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The Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Division of San Mateo County Health is seeking experienced individuals for the position of Residential Counselor I. Residential Counselors (RC) I will provide guidance, support, supervision, and direction to youth ages 12–18 who have experienced severe or repeated trauma and require intensive mental health services in a Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) at the County’s Canyon Oaks Youth Center. The RC-I plays a key role in creating and maintaining a safe, stable, and therapeutic environment that supports healing and growth. This includes monitoring residents’ behavior, safety, health, and overall well-being, while fostering connection and responding to challenging behaviors with empathy.

RCs use trauma-informed practices to understand and respond to the underlying needs driving youth behavior, while recognizing the impact of trauma on development, relationships, and coping skills. They assist youth in setting and working towards realistic goals, encourage personal accountability, and model healthy communication, problem-solving, and emotional regulation. Through active participation, coaching, and encouragement, RCs guide residents in practicing life skills, strengthening self-regulation, and building confidence for their next steps.

As an RC, you will play a vital role in creating a safe, supportive, and positive environment for youth in our care. Your primary focus will be ensuring the physical and emotional safety of residents, providing day-to-day guidance, and assisting with daily routines and needs. Working as part of a collaborative team, you’ll help youth feel secure, express themselves, and build the confidence to develop the skills they need to thrive. This includes offering encouragement during challenges, celebrating successes, and modeling healthy, respectful interactions.

In this role, every interaction is an opportunity to make a direct and meaningful impact, whether you’re helping a resident problem-solve, providing a listening ear, or creating activities that foster growth, connection, and resilience in the young people we serve.

There is currently one regular full-time vacancy and two Relief vacancies at the Canyon Oaks Youth Center located at 400 Edmonds Rd., Redwood City, CA, 94062.

Examples Of Duties

Residential Counselors are responsible for, but not limited to, the following:

• Supervising and engaging with youth by offering guidance, encouragement, and interventions that promote safety and well-being.
• Working alongside youth to find solutions when challenges arise, using redirection and interventions that emphasize teaching and guidance rather than punishment.
• Collaborating with the treatment team to develop, plan, and carry out individualized treatment plans that support each youth’s goals and needs.
• Working with the interdisciplinary team to understand the function of youth behaviors and to identify supportive strategies or coping mechanisms that best promote regulation and growth.
• Planning and leading recreational and skill-building activities including art, cooking and other activities.
• Providing flexible support in day treatment groups, taking on roles such as active participant, silent observer, or assistant to the facilitator.
• Offering consistent support and guidance to youth, fostering confidence, resilience, and a positive self-image.
• Using evidence-based practices to reinforce and encourage positive behavior, such as validation, positive reinforcement, trauma-informed de-escalation strategies, and skill-building interventions.
• Maintaining accurate records and documentation, including shift summaries, medication charts, youth cash and other resources, petty cash, youth personal belongings and clothing inventory and other records.
• Collaborating with day treatment and other program staff to implement treatment and educational strategies and interventions that support individualized goals.
• Ensuring completion of all household and medical routines; supervise and encourage positive hygiene practices of youth.
• Administering first aid, prepare and provide prescribed medication in accordance with protocols and obtain medical care as needed.
• Driving youth to various appointments, community activities, and recreational outings on a regular basis.
• Performing related duties as assigned.

In addition to the above, during the overnight shift, residential counselors must:

• Remain fully awake and alert throughout the entire shift.
• Ensure the facility remains secure while maintaining a calm and comforting environment for youth.
• Conduct and document regular night-time bedroom checks to ensure youth are resting safely.
• Provide support and reassurance to youth experiencing emotional distress or difficulty sleeping.
• Perform necessary housekeeping chores assigned.

Rewarding Aspects of the Job:

• You’ll be joining a dedicated team with years of experience working together, offering opportunities for learning, mentorship and professional growth.
• You’ll be part of a team who makes a tangible impact on the lives of youth, witnessing their growth, resilience, and progress over time. From supporting a young person regulate during a crisis to guiding them toward new coping skills, or celebrating milestones, you have a front-row seat to their transformation.
• You’ll have opportunities to think creatively and adapt to each youth’s unique needs through recreational activities, life skills projects, and problem-solving in the moment.

Opportunities to Make an Impact and Build Skills:

• Strengthen skills in communication, flexibility and teamwork while learning to balance diverse perspectives and approaches within a large interdisciplinary team.
• Develop expertise in trauma-informed care, crisis intervention and problem solving in real time when supporting youth in distress or crisis.
• Build resilience and sustain professional effectiveness by practicing self-care, leveraging supervision, and engaging in peer support while navigating the emotional demands of the role.

