Health Supervisor

Hiring Range: 84,869.46 to 113,687.08

Full Time or Part Time: Full Time

Additional Detail

The City of Alexandria is bordered by Washington D.C. and the Potomac River, Arlington and Fairfax counties, and Maryland. The small city has a cosmopolitan feel with 150,000 people living within its 15.75 square miles. At the Department of Community and Human Services, we provide essential safety net services to help city residents enjoy a sense of well-being, safety and self-sufficiency. Our behavioral health programs provide compassionate services that support self-determination and recovery. The beauty of our diverse and resilient people and our commitment to race and social equity, coupled with a historic district dating to 1749, charming waterfront, vibrant arts community and unique places for foodies and shopping, make the City of Alexandria a uniquely wonderful place to live, work and play. We invite all qualified candidates to learn more and apply for our Mental Health Team position. 

General Statement of Duties:

Under the umbrella of Early Childhood Wellness Program, this position provides clinical and administrative supervision to two units within DCHS Early Childhood Services: 1) Prevention/Early Intervention staff provide prevention and early intervention services and treatment using a mental health consultation model in the observation and support for early childhood development programs. 2) Provider Development staff conduct childcare provider development and monitoring of family day homes that are registered or regulated through the City of Alexandria DCHS.

This position is responsible for assuring that the Early Childhood Wellness Programs achieve DCHS, City and State objectives and performance indicators through the provision of oversight of regulatory and quality standards and ensures that program policy and procedures meet federal, state and local requirements. When applicable, this position manages program grant implementation, prepares grant reports, and drafts grant renewal applications.

Examples of Duties:

• Provide clinical and administrative supervision to assigned unit staff and interns.
• Plan and direct the Tiers 2 and 3 work of the team in order to achieve program goals.
• Provide on-site support to staff and oversees emergency counseling or incidents.
• Manage the coordinated system of early childhood wellness services.
• Coordinate the implementation and evaluation of evidence based mental health prevention and early intervention services for children aged 0-5, their families and childcare support staff. 
• Direct and supports implementation of a social skills curriculum at multiple preschools.
• Perform monitoring oversight and set the direction for provision of quality in both family day homes center-based programs.
• Develop quality measures and monitoring systems for ECW programs.
• Review and approves early childhood provider development plans.
• Monitor the implementation of ASQ and ASQ-SE screening with families.
• Demonstrates conceptual skills in assessing therapist skills and using feedback with supervisees.
• Lead regular staff meetings to review work and brainstorm solutions to problems.
• Act as a liaison to the City and external agencies for information and referral.
• Support professional development within the team.
• Ensure that staff completes all required city and departmental training and any other mandated training requirements for their positions.
• Write and submit monthly reports detailing staff accomplishments, program changes and measurements of outcomes regarding prevention programs.
• Ensure availability of culturally relevant and trauma informed educational materials for schools, groups, organizations and individuals.
• Monitor clinical records for early intervention services.
• Participate in the development of the Children, Youth and Families Master Plan.
• Recruit, interviews and selects personnel as needed.
• Approve agreements with private service vendors.
• Perform other related work as assigned.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Thorough knowledge of treatments, therapies, practices, and services for children and youths with developmental disabilities to include autism and intellectual disabilities; thorough knowledge of Medicaid Waiver programs and of Federal and State requirements and regulations concerning programs funded by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); good knowledge of administrative and supervision methods and procedures in organizations; skill in applying and interpreting laws, procedures, regulations and rules; skill in preparing reports; ability to prepare, implement and monitor the program budget; ability to supervise a staff; ability to interpret and implement City, State and Federal legislation, laws, policies and procedures; ability to develop, plan, implement and coordinate an integrated service delivery plan; ability to prepare proposals for services, vendor contracts and program budgets; ability to exercise supervision over staff; ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, with professionals, community and consumer groups, the public, and vendor representatives; ability to coordinate with other City, State and Federal agencies to provide services to consumers; ability to collect, analyze and synthesize data and prepare reports; and the ability to monitor service contracts and the program budget, making revisions, as necessary.

Minimum Qualifications:

Considerable program management experience in a community mental health or similar setting, and considerable experience providing mental health and/or substance abuse services, including diagnostic evaluations, crisis intervention, and case management, and possession of an M.S.W., M.A., M.S. N. or a PH.D. degree from an accredited school, Virginia Licensure or immediate eligibility for Virginia licensure at the time of appointment as a LCSW, LPC, Clinical Nurse Specialist, or Clinical Psychologist, or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Thorough knowledge and skills related to etiology and effective treatment modes for mental illness and co-occurring disorders. Thorough knowledge of current social, psychiatric, economic and health problems relating to developmental disabilities; Thorough knowledge of person-centered best practices, and adult coaching techniques; Thorough knowledge of the principles, practices and theories of typical and atypical child development and treatment; Ability to monitor vendors' contracts and program budgets, and revise, as necessary;

Preferred Qualifications:

Master's Degree; Considerable years of experience in the clinical supervision and administration of a clinical service program within a community mental health center. Some experience and ability to plan and implement programs to meet needs of clients and stakeholders. Some experience and ability to motivate independent clinical professionals to function as a team at a high level. Some experience and ability to establish and implement policies and procedures to enhance treatment effectiveness and efficiency; knowledge, skills and experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, co-occurring treatment, stages of change, motivational interviewing, assessment of need, strengths, risk and mental status, group, individual and family therapy, crisis intervention, case management, psychoeducation. Some experience and ability to work successfully with clients to identify and achieve treatment goals and to assist supervised clinical staff in doing so; Some experience and ability to effectively utilize an electronic clinical record and data systems and to train and assist supervisees with the same.