Early Childhood Day Treatment - Licensed Mental Health Therapist

Lorenzclinic; Minnesota; On-site; USD 75,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Lorenz Clinic is seeking a full-time psychotherapist to join our Early Childhood Day Treatment team. This position focuses on serving children ages 3–7 with trauma histories through a relational and trauma-informed approach. Clinicians will work both in-clinic and in-home to support children and their families, emphasizing relational healing and developmental repair. A strong commitment to integrity, community service, and clinician wellness is central to our ethos.

Benefits

Student loan repayment assistance

Paid burnout time

Generous paid time off (PTO)

Up to 12 weeks paid parental leave

401(k) with employer matching

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Qualifications

• Experience with young children and families impacted by trauma is required.
• Competence in trauma-informed, developmentally grounded care models.
• Willingness to provide in-home family therapy.

Responsibilities

• Lead group therapy sessions and provide family therapy in homes.
• Conduct ongoing diagnostic assessments and treatment planning.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team for holistic care.

Skills

Developmental trauma understanding

Relational therapy skills

Team collaboration

Education

Master's or doctoral degree in a mental health profession

Full independent licensure in Minnesota (LP, LICSW, LMFT, LPCC)

Job description

Description

Note: This role includes a $10,000 sign-on and retention bonus and eligibility for student loan repayment support. These benefits reflect our commitment to sustaining high-caliber clinicians over long careers—not just attracting them.

Looking for a workplace that honors depth of practice, relational healing, and clinical integrity?

At Lorenz Clinic, we’ve built something different. In a field increasingly shaped by corporate agendas and productivity quotas, we remain clinician-led and relationship-centered. We are not here to scale mediocrity—we are here to sustain excellence in real-world care.

This position is housed within our Early Childhood Day Treatment program, which serves children ages 3–7 with trauma histories, attachment disruptions, and complex developmental needs. The program is grounded in the Developmental Repair model, a relational and trauma-informed approach that treats not just behavior but the underlying disruptions in emotional regulation, relational trust, and identity formation. Clinicians in this role work intensively with small groups of children half-day in the clinic, and then provide in-home family therapy the other half—carrying the work systemically into the child’s world.

We understand that good clinical work requires good clinical systems. That’s why we prioritize:

• Time – paid burnout leave, generous PTO, CEU days, holidays, and up to 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Autonomy – clinicians shape their caseloads and interventions within their scope of competence
• Community – our selective hiring process ensures you're surrounded by reflective, skilled, and mission-aligned colleagues
• Equity & Integrity – our sliding fee scale goes to zero, and our core values—not billing quotas—drive our decisions

We don’t just treat symptoms. We restore trust, repair development, and build lifelong relational capacity. Make a difference on Main Street—not Wall Street. Join a team where your work is sacred, your peers are exceptional, and your growth is taken seriously.

About Lorenz Clinic

Lorenz Clinic is on a mission to heal the world one relationship at a time. We are a clinician-led, family psychology practice committed to delivering depth-oriented, systemic, and trauma-informed care to individuals, couples, and families. Our work is guided by the belief that healing happens through relationships—and that our systems must reflect that same relational ethic.

We’re not the biggest clinic in Minnesota—and that’s intentional. Instead, we aim to be the best. Lorenz was the first clinic in the state to develop organized Post-Master’s Fellowships, and remains one of Minnesota’s most selective mental health employers, accepting fewer than 5% of applicants. We maintain high standards not for prestige, but to ensure clinicians are surrounded by reflective, values-driven colleagues who elevate the work.

Lorenz is nationally recognized for its distinctive training culture, which infuses vitality into the system at every level. While training isn’t all we do, it remains central to our identity—nurturing a workforce that’s clinically sharp, developmentally informed, and capable of leading change in the field. We welcome a growing and increasingly diverse community of professionals, and we center mentorship, feedback, and growth in our operations—not just for trainees, but for fully licensed staff as well.

We think big and act local. Our clinics are embedded on Main Street in communities facing entrenched access disparities. Our sliding fee scale goes to zero. More than 40% of our clients are on Medicaid. And yet, our no-show rate is under 10%—a testament to the quality of our therapeutic relationships and community trust.

Thirty years from now, we aspire to become one of the leading family institutes in the country—a national center of excellence that grew from a dining room table to a clinically rigorous, ethically grounded, and socially impactful system of care. Our alumni will be the clinicians, supervisors, and leaders who carry forward a legacy of systems thinking, reflective practice, and deep relational healing.

If you’re a clinician who believes therapy should be meaningful, sustainable, and socially responsive, Lorenz might be your next professional home.

About Our Day Treatment

Our Early Childhood Day Treatment program is built around the belief that healing developmental trauma requires more than behavior management—it requires deep, relational repair. Serving children ages 3–7 with a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related disruptions in early attachment and regulation, the program is grounded in the Developmental Repair model developed by Anne Gearity, PhD.