IDEAL CANDIDATE
The facility operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The ideal candidate will have the flexibility to work a variety of shifts, including daytime, swing, and overnight within a 40-hour work week (8 hours per day, 5 days per week) and scheduled any day from Sunday through Saturday.

This program only uses physical interventions as a last resort to prevent serious injury or in situations requiring life-saving measures. Residential Counselors must pass emergency intervention training which includes a written and physical hands-on competency examination; annual examinations are conducted to maintain certification.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• A Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Sociology, Education, Counseling, Child Development or related fields.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care principles, including awareness of the impact of trauma on behavior and development
• Training and experience in managing assaultive behavior and physical restraint.
• A minimum of one year's experience providing direct supervision of youth in a residential treatment setting working with adolescents.
• A California Driver's License in good standing.

IMPORTANT: (COYC) is a Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program and by law, requires employees to obtain and maintain security clearance and be bondable. Any prior criminal conviction since your 18th birthday (excluding marijuana-related offenses that are older than two years as listed in the California Labor Code 432.8) will result in a denial of your security clearance by the Community Care Licensing agency. While in some circumstances an employer may obtain a waiver of conviction from the licensing agency, Behavioral Health has a policy against obtaining such waivers/exemptions for perspective employees. In addition, Behavioral Health will not accept such waivers/exemptions obtained from the licensing agency by applicants in any other manner.

Community Care Licensing also requires providers working in this facility to maintain 40 hours of annual training related to the field, which are provided by the facility. This includes but is not limited to training in Professional Assault Crisis Training model (Pro-Act) upon hire and yearly basis.

NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.

Qualifications

Security Clearance:
Must be able to obtain and maintain security clearance.

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

• Residential Counselor I: Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Sociology, Education, Counseling, Child Development or related fields.

Special Requirements:

• Must have the ability to complete 40 hours of mandated training annually.

Talent Acquisition Contact: Priscilla Bermudez (090325) Residential Counselor I/II – Canyon Oaks Youth Center – G025)

The Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Case Manager (Case Management/Assessment Specialist II) will join the Behavioral Health Recovery Services (BHRS) Clinical Team to provide services to individuals housed at the Youth Services Center (YSC) – Juvenile Hall.

Reporting to the Supervising Mental Health Clinician/Unit Supervisor, the AOD Case Manager will support the complex needs of juvenile justice-involved as well as transitional-age individuals, presenting with severe emotional and behavioral challenges, along with multiple risk factors such as co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions, trauma, out-of-home placement, and psychiatric hospitalizations.

The AOD Case Manager will perform a wide variety of intake and referral services, including assessment, evaluation, tracking, and support services for clients receiving substance abuse treatment; develop and implement activities related to substance abuse prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation; and perform other related work as required.

There is one vacancy in Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), assigned to the Youth Services Center (YSC) – Juvenile Hall in San Mateo.

Ideal candidate will possess:

• Experience providing alcohol and drug counseling to adolescents, transition-age youth, or juvenile justice-involved populations.
• Experience working in a juvenile detention facility, residential treatment program, or similar high-risk youth environment.
• Ability to provide culturally responsive, gender-responsive, and trauma-informed services.
• Ability to facilitate group treatment sessions for clients in various stages of recovery.
• Experience conducting comprehensive assessments, evaluations, and referrals for substance use treatment.
• Ability to provide care coordination with internal and external providers, including therapists, psychiatrists, and primary care professionals.
• Strong case management skills, including reentry planning and collaboration with multiple agencies.
• Experience participating in multidisciplinary team meetings and contributing to treatment planning.
• Demonstrated ability to build rapport and maintain effective relationships with juvenile justice-involved individuals.
• Knowledge of local community-based resources and the ability to make effective referrals.
• Proficiency in documenting and billing client interactions using AVATAR, EPIC and eClinicalWorks (eCW) is preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage a dynamic caseload in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Ability to speak, read, and write fluently in English and Spanish is strongly preferred.

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Perform client evaluations using a variety of assessment and screening tools, information gathered from interviewing client and/or other professionals and established clinical guidelines to determine the appropriate referral(s), level of care, and recommended treatment plan.
• Interview clients and their families to gather social, psychiatric, and drug and alcohol history.
• Provide written reports to a variety of agencies, courts, probation and/or treatment providers that may include case histories, assessment results, treatment authorizations, referrals, compliance with court orders and treatment recommendations.
• Help create effective evaluation reports, court reports, and/or clinical case reports, or templates for said reports.
• Attend staff conferences and related meetings to coordinate activities with other divisions of the department, other County departments and community groups and providers.
• Monitor compliance with court ordered or related criminal justice referrals.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

Final Filing Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2025, by 11:59PM PST

Application Screening: Week of October 6, 2025

Panel/Departmental Interviews: Week of October 20, 2025

Want to have a career that contributes to the health and wellness of the community by providing access to mental health treatment?  

