Mental Health Clinician for Foster Youth

WestCoast Children's Clinic; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

WestCoast Children’s Clinic in Oakland, CA seeks a Mental Health Clinician for Foster Youth to provide trauma‑informed mental health services for children and youth in foster care. The role combines mobile clinical work with on-site documentation within a collaborative team.

The position offers full-time hours, a hybrid in-person/remote schedule, and a compensation package starting at $72,000–$82,000 plus a 10% Spanish language differential for qualified candidates.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology, marriage and family therapy, or social work.
• Current California mental health license preferred (or eligibility/waiver per California Department of Mental Health requirements prior to hire date).
• At least 1–2 years of post-graduate experience with children/youth.
• Prior residential, milieu, or community-based mental health experience preferred.
• Proven experience delivering individual psychotherapy, parent support, and family therapy to children, adolescents, and families.
• Demonstrated experience delivering culturally responsive care in diverse communities.
• CPR, First Aid, and Bloodborne Pathogens certification required.
• Knowledge of de-escalation techniques preferred.
• Demonstrated clinical experience within foster care, DSS, and community mental health systems.
• Ability to travel by car to meet clients within a 90 mile radius; clean CA DMV record.

Responsibilities

• Conduct mental health screenings, informal assessments, and therapeutic interventions across community settings and at intake.
• Collaborate with case managers, social workers, foster caregivers, and multidisciplinary team members to inform care recommendations.
• Provide short-term therapy and collateral support to facilitate transition and stabilization of youth in placements.
• Deliver individual and family therapy, caregiver guidance, and case management within an integrated care team.
• Travel up to 90 miles from Oakland to deliver mobile, community-based services.

Skills

Trauma-informed care

Engagement

Assessment/evaluation

Clinical documentation

Collaborative teamwork

Cultural competence

Communication skills

Case management

Travel readiness

Education

Master’s or Doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology, marriage and family therapy, or social work

Job description

Mental Health Clinician for Foster Youth

Oakland, CA

WestCoast Children’s Clinic, located in Oakland, California, is a non-profit community psychology clinic that provides mental health services to Bay Area children, youth and families. Working at WestCoast Children’s Clinic means being part of an organization that is client-centered, trauma-informed, collaborative, and committed to justice and equity.

Classification: Regular Full Time (1.0 FTE), Exempt

Location: Oakland, CA / Hybrid (availability to provide client services in-person and complete documentation remotely)

Regular Work Schedule: Full time, M-F

Compensation:

• Salary for clinicians is $ 72,000 per year for those collecting hours toward licensure (Master's level), and licensed starting at $82,000. Additional 10% Spanish language differential for qualified candidates.

The WestCoast Children’s Clinic’s STAT Program is an innovative, model program that provides mental health Screening, Stabilization and Transition (STAT) services to children as they enter the foster care system or experience placement changes in Alameda County. The STAT Clinician conducts mental health assessments and provides mobile, individual, and milieu-based therapy for youth in community settings and at the AC TrSCF within a multidisciplinary team.

STAT Clinicians provide follow-up community services, including short-term individual therapy, to help youth stabilize in foster or group homes while closely coordinating with caregivers, social workers, and multidisciplinary care teams. The STAT program serves children and young adults, ranging in age from just a few days up to their 21st birthday, and is committed to helping them cope with the traumas of abuse and neglect while working to minimize the impact of being separated from their family, home, and community. STAT clinicians may carry a small caseload of clients with chronic placement instability for up to a year. They ensure compliance with state billing and documentation requirements while collaborating with leadership to improve policies, procedures, and training.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conducts mental health screenings, informal assessments, and therapeutic interventions across both community settings (youth’s homes, schools, emergency placements, and community spaces) and at the AC TrSCF upon entry into or transition within the child welfare system.
• Operates within a highly collaborative, team-based care model, partnering closely with case manager engagement specialists, county social workers, foster caregivers, and other multidisciplinary team members to make comprehensive recommendations and address client mental health and wellness needs.
• Provides short-term therapy (30-60 day timeframe) to clients as well as collateral support and guidance to foster parents, relatives, STRTP staff, and partnering providers in order to facilitate children’s transition to and stabilization in their placements.
• Provides individual and family therapy, caregiver guidance, collateral contacts, and case management to children with chronic placement instability for a period of 3-12 months as part of an integrated care team.
• Delivers mobile, community-based services at WCC program sites, homes, schools, and partner locations, requiring travel up to 90 miles from Oakland.
• Actively participates in multidisciplinary team-based care, consulting and coordinating regularly with team members to deliver cohesive, high-quality care to WCC clients.
• Makes collateral contacts and advocates on behalf of clients as needed.
• Maintains clinical caseload minimums and meets billable hours and agency-defined goals; complies with WCC policies, procedures, and deadlines related to billing, record keeping, and documentation.
• Participates in agency and program meetings and professional development trainings as required, including: agency and program-specific meetings (3 hours/week), individual clinical supervision/consultation (1 hour/week), and clinical case conference (2 hours/week).

Qualifications:

• A Master’s or Doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology, marriage and family therapy, or social work. Master’s level candidates must be currently registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (required).
• Current California mental health license preferred (or eligibility/waiver per California Department of Mental Health requirements prior to hire date).
• At least 1-2 years of post-graduate experience with children/youth.
• Prior residential, milieu, or community-based mental health experience preferred.
• Proven experience providing individual psychotherapy, parent support, and family therapy to children, adolescents, and families, particularly youth in or entering foster care.
• Demonstrated experience delivering culturally responsive care in diverse communities.
• CPR, First Aid, and Bloodborne Pathogens certification required.
• Knowledge of de-escalation techniques preferred.i
• Demonstrated clinical experience within foster care, DSS, and community mental health systems.
• Ability to travel by car to meet with clients, generally within a 90 mile radius of WCC's Oakland office. Alternative forms of transportation may be accommodated based on the needs of the program and clients. Employees must have a clean CA DMV record. When driving for WCC, current vehicle insurance is required .
• Clinical Service Skills: Engagement, assessment/evaluation, clinical skills, crisis intervention, effective use of supervision, ethical/legal compliance, and high-quality clinical documentation.
• Mobile & Community-Based Service Delivery: Ability to deliver flexible, trauma-informed screenings and interventions in varied community and field settings.
• Multidisciplinary Teamwork & Collaboration: Proven ability to work as an active, effective member of an integrated care team, partnering seamlessly with case managers, social workers, and collateral providers.
• Theoretical & Developmental Knowledge: Knowledge of attachment theory, brief psychotherapy modalities, early childhood and adolescent development, trauma, and principles of milieu therapy.
• Cultural Competence: Deep understanding of issues of race, class, culture, and ethnicity.
• Complex Care Management: Ability to work effectively with clients with complex, multi-diagnosis histories.
• Efficiency & Time Management: Well-organized with strong ability to complete documentation in a timely manner.
• Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal, communication, and writing skills.
• Administrative & Systems Proficiency: Knowledge of or ability to learn Medi-Cal reimbursement procedures and EHR systems (e.g., Welligent).
• Professional Conduct: High standard of professional ethics, boundaries, and accountability.

Join us and make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families in the Bay Area.

WCC is passionate about leading and encouraging open conversations around race, gender, power, and privilege and how these impact community mental health. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diminishing the influence of privilege and discrimination in our field and our workplace, whether due to differences concerning age, citizenship, color, disability, marital or parental status, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.