This model honors the complexity of early trauma by focusing not on compliance, but on restoring a child's capacity for relational trust, emotional regulation, and identity development. Our clinicians meet children where they are developmentally—offering structured, relationally rich experiences designed to repair ruptures caused by neglect, abuse, or systemic adversity.

Therapists in this program split their time between two vital contexts:

• In-Clinic Group Treatment (half-day): Small groups (held Monday–Thursday) offer emotionally attuned, low-stimulation settings where children practice social skills, experience safety in relationship, and begin to build affective meaning through play and repair-focused interactions.
• In-Home Family Therapy (half-day): Therapists work directly in the child’s home environment, partnering with caregivers to strengthen attachment, co-regulation, and systems of support that sustain change beyond the clinic walls.

Our multidisciplinary teams include licensed psychotherapists, case managers, occupational therapy consultants, and clinical supervisors. We keep group sizes intentionally small to ensure each child receives the individualized relational attention they need to thrive.

Key components of the program include:

• Individualized Treatment Planning: Every child’s developmental profile, trauma history, and strengths guide treatment design
• Caregiver Involvement: Weekly family therapy and ongoing caregiver support are not optional add-ons—they’re core to our model
• Trauma-Informed Play & Regulation Work: Facilitated experiences designed to promote trust, problem-solving, and affect integration
• Systemic Collaboration: Our teams coordinate care across home, clinic, and community to reduce fragmentation and build stability

Our goal is not just to reduce symptoms—it’s to rebuild developmental foundations. We aim to prepare children to return to preschool or school with greater flexibility, stronger relational capacity, and restored hope.

Clinicians who thrive here are passionate about early childhood mental health, relational depth, and partnering with families systemically. If you’re looking for a role where the clinical model matches your training, instincts, and aspirations—and where children’s healing is treated as sacred—this may be the position for you.

About the Role

This is a full-time psychotherapy position on Lorenz Clinic’s Early Childhood Day Treatment team, serving children ages 3–7 with significant trauma histories and regulatory challenges. The role is grounded in the Developmental Repair model, which treats early emotional and relational ruptures through structured, relationally intensive experiences—both in group and family contexts.

You’ll lead a trauma-focused day treatment group four half-days per week in our clinic setting, providing therapeutic structure, regulation, and relational scaffolding in small, low-stimulation groups. These group sessions are designed to help children practice emotional flexibility, build trust in adult relationships, and begin the process of healing from developmental trauma.

Half the day, you’ll provide in-home family therapy, working systemically with caregivers to strengthen co-regulation, attachment, and home-based emotional safety. You’ll partner closely with parents and guardians to support the child’s progress across environments, ensuring that what is built in group treatment is reinforced and expanded at home.

Your week will include:

• In-clinic group therapy (half-days, M–Th) focused on Developmental Repair, regulation, and peer interaction
• In-home family therapy (half-days & Fridays) with caregivers, supporting systemic healing and attachment
• Ongoing diagnostic assessment, treatment planning, and case conceptualization using a developmental and trauma-informed lens
• Regular consultation, reflective supervision, and Grand Rounds as part of a high-accountability, high-support team
• Collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, including case managers, OT consultants, supervisors, and clinic leadership

Our outpatient system is organized around a clinician wellness roadmap that prioritizes autonomy, fairness, and developmental growth—not just productivity. Clinicians function within their areas of competence and specialty, with room to grow and refine their clinical interests over time.

Lorenz clinics are embedded in local communities with stark access disparities. Over 40% of our clients are on Medicaid, and our sliding fee scale goes to zero. Despite the acuity of our client base, our no-show rate is under 10%, thanks to strong engagement practices and relational continuity.

Clinicians consistently describe the culture here as one of respect, reflection, and camaraderie. In our most recent Gallup engagement survey:

• “We have the best people… the best therapists and the best humans.” -Senior Clinician
• “I could make a mistake.” -Practicum Student
• “I knew I’d get through it because of the support.” -Post-Master’s Fellow
• “I have my life back.” -New Hire
• “Such a cohesive group.” -Clinical Manager
• “This is my therapy home… my forever job.” -Senior Clinician
• “Such an organized experience.” -Trainee

This work isn’t easy—but it’s the work that matters. It asks for grit, emotional availability, and a steady presence in the face of dysregulation and distress. Clinicians in this program are team-oriented, mission-driven, and anchored by a deep sense of service—not just to their clients, but to one another.

We work hard. We care deeply. We show up for our kids—and for each other. If that sounds like you, this may be your professional home.

Requirements

Job Requirements

We’re looking for clinicians who bring both technical skill and relational depth to the work—those who are developmentally minded, reflective, and able to stay grounded in the face of intensity. The most successful candidates have a strong sense of clinical purpose, a deep sense of service, and the grit to show up consistently for vulnerable children and their caregivers.