San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services has career opportunities for Psychiatric Social Workers or Marriage and Family Therapists seeking to serve immigrants, first and second generation Latinx youth and adults, migrant farmworkers, rural working class, and other underserved clients facing the largest barriers to services and support every day. 

Currently we have one full time regular position on the outpatient School Based Mental Health Team at Coastside, Half Moon Bay (may occasionally be needed in San Mateo) that is bilingual Spanish required. The position entails working with Special Education students providing intensive individual therapy, family therapy, crisis intervention, and case management.

What we offer: 

• We offer a relaxed intimate and supportive multicultural team environment 
• Opportunity to work in a community, with close partnerships with community service agencies; 
• Diverse, and rich experiences in working with youth and adults seeking mental health treatment, in outpatient settings; 
• Participation in health equity initiatives to address race disparities; 
• Opportunities to work with LGBTQ population; 
• Licensed clinical supervision; 
• Opportunities for both bilingual Spanish and English clinicians, as well as non-bilingual Spanish clinicians; 
• Excellent training opportunities towards licensure, Tuition Reimbursement, Education Leave and a Wellness Program, among others; 
• Flexible schedules, hybrid telework; 
• Mileage reimbursement and County cars available; 
• Competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits and pension plan for regular employees 
• Participation in student loan repayment programs 
• $15,000 hiring bonus in 3 phases

What we are seeking 

The ideal candidate will possess: 

• Solid clinical treatment, assessment, diagnostic and evaluation skills. 
• Experience/interest in providing treatment to youth (individual therapy, family therapy, and case management). 
• Experience/interest in working with youth with emotional disturbances and with varying degrees of functional impairment and psychiatric presentations.
• Knowledge of Special Education and Individualized Education Plans
• Experience/interest in risk assessments, crisis assessments, and triage.
• Knowledge of principles, techniques and trends in counseling, psychotherapy, clinical case management, crisis management as well as evidence-based practices. 
• Demonstrated ability or interest in working with a broad range of clients from diverse cultures, and backgrounds, and an ability to provide culturally appropriate clinical services. 
• Experience/interest in working in rural communities and/or migrant and seasonal farm working population. 

• Experience/interest in working collaboratively with primary care, psychiatry, and school districts. 
• Experience/interest in generating community referrals and helping clients to connect with those community resources. 
• Comprehensive and timely documentation skills: assessments, progress notes, client care plans, discharge plans, etc. 
• The ability to make sound decisions based on the exercise of judgment and the consideration of all available information. 

Minimum qualifications include: 

Licensure/Certification:

• Psychiatric Social Worker I: Registration with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an Associate Clinical Social Worker.  If an individual is not registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an Associate Clinical Social Worker at the time of hire, they must have submitted the application, and must obtain and provide the registration number within 90 days of hire.  An individual hired in this classification must become licensed within six years from the date of employment as a Clinical Social Worker issued by the State of California within three years of appointment.
• Psychiatric Social Worker II:  Current California license as a Clinical Social Worker.

• Marriage and Family Therapist I:  Registration with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. If an individual is not registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at the time of hire, they must have submitted the application, and must obtain and provide the registration number within 90 days of hire.  An individual hired in this classification must become licensed within six years from the date of employment as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of California.
• Marriage and Family Therapist II: Current California license as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

SALARY 
Psychiatric Social Worker I/Marriage & Family Therapist I: 
 $7,928.27 - $9,911.20 Monthly
 $95,139.20 - $118,934.40 Annually
Psychiatric Social Worker /Marriage & Family Therapist II: 

$8,914.53 - $11,148.80 Monthly
 $106,974.40 - $133,785.60 Annually

To apply please visit copy and paste this link into your web browser: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/sanmateo/jobs/4549175/psychiatric-social-worker-marriage-family-therapist-i-ii-open-and-promotional

*When applying please select preference for School Based Mental Health Program** 

Applications are only accepted online. 

San Mateo County Health's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Division (BHRS) is seeking a well-qualified individual for the position of Occupational Therapist II - Therapeutic Day Schools.

