Job Description
Job Location: Main Campus - San Diego, CA 92111
Position Type: Full TimeEducation
Level: Graduate Degree
Salary Range: $70,304.00 - $76,500.00 Salary/year
Job Shift: Day
Job Category: Clinical - TherapeuticBy joining the San Diego Center for Children, you will empower children and families through transformative mental health care and educational services. Our vision is to inspire a world where children and families live joyful, healthy lives. We serve over 1,000 people every day - are you ready to make an impact?
Join us - and work with purpose!
POSITION BENEFITS
- Team-oriented, Multidisciplinary Approach
- Ongoing, High-Level Learning and Development Opportunities
- Culturally Diverse Environment
- Joint Commission Accredited Organization
- Comprehensive Health Insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision, Pet)
- Retirement Savings Plan: 403(b) - With Employer Match Up to 3%
- Generous Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick Leave, Holidays)
- Wellness Programs
- EAP - Employee Assistance Program
- Tuition Reimbursement or Assistance For Continuing Education
- Employee Discounts
- Employee Recognition Program
- Opportunities For Career Advancement
- May Be Eligible For State or Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs For Work With Underserved Populations
SUMMARY
The Floating Therapist provides flexible, high-quality clinical services across the Academy and Residential programs, or other programs as assigned, to ensure continuity of care, coverage during staff vacancies, leaves, or high-acuity needs, and to support program stability. This role delivers trauma-informed, culturally responsive therapeutic services to children and adolescents with complex emotional, behavioral, and educational needs. The Floating Therapist collaborates closely with interdisciplinary teams, families, schools, and community providers to promote safety, healing, and long-term success.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Other duties may be assigned)
- Provide individual, group, and family therapy to youth in residential, academy or program assigned
- Complete assessments, case management, treatment plans, progress notes, and discharge summaries in compliance with agency policy, licensing, and regulatory requirements
- Participate in treatment team meetings, IEPs, and multidisciplinary case conferences
- Respond to crisis situations and provide clinical intervention and stabilization support as needed
- Ensure continuity of care during staff absences, transitions, or increased program needs
- Maintain clinical documentation in accordance with Medi-Cal, CCL, and other funding or licensing requirements
- Other duties as assigned
Program Support & Collaboration
- Collaborate with residential staff, educators, case managers, psychiatrists, and administration
- Provide clinical consultation to direct care staff and teachers regarding behavior support and treatment strategies
- Support implementation of behavior intervention plans and trauma-informed practices
- Assist with onboarding or mentoring of new therapists as assigned
- Support program compliance with audits, reviews, and quality assurance standards
Professional Responsibilities
- Adhere to all ethical standards and professional licensing requirements
- Maintain confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA, FERPA, and agency policies
- Participate in supervision, trainings, and professional development trainings
- Represent the agency professionally with families, districts, and community partners
- Stay informed on best practices therapy, trauma-informed care, and evidence-based interventions
- Maintain Board of Behavioral Health Registration & SDCC required trainings
Flexibility & Coverage
- Float between Academy, Residential, and other assigned programs based on organizational needs
- Adapt to varying schedules, caseloads, and clinical demands
- Maintain consistent clinical standards across all assigned programs
- Provide temporary caseload coverage to prevent service gaps.
On The Job Mandatory Trainings
- Maintain all certifications and licenses required for the role, ensuring they remain current
- Complete and stay up-to-date with all mandatory trainings as specified by the San Diego Center for Children, including but not limited to: Residential Counselor Training, Intervention Toolbox, CPR and First Aid Certification S.P.A. Certification, False Claims, HIPAA, Safety, Trauma Informed Care, Annual Block Trainings as assigned. Any trainings assigned.
Restraint & Safety Training Requirements
Apply Safe and Positive Approaches (SPA) restraint techniques, which may involve:
- Lifting or holding a child in standing, sitting, or ground-level positions
- Separating clients who are acting in an unsafe manner to ensure the safety of both clients and staff
- Prolonged standing, bending, and transitioning youth from a standing to a seated position.
- Must pass a two-day SPA training that focuses on safely initiating a physical hold with youth presenting as a danger to themselves or others
- It is recommended that staff be able to support up to 50 pounds
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret medical records, journals, reports, and legal documents; Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community; Ability to effectively present information to management and public groups; Ability to produce clear, concise, and clinically appropriate records.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret medical records, journals, reports, and legal documents; Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community; Ability to effectively present information to management and public groups.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, and talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to run, walk, sit and drive a vehicle. The employee must be able to move and/or lift a student when clinically necessary, and must be able to follow a student that AWOLs in a walking or running pace. Applying SPA restraint techniques can involve lifting the student, holding the student down in a standing, sitting or ground level manner, as well separating clients who are acting in an unsafe manner to ensure the safety for the clients and staff. Due to the emotional instability of the clients the employee may be subjected to kicking, hitting, punching, biting, hair pulling, etc. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
CRISIS INTERVENTION
- Address immediate emotional and behavioral concerns, including de-escalation and safety planning
- Support students during crises and collaborate with staff to maintain a safe school environment
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
The San Diego Center for Children is committed to:
- Actively recruiting, retaining, and supporting diverse staff at all levels of the organization
- Ensuring that diverse perspectives are included in the development and implementation of policies, practices and services, and that individuals feel empowered to advance our mission within an atmosphere of trust, safety, and respect
- Encourage and provide access to professional development in order to deliver equitable and culturally informed services to the population we serve
QualificationsMINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- Must have a current license or pre-license number issued by the State of California oversight board for that license: ASW/LCSW, AMF, MFT/MFC, Psych Assistant, PhD or PsyD. LPCC/APCC may be considered with additional educational requirements
- Master’s Degree from an accredited university in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology, or related field
- Experience working with children and adolescence in therapeutic settings, preferable within a school environment
- Strong case management skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team
PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS
- Bilingual in Spanish
- Experience and/or Training in Case Management
- Experience in a Residential setting and with multi-disciplinary teams.
- Experience working with CWS, adoptions and/or foster care youth and caregivers
- Experience working with the education system and with IEP’s.
- Training/experience in the area of latency and adolescent age students and families is desired as is the knowledge of basic case management skills.
- Training in Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Trauma Focused CBT, and/or Family Engagement and Family Therapy.
