EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH PREVENTION SPECIALIST (Department of Children and Youth/DCY contract position)

Overview

Now more than ever, mental and behavioral health care for kids is needed in our community. Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health is looking to meet the growing demands by hiring an Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Prevention Specialist.

As a member of our team, you will help children, youth and families successfully meet life's challenges by offering the emotional and behavioral health support they need. We are a collaborative network of child therapists, psychiatrists, PMHNPs, case managers, school staff, community partners and other mental health professionals working toward a common goal. Together, we provide a positive environment for kids and their families to find health, hope and happiness.

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals to join one of the most innovative therapeutic mental health programs in Stark County. C&A is recognized by Zippia and The Cleveland Plain Dealer/cleveland.com as a Top Workplace in Stark County. We offer a compassionate, supportive, accountable work environment to help you grow your career, along with a comprehensive benefits package that includes generous and affordable medical, dental, life insurance, retirement and paid time off. 

JOB DESCRIPTIONS/DUTIES

The Early Childhood Mental Health Prevention Specialist provides supportive interventions, consultation with children, early childcare staff, and families in participating service programs throughout Stark County provided through contract funded by the Department of Children and Youth (DCY). The ECMH/Prevention Specialist has the responsibility of maintaining uniformly high-quality service to ensure maximum benefits to program participants. The individual must have strong communication skills with both children and adults, enjoy helping others, be organized, energetic, innovative and enthusiastic, maintain a family-oriented advocacy role, and be able to work both independently and as part of a team. A commitment to the philosophy and practice of resiliency and the capacity to build developmentally appropriate and supportive environments are expected. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

 ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide coordination and referral to community services, as needed.
• Act as an advocate for young children, their families, and early childcare providers.
• Participate in professional supervision and training activities.
• Perform other duties, as required.
• Must have excellent communication skills and be able to function well as a team member.
• Must be culturally competent and willing to work with clients and families within various and diverse populations.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation to commute to and from assignments.
  

• Provide supportive interventions with young children.
• conduct a minimum of one direct consultation session per referred child within 30 calendar days from the initial date of referral. provide direct consultation to a referred child within 48 hours if they are experiencing acute emotional, behavioral, or traumatic events, and are at risk of being expelled due to their behavior, as well as follow for ongoing support of child.
• Implement strength-based resiliency and skill building curriculum for indicated and/or selected population in assigned early childhood programs, schools, and/or community locations (YMCA).
• Conduct screenings and assessments on children identified as having a social emotional or behavioral concern as requested by an early care and education (ECE) professional and complete program-wide needs assessments, staff consultations, and classroom observations to support emotionally responsive environments.
• Provide consultation and behavior intervention services by request, including DINA Dinosaur services. 
• Track outcomes for children who are referred by an ECE professional and are experiencing an acute emotional, behavioral or traumatic event, through follow-ups at intervals of 30 days and 90 days following the services.
• Develop and run parent-child events to support social/emotional development and parent education around behavior management, and resiliency.
• Provide parent consultations and strengthen parent involvement.
• Required minimum of 6 individual consultations with classroom teachers and/or parents per month to address child-specific social-emotional concerns.
• Maintain accurate records of service delivery and timely completion of paperwork.
• Promote a climate that fosters resiliency and positive social, emotional, and behavioral development.
• Attend collaborative team meetings to create positive change within the community.
• Attend continuing education opportunities to obtain and/or maintain the Ohio Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Credential and/or Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist Licensure. 
  

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 2 years of college in Child Development, Psychology; Bachelor’s degree with licensure preferred (RA, OCPSA, OCPS, OCPC, LSW, Nursing, Ohio issued teaching license) along with a minimum of two years’ experience in early childhood.
• If applicant does not already possess OCPS, will be required to immediately apply for RA and obtain OCPS and ECMHC credential within a 2-year timeframe. 

WHY CHILD & ADOLESCENT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

At Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health, we are here for you, so you can be there for them. We provide a supportive environment for our clinical therapists to grow and lead in their careers, and in turn, you bring unmatched compassionate care and expertise.

We have been recognized as one of the Top 10 Best Companies to work for in Stark County, because we strive to take care of our team at work and at home. 

RECOGNITION AND AWARDS

Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health has been recognized and ranked on three Zippia lists:

• Best Non-Profit Companies to Work for in Ohio
• Best Companies to Work for in Canton, Ohio
• 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 Top Workplace for Non-Profits in Northeastern Ohio by Cleveland Plain Dealer/cleveland.com
• Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Community Salute Award - 2018 Award of Appreciation
  

LOCATION

We have four locations in Stark County including downtown Canton, Belden Village, Alliance, and Plain Township.

Salary Range/Compensation: Based upon licensure status, education and experience.

Hours: Full-time. Some evening hours and/or Saturday hours may be required.

Location: This position is at the Plain office.

Send resume/apply to: recruiting@childandadolescent.org

An Equal Opportunity Employer Stark Co. – EEO-6