The mental health Occupational Therapy within the Therapeutic Day Schools (TDS) program assists youth in acquiring skills needed to function in their life roles of student and worker. As the students in the TDS program progress toward graduation they are then linked with the Department of Rehabilitation for assessment and counseling for future placement. The Occupational Therapist also provides treatment through the use of arts and crafts activities. The focus of this "activity" based treatment is the development of pre-vocational skills: pro-social and task skills.

Occupation Therapy services in the TDS unit are provided in two general areas: direct and indirect services. These services function to prepare the young person for the roles of a student, performance of age-appropriate daily living behaviors and ultimately the transition to worker, college student, or vocational training.

The Occupational Therapy program addresses: independent living skills, pre-vocational skills, socialization skills, recreation and leisure activities, and transition activities as outlined in the students Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

The Therapeutic Day School unit is comprised of two separate school programs serving high school aged special education students in the Jefferson High School District, and South San Francisco Unified School District. Each TDS program is a collaboration between that designated high school district. TDS students are certified special education students who have been evaluated and determined in need of intensive mental health services in order to benefit from their education. The core staff is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team including both mental health and educational staff. The TDS program works in close collaboration with outside service providers such as probation, social services, education, Wrap- Around service providers and other mental health contract agencies.

The Therapeutic Day School BHRS Staff include a Clinical Services Manager (1), Supervising Mental Health Clinician (1), Psychiatric Social Workers / Marriage and Family Therapists (2), Creative Arts Therapist (1), Occupational Therapist (1), Psychiatrist (1) and Medical Office Assistant (1). District special education staff include the Special Education Director (1), Program Specialist (1), Special Education Teacher (1 or 2), and Teaching Associates (1 or 2).

The ideal candidates will have:

• Experience working with adolescents in a mental health setting
• Experience working on a multidisciplinary team
• Experience working with special education students and participating in the IEP process
• Familiarity with normal adolescent development
• Familiarity with psychiatric disorders as defined in the DSM V manual
• Ability to provide treatment to youth who have co-occurring substance use issues
• Ability to structure and effectively run activity-based groups with teenagers

Responsibilities will include:

• Assessment and development of a treatment plan that links to the BHRS client treatment plan.
• Coordinating and implementing the TDS program's Occupational Therapy program, including group treatment, individual treatment, linkage to various agencies, and consultation to staff and families.
• Continual evaluation of youth capacities and deficits, and the students' response to treatment including the measurement of change and development.
• Conduct assessments, share findings and make appropriate recommendations.
• Collaborate and coordinate with the multi-disciplinary team which includes special education staff and mental health staff in order to provide comprehensive treatment to youth in the TDS program.
• Participate in milieu therapy and enforce the behavior management system.
• Provide consultation and support to families and staff as needed.
• Provide education and training to staff as needed.
• Liaison with community agencies to assess, implement or coordinate services.
• Work closely with district vocational support staff to assist students in transitioning to the role of worker.
• Participate in Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings by completing and monitoring progress of the Individualized Transition Plan (ITP).

Qualifications

Education and Experience: 

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

• Occupational Therapist II: One year of supervised experience in occupational therapy.

 Licensure/Certification: 

• Eligibility for or registration as an Occupational Therapist by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. Failure to obtain this licensure within twelve months of employment may result in termination.
• Possession of a Certificate of completion for a course in Basic Life Support as approved by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association; or must be obtained within six months of appointment.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT TIMELINE

Final Filing Date: January 9, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. PST

Application Screening: January 14, 2025

Combined Panel/Departmental Interviews: January 24, 2025

San Mateo County Health's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services division has three vacancies for Psychiatric Social Worker/Marriage & Family Therapist I/II - SPANISH SPEAKING REQUIRED in its Youth Services Center Unit. These vacancies are located in Half Moon Bay and San Mateo.

Please view the online brochure for a detailed description of this position: http://tinyurl.com/2s46b52m

San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), Child and Youth Services https://www.smchealth.org/bhrs, provides a broad spectrum of Trauma Informed mental health and substance use services for children, youth, and families focusing on prevention, early intervention, and treatment of youth diagnosed as Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) and/or substance use disorders. We provide services through specialty team outpatient clinics, in schools, and field-based teams in Daly City, San Mateo, Half Moon Bay, Redwood City, and East Palo Alto.

BHRS also provides services through a network of community agencies and independent providers who offer outpatient and wraparound services. BHRS supports treatment of the whole person to achieve wellness and recovery, and to promote the health and well-being of the people, families and communities we serve.

