Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant

Homeless Children’s Network

Position Title:

ECMH Consultant

SALARY: $80,000

SCHEDULE:

Full-time position. Onsite/Hybrid

BENEFITS:
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance;
Commuter stipend

Homeless Children’s Network’s (HCN) mission is to decrease the trauma of homelessness and domestic violence for children, youth, and families; to empower families; and to increase the effectiveness of collaborative efforts among service providers to end homelessness and poverty. Since 1992, HCN has empowered San Francisco’s underserved and historically marginalized communities citywide toward a brighter future with love, wholeness, and healing.

Since 1992, HCN has been San Francisco’s leading nonprofit agency for comprehensive early intervention and mental health support for underserved and historically marginalized children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness, housing instability, or living in intergenerational poverty. Our mobile therapeutic model is both accessible and scalable, enabling clinicians to meet clients directly in the community. As the hub of a Collaborative of 60+ service agencies and community-based organizations, we serve over 2,500 clients each year, reaching those most reluctant to trust conventional mental health systems.

Central to our work is our Afri-centric mental health and wellness model. This community-defined approach addresses health inequities and the persistent cycle of racism and trauma over generations. This model not only uplifts the Black/African American communities but also strengthens the behavioral health outcomes of all San Franciscans, fostering resilience, healing, and lasting change.

Homeless Children’s Network’s Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program is an early intervention and prevention-based service that pairs a culturally competent mental health consultant with vulnerable communities who support infants and young children in various settings where they learn and grow, such as child care centers, shelters, and family resource centers. Consultants utilize a relationship-focused, equitable, and trauma-informed approach to build adults’ capacity to strengthen and support the healthy social and emotional development of children through their natural attachments.

HCN is one of four agencies throughout San Francisco that provides services focused on early childhood mental health consultation. We work directly with staff of the agencies and offer valuable support, feedback and advice on how to implement effective programs for the children and families to ensure healthy development during this crucial developmental stage of life. Services include consultation to parents, referrals for specialized services, parent education and support groups, direct therapeutic intervention with children and families, onsite training and support for providers, program consultation for partner sites, and child observation.

• The consultant’s role is to primarily listen, learn, and observe the relationships within the consultation environment including: staff to staff, staff to child, child to child, etc.
• Build a reflective practice and curious stance with staff either through individual or group consultation consultation, as well as modeling within the classroom space
• Deeper and more challenging conversations can start happening within the safety of the relationship. For example:
  Implicit bias, personal triggers, cultural competence, etc.
• Co-create meaning around behaviors and Increase the adult’s capacity building skills with consultant’s support
• Increase participation in holding a system wide mental health goal, plan, vision, etc. with the leadership team
• Consultant can zoom in and out of all the levels of system (program, staff, family, child)

• Early Education Center
• Family Resource Centers
• San Francisco Unified School District
• Family Childcare Centers

• Mental Health Consultation to Staff & Program
• Training Staff on Mental Health Related Topics
• Mental Health Consultation focused on…