We value experience, but we also value humility, teachability, and the ability to practice in a team-based, feedback-rich culture. This is not an isolated outpatient role—it’s intensive, collaborative, and anchored in systemic thinking.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A master’s or doctoral degree in a mental health profession from an accredited academic program
• Full, independent, and unrestricted licensure in Minnesota as an LP, LICSW, LMFT, or LPCC. Note: pre-licensed therapists (LAMFTs, LGSWs, etc.) should instead consider our Post-Master’s Fellowship position, which can be housed within Day Treatment
• Demonstrated experience working with young children and families impacted by trauma
• Competence in trauma-informed, developmentally grounded care models
• Willingness and ability to provide in-home family therapy as part of the treatment model

Preferred Qualifications:

• DC:0–5 Competency (strongly preferred)
• At least 1 year of experience providing day treatment services
• Prior experience with models such as Developmental Repair, Reflective Supervision, Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), TF-CBT, or Functional Family Therapy (FFT)
• At least 2 years of experience providing clinical supervision (preferred)
• Formal training in child, couple, or family therapy

Benefits

At Lorenz Clinic, we believe that sustaining clinicians is just as important as recruiting them. That’s why our benefits are designed around what actually matters in this work: time, support, flexibility, and meaningful growth. We don’t just say we care about burnout prevention—we build systems that make it possible.

Full-time, independently licensed clinicians enjoy a robust benefits package that includes:

• Student loan repayment assistance
• Paid burnout time
• Up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, regardless of gender
• Generous paid time off (PTO)
• Paid holidays
• Paid service/volunteer time
• Annual CEU allowance
• Paid continuing education release days
• 4 hours/month of structured case consultation (with CEUs)
• Monthly Grand Rounds
• In-house annual clinical conference
• Over 100 board-approved CEUs per year (on average)
• 401(k) with employer matching
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Healthcare Savings Account (HSA)
• Mileage reimbursement
• Flexible scheduling
• Professional development assistance
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

We’ve built a system that helps clinicians stay clinicians—connected, supported, and proud of the work they do. If you're looking for a place that protects your sustainability, not just your productivity, you’ll find it here.

For an unabridged job description or more information about our benefits programs including policies that related to the sign-on and retention bonus, student loan repayment program, please contact human resources and defer to information contained in formal employment documents if hired. While this position is listed under St. Paul for posting visibility, Lorenz Clinic does not operate a physical location in St. Paul proper. The primary in-person worksite is our Rosemount location, with the possibility of hybrid flexibility depending on program needs and clinic discretion.

Compensation

The compensation hiring range for this role is $75,000 - $125,000 per year, which is dependent on candidate qualifications, program fit, chosen caseload, and competencies. The hiring range for master's-prepared clinicians is $75,000 - $106,250, while the hiring range for doctorally-prepared Licensed Psychologists is $106,000 - $125,000. This is a full-time, salaried, except, benefits-eligible, W2 role.

Application & Selection Process

Selection into our practice is highly competitive—but deeply relational. While some large clinics hire 80% of applicants, Lorenz typically hires fewer than 5%. That’s not because we want to be exclusive—it’s because we are intentional. We’re building a system of care where quality, alignment, and shared values matter deeply, and where clinicians thrive when surrounded by others who bring the same level of reflection and integrity.

We encourage candidates to apply who:

• Are clinically grounded, developmentally informed, and relationally skilled
• Are motivated by service, systems thinking, and long-term impact
• Want to be part of a team that holds itself to high standards and supports one another through the challenges of meaningful clinical work

Cover letters are optional but strongly encouraged—they help us understand your clinical values, your interest in this model, and how you see yourself fitting into this team. Application materials may be submitted through the clinic’s job board at https://lorenzclinic.com/join-us/.

Candidates are evaluated through multiple lenses, including:

• Clinical competence (knowledge, skills, attitudes)
• Ability to deliver high-quality care within a relational and systemic model
• Potential to grow within the role and contribute meaningfully to the team
• Alignment with Lorenz Clinic’s mission, values, and commitment to reflective practice

We believe that excellence in mental health care depends not just on individual skill, but on the right people, in the right system, doing the right work together. If this resonates with you, we hope you’ll apply.

Individual & Cultural Diversity

Lorenz Clinic is proudly committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. We view Individual & Cultural Diversity as a professional competency area that applies to all professionals, one that requires specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Candidates who independently monitor and apply knowledge of self and others as a cultural beings in assessment, treatment, and consultation are especially encouraged to apply.

Search Terms

Clinicians might find this posting beneficial if looking for positions using following search terms: mental health therapist, mental health, therapist, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, therapist mental health, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, board-approved supervisor, counselor, psychotherapist, trauma therapist, family therapist, child therapist, Nationally Certified Counselors (NCC), children's mental health, clinical supervisor, outpatient psychotherapist, outpatient psychology. Again, Licensed Psychologists should consider the Staff Psychologist role posted separately by Lorenz. Pre-licensed therapists such as Licensed Graduate Social Workers (LGSW), or Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (LAMFT) should consider the practice’s Post-Master’s Fellowship position instead.