Additionally for Residential Youth Treatment at Canyon Oaks Youth Center, Community Care Licensing requires providers working in this facility to maintain 40 hours of annual training related to the field, most of which are provided by the facility. Clinicians will also need to be trained in Professional Assault Crisis Training model (Pro-Act) upon hire.

Benefits & Perks

Exciting news! Candidates have the opportunity to receive a sign-on bonus of up to $15,000. The sign-on bonus will be in 3 phases and will be prorated for part-time positions. Restrictions Apply. Please see link for details. https://jobs.smcgov.org/hiring-incentives/

The County offers an excellent benefits package that is available to spouses, domestic partners, and other dependents. Visit https://www.smcgov.org/hr/employee-benefits to learn more about our employee benefits.

How to Apply

To apply for this exciting career opportunity, the following materials must be electronically submitted online at https://jobs.smcgov.org:

• Employment Application Form
• Responses to the supplemental questions

For any recruitment related questions please contact Ramla Javed at rjaved@smcgov.org.

San Mateo County Health's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services division has six vacancies for Psychiatric Social Worker/Marriage & Family Therapist I/II in its Youth Services Center Unit. These vacancies are located in Coastside and San Mateo.

Please view the online brochure for a detailed description of this position: http://tinyurl.com/ybd4d7un

San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), Child and Youth Services https://www.smchealth.org/bhrs, provides a broad spectrum of Trauma Informed mental health and substance use services for children, youth, and families focusing on prevention, early intervention, and treatment of youth diagnosed as Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) and/or substance use disorders. We provide services through specialty teams, outpatient clinics, in schools, and field-based teams in Daly City, San Mateo, Half Moon Bay, Redwood City and East Palo Alto.

BHRS also provides services through a network of community agencies and independent providers who offer outpatient and wraparound services. BHRS supports treatment of the whole person to achieve wellness and recovery and to promote the health and well-being of the people, families, and communities we serve.

Additionally for Residential Youth Treatment at Canyon Oaks Youth Center, Community Care Licensing requires providers working in this facility to maintain 40 hours of annual training related to the field, most of which are provided by the facility. Clinicians will also need to be trained in Professional Assault Crisis Training model (Pro-Act) upon hire.

Benefits & Perks

Exciting news! Candidates have the opportunity to receive a sign-on bonus of up to $15,000. The sign-on bonus will be in 3 phases and will be prorated for part-time positions. Restrictions Apply. Please see link for details. https://jobs.smcgov.org/hiring-incentives/

The County offers an excellent benefits package that is available to spouses, domestic partners, and other dependents. Visit https://www.smcgov.org/hr/employee-benefits to learn more about our employee benefits.

How to Apply

To apply for this exciting career opportunity, the following materials must be electronically submitted online at https://jobs.smcgov.org:

• Employment Application Form
• Responses to the supplemental questions

For any recruitment related questions please contact Ramla Javed at rjaved@smcgov.org.

Exciting news! Candidates have the opportunity to receive a sign-on bonus of up to $15,000. First-time external new hires, or current staff promoted internally or from other County departments into a regular Child Psychiatrist position in Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) may be eligible to receive a sign-on bonus of up to $15,000 (subject to discontinuation at any time). The sign-on bonus will be in 3 phases and will be prorated for part-time positions. Restrictions Apply. Please see link for details. https://jobs.smcgov.org/hiring-incentives/

San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) seeks a board eligible or board-certified psychiatrist to serve as a staff Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist within BHRS. The position is full time, and provides child psychiatric diagnostic and therapeutic services to clients in various divisions of San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. Potential service sites include our outpatient behavioral health clinics, the Canyon Oaks Youth Center (youth residential program), the Youth Services Center, the Therapeutic Day School programs, the Transitional Age Youth program, and BHRS’s integrated behavioral health team co-located within the County’s pediatric clinics. The specifics of the clinical sites will be determined in collaboration with the successful candidate, the Supervising Child Psychiatrist, and the BHRS Medical Director.

Excellent Benefits Package

The position offers a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package which includes County funded malpractice insurance, pension plans and health benefits for retirees, 5% match into deferred comp, reimbursement of professional dues and expenses (up to $3,000/year), an additional 5% increase in salary for each qualifying Board certification up to two (2) Boards, administrative leave time at 5 hours per pay period up to 260 hours (this is prorated for part time employees) that can be used as time off or cashed out up to 50%, three days of Winter Recess (24 total hours) leave time, and a wellness program, including exercise classes, worksite massage, and an onsite gym. BHRS positions include a hybrid model of remote work, which may continue in the future.

