MFT​/MSW Graduate Student Trainee; Birth to Five

Position: MFT/MSW Graduate Student Trainee (Birth to Five)
Description of Population Served

Para Los Niños' Mental Health Services Program works to address the mental health needs of children, ages 0-21, and their families in Service Planning Area 4 of Los Angeles (Skid Row, Downtown, Pico-Union, Boyle Heights, and Ramona Gardens Projects). We are the area's only mental health services provider for children in this area. 100% percent of the children and families we serve come from very low-income households, with the majority of them living 250% below federal poverty guidelines.

The current median income of our families is $11,500 for an average household size of 3-6 people, less than five times the California average. 95% of our clients are Latino; 5% are African-American. 87.5% of the children's caretakers read little to no English. Of the children we serve, 18.2% are five years old or under; 52.2% are 6-10 years old;

25.2% are 11-15 years old; 4.4% are 16-20 years old.

Position Overview

Mental Health:
Clinical track within MH that entails a specialization in working with children ages birth to five years old and their parent(s). Student receives training in Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health documentation and will carry a small caseload of children in the Mental Health Department. Student will also be placed part of their time in our Early Education program providing assessment, observation and services to children in Head Start /Early Head Start.

Other training opportunities include collaboration and support to teachers in the classroom and participation in monthly Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings. Student will also have the opportunity to train in an evidenced based approach known as Nurturing Parenting.

Available Internship Days and Times

This internship is a 20 hours a week commitment. Internship days and times are flexible and depend on the specific track. However, Wednesdays are a mandatory training day as this is the day of the week in which staff meetings, trainings and group supervision take place on a weekly basis (9am-3pm).

The primary start date for training is the first Wednesday after Labor Day. However, there are several slots available to start in June for the Mental Health track. There will be a 2 day orientation that will take place at the end of August in order to help the students with onboarding activities. This 2 day orientation is necessary in order to ensure students have completed activities that will support their beginning their clinical training.

It should also be noted that the first two weeks of training in September, most trainings are scheduled to take place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Attendance to these training days is required unless prior arrangements have been discussed with the respective training supervisor.

Special Requirements : (ie: livescan , TB clearance, training days prior experience) We require that all students pass a livescan, drug screening and TB test. Agency wide trainings are also required (topics on trauma informed treatment, child abuse reporting, CPR / First Aide, etc..).

Supervision and Training Plan: (describe format and delivery: individual, group, time, day of training and training topics).
Supervision:
Students receive 1 hour of individual and 2 hours of group supervision weekly. Both individual and group supervision is done in person. Group supervision consists of no more than 8 students. Students present cases each week in a structured presentation format to facilitate this area of their professional development.
Meetings with Preceptors / Mentors:
Students are assigned a preceptor / mentor at the beginning of the training year. This preceptor / mentor is a seasoned clinician who will essentially be available to support the student as they learn their role in providing services. For the students who are in the Mental Health Track, this preceptor / mentor will have the student shadow them in doing an intake assessment of the student's first client.

The preceptor / mentor will then shadow the student as they administer the intake assessment of their second client.
Trainings:
Students participate in weekly and bi-monthly trainings. Trainings take place on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm. Once to twice a month (1st and 3rd Wednesday) we hold trainings on various topics that support the work with children and families. Various topics that have been presented previously include crisis intervention, compassion fatigue, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, attachment, brain development, Relationship Based Approach, art therapy and sensory processing disorders.

Physical Requirements
To perform this job the individual must be able to carry out all essential functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Approximately 50% of time is spent sitting, while frequently required to walk, stand and bend.
Must be able to speak and hear well.
Good vision is imperative.
Occasionally required to stoop, kneel,…