Therapeutic School Therapist

Description

Start Date: November 2nd

Salary: $55,369.60 - 69,222.40 (DOE) 

Location: 5301 Mt Rushmore Road, Rapid City, SD

Position Overview: 

Children’s Home Society of South Dakota is seeking a Therapeutic Day School Therapist to support students’ emotional, behavioral, social, and relational functioning and their ability to successfully access and participate in the educational environment.  The Therapeutic Day School Therapist works collaboratively with students, families, educational staff, school districts, and other providers to integrate therapeutic supports throughout the school day.   

As a leader in compassionate, trauma-informed care, Children’s Home Society is committed to fostering equity and inclusion in all aspects of our work. By joining our team, you will make a difference every day—creating positive change for individuals, families, and communities. Each smile, hug, and heart you touch will reflect the meaningful impact of your work. 

Benefits of Employment at CHS: 

• Work-Life Balance: Monday through Friday – 40 Hours a Week 
• Comprehensive Benefits: Equal up to 30% of your salary. Two health insurance options (Traditional Plan & High Deductible Health Plan with HSA), vision, dental, employer-paid Group Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), Short Term & Long-Term Disability, and additional voluntary life and critical illness plans. 
• Financial/Education Assistance: Up to $200 per month in tuition reimbursement or student loan repayment for qualifying employees. 
• Competitive Compensation: $55,369.60 - 69,222.40 (DOE) with yearly merit-based raises as well as  raises based on licensure accrual. 
• Generous Paid Time Off: Includes a generous PTO package with 40 hours upfront, 10 paid holidays, and 8 hours "Day of Service" for volunteering in the community. 
• Retirement Plans: Once entry into the plan, employees receive a 3% employer contribution each pay period and an additional 5% profit sharing. Employees are 100% vested after 4 years of credited service.  
• Referral Bonuses: Earn up to $1,000 for referring new employees. 

What You Will Do: 

Therapeutic Services and Student Support 

• Provides individual therapy to assigned students, as well as group and embedded therapeutic interventions within classrooms, transitions, and other school routines, in accordance with established Therapeutic Day School service standards and individualized student needs. Therapeutic interventions address emotional  regulation, behavioral functioning, social-emotional development, relationships, coping skills, and other identified therapeutic needs. 
• Provides responsive therapeutic support during periods of increased emotional or behavioral need and assists students in successfully re-engaging in the educational environment.  
• Supports students in developing, practicing, and generalizing therapeutic skills across school settings. 

Clinical Assessment, Planning, and Progress Monitoring 

• Assesses students’ social-emotional, behavioral, relational, and therapeutic needs through observation, interviews, record review, team input, and other appropriate methods.  
• Contributes clinical expertise to the Day School intake, evaluation, and individualized planning processes.  
• Develops individualized therapeutic goals, interventions, and recommendations based upon identified student needs.  
• Monitors student progress and response to therapeutic interventions through clinical observation, student engagement and response, and input from the educational and treatment teams to inform and adjust ongoing therapeutic supports. 

Therapeutic and Educational Integration 

• Collaborates with educational staff to integrate therapeutic strategies and supports throughout students’ educational programming.  
• Provides clinical perspective regarding factors affecting student behavior, emotional regulation, relationships, engagement, and educational functioning. 
• Participates in the development, implementation, and review of individualized student support plans, behavioral interventions, and other therapeutic educational programming.  
• Provides consultation, coaching, and education to staff regarding trauma-responsive, relationship-based, behavioral, and therapeutic strategies that promote student regulation and educational success. 

Crisis Intervention and Regulation Support 

• Provides clinical support during periods of student dysregulation, emotional distress, or behavioral crisis as appropriate.  
• Assists in assessing student needs and identifying therapeutic interventions and regulation strategies that support stabilization and safety.  
• Participates in processing and debriefing following significant behavioral or emotional events and assists in identifying strategies to reduce future escalation.  
• Collaborates with educational staff to promote student and staff safety while maintaining a therapeutic, relationship-based approach and supporting successful re-engagement in the educational environment. 

Family Therapy, Engagement, and Collaboration 

• Provides family therapy to assigned students and families in accordance with established Therapeutic Day School service standards and individualized student and family needs. 
• Partners with parents and caregivers to support student progress, strengthen understanding of student needs, and promote consistency of effective strategies across environments.  
• Serves as an active member of the interdisciplinary educational team and collaborates with teachers, special education staff, related service providers, behavioral support staff, administrators, and other professionals.  
• Participates in student team meetings, IEP meetings, evaluations, and other educational planning processes as appropriate.  
• Collaborates with referring school districts, community mental health providers, healthcare providers, and other agencies involved with the student, with appropriate authorization and professional confidentiality. 

Transition and Therapeutic Program Development 

• Supports student transitions into, within, and from the Therapeutic Day School program in collaboration with students, families, educational teams, school districts, and other providers.  
• Identifies therapeutic strategies, supports, and recommendations that promote continuity and successful transition across educational environments.  
• Contributes clinical expertise to the development and continuous improvement of Day School therapeutic programming.  
• Assists in developing therapeutic groups, social-emotional supports, preventative interventions, and program-wide practices that promote regulation, connection, resilience, skill development, and educational success. 

Documentation, Professional Practice, and Quality Improvement 

• Maintains timely, accurate, and professional documentation of therapeutic services, interventions, consultation, student progress, and other required activities in accordance with Agency policy and program expectations.  
• Maintains required professional credentials, certifications, and proficiencies and 

participates in required training and professional development. Maintains knowledge of evidence-informed practices related to child and adolescent mental health, trauma, behavioral health, and therapeutic education. 

• Participates in quality improvement, program evaluation, and program development activities to support effective therapeutic educational services. 

Other Duties 

• Performs other duties as assigned to support departmental and organizational objectives. 

What We’ll Love About You: 

• You are a team player that promotes a positive work environment. 
• You are capable of handling highly sensitive, confidential information. 
• You are able to effectively communicate.  
• You align with our mission, vision, and values. 
• You are organized and are able to pay strong attention to detail.  
• You are able to have professional and kind client and public interactions.  
• You are able to show awareness and respect for the diverse cultural backgrounds of our employees and clients.  

Requirements

Education: 

• Required: Master’s degree in counseling, social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or another related behavioral health or human services discipline; or actively working toward completion of a qualifying master’s degree as permitted by Agency requirements. 
• Preferred: Graduate-level education or specialized training related to child and adolescent mental health, trauma, behavioral health, or therapeutic educational services. 

Experience: 

• Required: Experience providing mental health, behavioral health, counseling, therapeutic, or related services to children and adolescents. 
• Preferred: Experience working with children and adolescents with significant emotional, behavioral, trauma-related, developmental, or educational needs. Experience working collaboratively within educational, interdisciplinary, or community-based systems 

Licensure:  

• Required: Eligible for or actively pursuing appropriate professional licensure in accordance with South Dakota requirements and Agency expectations. 
• Preferred: Current professional licensure in an applicable behavioral health discipline. 

Physical Demands and Work Environment: 

Therapeutic educational environment focused on care of children with emotional/behavioral difficulties in a variety of environments. While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to physically restrain a child in ways taught by the Agency while being able to verbally communicate to the child and other staff. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Requires full range of body motion including the ability to stoop, kneel, reach, stand, and walk for extensive periods of time, push, pull, and grasp items, finger dexterity, and eye/hand coordination.