BHRS is a nationally recognized leader in trauma-informed community mental health services, with a core commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion as guiding principles guiding ongoing evaluation and improvement to our system of care. BHRS has maintained a robust, long-standing institutional dedication of both staffing and resources for realizing these core goals for clients, their families, and our staff. BHRS offers the opportunity to practice state-of-the-art psychiatry without third party intrusions, the ability to work with a diverse client group possessing a wide range of community, family, and individual assets and challenges. We are also centrally committed to a multimodal model of care that recognizes the core contributions of therapists, parent-peer support workers, behavioral therapists, and wrap-around teams, pediatricians, teachers, and social workers, while also recognizing the central healing role of a client’s family, peers, and extended community. Our BHRS psychiatrists also have potential opportunities for supervising general psychiatric residents from the County’s award-winning Psychiatric Residency Training Program, as well as Fellows from our Stanford - San Mateo County Community Child Psychiatry Fellowship. BHRS emphasizes the use of evidence-based treatment approaches while also seeking continual improvement in the areas of cultural sensitivity and integrated services for co-occurring disorders. Our achievements reflect the work of dedicated staff as well as the valuable input of mental health system partners including juvenile justice, child welfare, foster care agencies, private providers, contracting mental health agencies, and the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Commission members, among others.

The ideal candidate will have completed a Residency in General Psychiatry and a Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and will be board-certified or board eligible in both. A candidate will hold a valid and up-to-date California Physicians and Surgeons License as granted by the Medical Board of California and a current prescribing certificate from the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency. A thorough background check will be conducted, which may include inquiries of the Department of Justice and the National Practitioners Data Bank. Any negative findings may be a basis for rejection of an application. All services will be provided in a professional manner that demonstrates cultural sensitivity and humility. An ideal candidate will have a strong demonstrated commitment to and competence for providing care to populations with shared characteristics, strengths, and challenges as those populations served within our County’s behavioral health system of care. An ideal candidate will have fluency in providing services in the preferred language of the families, notably Spanish; however, second language proficiency or fluency are not required.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is: Completion of an accredited psychiatric residency program as well as a child and adolescent fellowship.

Licensure/Certification:

• License to practice medicine or osteopathy in the State of California.
• Possession of a valid Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the “Apply” button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted in addition to the standard County employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required application materials. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

Recruitment Schedule

Apply immediately. This is a continuous recruitment and is open until filled. Selections may be made at any time within the process. The final filing date will be posted five days in advance on this job announcement.

San Mateo County Health Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Youth division has one vacancy for a Psychiatric Social Worker/Marriage & Family Therapist I/II - SPANISH SPEAKING REQUIRED to join their Child Welfare Mental Health (CWMH) team. Please view the online job brochure for more information: http://tinyurl.com/2s46b52m

Program Overview:

The Child Welfare Mental Health (CWMH) team serves children ages 6-17 years old and their families who have a voluntary or court-ordered open case with Children and Family Services (CFS). For all CFS referred youth, we administer the CANS, among other assessment tools. We interview the children, caregivers, and any relevant parties as part of this assessment process. Based on these assessments, we provide various therapeutic services (e.g., individual therapy, family therapy, dyadic therapy, psychiatric evaluations, etc.). We work in conjunction with pediatric nurses, doctors, and psychiatrists. When appropriate or upon CFS case closure, CWMH therapist transfers mental health services to other BHRS programs or to our network of community-based agencies/providers.

Position Description:

We are hiring a Bilingual Spanish-speaking clinician to provide assessments, brief crisis/stabilization, therapy, case management services, and treatment summaries to the court for children aged 6-17 years old. The ideal candidate will provide trauma-informed child abuse treatment and work closely with the foster care system.

Our clinicians carry an outpatient caseload and services are community-based. We can conduct therapy at our BHRS therapy offices, but mostly conduct therapy off-site (e.g., at the child’s school, homes, etc) based on what is convenient for the child/family. So, having a car to travel within San Mateo County is necessary to the work. It is important to note that for work-related travel, the candidate can choose to use county cars or if they decide to drive their vehicle, they can also get mileage reimbursement.

We serve residents of San Mateo County who are often of racial/ethnic minorities and low-income status. Our team consists of master’s level clinicians (licensed and unlicensed). Therapists have weekly individual supervision and a weekly clinical staff meeting where cases are discussed. There are ongoing training opportunities to learn skills in a wide variety of modalities (e.g., Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Focused CBT, DBT, NMT, etc.). The work that this team does is critical for the health and well-being of many children and youth in San Mateo County. Although the work often comes with the challenges connected to trauma, it also provides a rich and rewarding experience.

Benefits & Perks

Exciting news! Candidates have the opportunity to receive a sign-on bonus of up to $15,000. The sign-on bonus will be in 3 phases and will be prorated for part-time positions. Restrictions Apply. Please see link for details. https://jobs.smcgov.org/hiring-incentives/

The County offers an excellent benefits package that is available to spouses, domestic partners, and other dependents. Visit https://www.smcgov.org/hr/employee-benefits to learn more about our employee benefits.

Why work for San Mateo County BHRS?

· Competitive pay

· Excellent health, dental, and vision coverage

· Focus on employee wellness

· Loan forgiveness program

· Training opportunities

· Tuition reimbursement

· Work laptop and cell phone

· Pension/retirement

· AFSCME union representation

· & much more!

How to Apply

To apply for this exciting career opportunity, the following materials must be electronically submitted online at https://jobs.smcgov.org:

· Employment Application Form

· Responses to the supplemental questions

For any recruitment related questions please contact Ramla Javed at rjaved@smcgov.org.

The Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Division of San Mateo County Health is seeking a well-qualified individual for the position of Supervising Mental Health Clinician, to supervise and coordinate the professional work of mental health professionals, paraprofessionals and interns in a geographic or service unit and participate in program planning, administration and evaluation; and provide specialized psychiatric casework counseling and therapeutic services to children and their families within the Prenatal to Three Specialty Team.

The current vacancy is in the Mental Health Youth Services, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, Prenatal to Three Program.

Prenatal to Three The Pre-Natal to Three (Pre-3) Program provides specialized mental health services for pregnant women, new caregivers, and children ages 0–5 who meet medical necessity criteria for Specialty Mental Health Services. The program is rooted in a trauma-informed and culturally responsive framework, recognizing the critical importance of the earliest years of life in shaping long-term health and development.

Pre-3 clinicians deliver direct mental health treatment and case management while also supporting the parent-child relationship through dyadic and family-based approaches. The program partners closely with Children and Family Services, San Mateo Medical Center, Family Health, and community providers to ensure comprehensive care for families navigating complex needs. Collaboration extends to interagency efforts such as the Keller Center and Child Welfare Team, strengthening coordinated systems of support for vulnerable young children and their caregivers.

By addressing perinatal mental health, early childhood trauma, and family stressors, the Pre-3 Program plays a vital role in promoting resilience, preventing deeper system involvement, and improving long-term outcomes for infants, young children, and their families.

The Supervising Mental Health Clinician will oversee a multidisciplinary team that provides clinical outpatient services to children and their families. The team may include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and peer support specialists (family partners). The clinical team may also include master and doctoral level interns/trainees and psychiatric residents.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Knowledge of trauma informed system of care principles and general services.
• Knowledge of program management techniques, system of care principles, and practices.
• Demonstrated expertise and skill in clinical work with infants, young children and families, young children with serious emotional disturbances.
• Experience providing clinical services for clients with co-occurring disorders of mental illness and substance use.
• Ability to provide clinical case management to support the team, as needed.
• Experience working with clients of diverse cultures and backgrounds and conducting outreach to underserved communities from a trauma-informed perspective.
• Knowledge of evidence-based clinical practice modalities, e.g. Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Treatment, Child Parent Psychotherapy, Parent Child Interaction Training, etc.
• Knowledge of Medi-Cal and Medicare regulations and managed mental health care.
• Strong clinical assessment, diagnostic and evaluation skills.
• Strong supervisory/leadership skills which demonstrate an ability to direct and motivate a multi-disciplinary team.
• Collaborative skills and the ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with consumers, families, professionals and the public; including collaborative community engagement to plan and implement needed services.
• Ability to make sound decisions and manage crises based on the exercise of judgment and the consideration of all available information.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Function as the Unit Supervisor, and plan, assign, train, and supervise the work of a group of inter-disciplinary mental health professionals and interns.
• Plan, implement and coordinate all unit related activity.
• Participate in administrative staff meetings to formulate overall program plans and review ongoing operations.
• Establish and maintain program procedures which are consistent with federal, state and local laws governing mental health services.
• Monitor and consult with contract providers to ensure compliance with services requested by the County and to help determine jointly beneficial solutions to problem areas.
• Maintain unit records and collect statistical data for routine, evaluative and research purposes.
• Lead clinical meetings for cooperative planning of treatment and accountable case disposition.
• Facilitate development of training program for staff and interns.
• On occasion, the Unit Supervisor will conduct therapy for individuals, couples and families; and make diagnoses.
• When appropriate, conduct case management functions.
• Maintain patient/client case documentation adhering to state and division policy and procedures.
• Provide crisis consultation, support and triaging for clinicians and their clients
• Screen for new clients and their families.
• As needed, act as liaison for clients hospitalized.
• Provide guidance and support to clinicians in discharge planning, follow-up care, and triaging to clients and family members.
• Provide both client-centered and program-centered consultation to external agencies, institutions and individuals.
• Provide community education and information to external agencies, institutions and individuals.
• Perform related duties as assigned

Qualifications

Licensure/Certification: Possession of a current California license in at least one of the following: Clinical Psychology, Clinical Social Worker or Marriage and Family Therapy.

Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is a Master's degree in a mental health specialty, such as social work, nursing, or clinical counseling and two years of professional post-graduate experience in a mental health setting.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

Final Filing Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025, by 11:59PM PST

Application Screening: Week of October 6, 2025

Panel/Departmental Interviews: Week of October 20, 2025

Supervising Mental Health Clinicians supervise and coordinate the professional work of mental health professionals, paraprofessionals and interns in San Mateo County and participate in program planning, administration, and evaluation; and provide specialized psychiatric casework counseling and therapeutic services to adults and youth in the field. The current vacancy is in Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Crisis and Outreach Team including the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT), the Crisis Response Team (CRT), Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH), and Homeless Engagement Assessment Linkage (HEAL) team.

Supervising Mental Health Clinicians are members of the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Leadership Team and work with collaborative partners on system wide initiatives focused on improving services and service delivery. This position reports directly to a Clinical Services Manager.

Services provided include supervising mental health clinicians working in tandem with city law enforcement for behavioral health crises and/or homeless outreach mental health programs throughout the county, supervising the program specialist for the Crisis and Outreach Team, and conducting trainings and presentations for various partner agencies and the community.

The teams include psychiatrist, social workers, marriage and family therapists, SUD case manager, mental health counselor, and community workers who are consumers or family members. The clinical teams may also work with clinical interns.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Knowledge of system of care principles.
• Knowledge of program management techniques and practices.
• Knowledge of crisis de-escalation, crisis evaluation, 5150-hold application, and community crisis response.
• Knowledge of crisis continuum of care.
• Strong supervisory/leadership skills, which demonstrate an ability to direct and motivate a multi-disciplinary team some of whom will be mobile and in disparate parts of the County.
• The ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with consumers, families, professionals, law enforcement, Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES), homeless services providers, and the public; including close collaboration with and engagement of community partners to plan for, implement and coordinate needed services.
• Ability to make sound decisions based on the exercise of judgment and the consideration of all available information often with very little time during active crises.
• Demonstrated expertise and skill in clinical work with adults and youth with serious mental illnesses who may also have had contact with law enforcement and psychiatric emergency services.
• Knowledge of evidence based clinical practice modalities, e.g. motivational interviewing, solution focused brief treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy, wellness and recovery principles, and trauma informed care, for examples.
• Knowledge of Medi-Cal and Medicare regulations and managed mental health care.
• Strong knowledge of Avatar, EPIC and other tools or databases used by BHRS for information and charting.
• Strong clinical assessment, diagnostic and evaluation skills.
• Experience working with clients of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Inpatient and outpatient clinical experience.
• Experience working with clients on the streets and in shelters.
• Collaborative experience or knowledge of the Criminal Justice system.

As the Supervising Mental Health Clinician, your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Consulting with clinicians in the field to determine appropriate courses of action during active crises that may involve law enforcement.
• Tracking data for established and pilot programs and reporting these statistics to leadership.
• Facilitating regular meetings with clinicians and system partners collaborating with the Crisis and Outreach Team.
• Providing ongoing clinical training for field clinicians and law enforcement, including the Quarterly Crisis Intervention Training (CIT).
• Responding to active crisis scenes when required.
• Addressing and supporting requests for the deployment of the BHRS Crisis Response Team (CRT).
• Overseeing the daily operations of programs under the Crisis and Outreach umbrella.
• Performing all other duties or projects as assigned.

Qualifications

Licensure/Certification : Possession of a California license in at least one of the following: Clinical Psychology, Clinical Social Worker, or Marriage and Family Therapist.

Education and Experience: 

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying.

• A typical way to qualify is a Master's degree in a mental health specialty, such as social work or clinical counseling and two years of professional post-graduate experience in a mental health setting.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE:

Application Deadline: Continuous until filled.