MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN

Job Description

Job Description

MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN
Child & Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit (CYCSU)
New Alternatives, Inc. | San Diego, CA

NOW HIRING: EVENING, OVERNIGHT, AND WEEKEND SHIFTS | THREE 12-HOUR SHIFTS | FOUR DAYS OFF

CYCSU is seeking BBS-registered licensed and licensed eligible clinicians who thrive in high-acuity child and adolescent behavioral health, work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, and want to strengthen advanced crisis-assessment and stabilization skills.

CYCSU is a 24/7, 12-bed psychiatric crisis program serving youth with diverse and complex presentations, including suicidality, self-harm, psychosis, trauma responses, neurodivergence, behavioral dysregulation, mood and anxiety symptoms, substance-related concerns, and family or systems-related crises.

Who We Are Looking For

• Clinically comfortable assessing and engaging youth experiencing psychosis, severe dysregulation, suicidality, self-harm, trauma responses, and other acute psychiatric presentations. 
• Able to differentiate psychiatric symptoms from developmental, sensory, communication, behavioral, and neurodivergent presentations and adapt interventions accordingly.
• Comfortable using structured assessments, standardized screening tools, suicide and safety risk assessments, and evidence-based clinical workflows.
• Able to synthesize multiple and sometimes conflicting sources of information, tolerate ambiguity, and make timely, clinically defensible recommendations.
• Able to remain calm, organized, flexible, and accurate in a fast-paced environment with rapidly changing priorities.
• Committed to multidisciplinary teamwork, clear communication, shared decision-making, feedback, supervision, and continuous skill development.
• Comfortable working with youth and families from diverse cultural, clinical, developmental, and psychosocial backgrounds.

Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive crisis, suicide, self-harm, violence, elopement, and other clinically indicated assessments using structured tools and program protocols.
  Conduct 5150 assessments and evaluations within applicable training, scope, and program requirements.
• Assess complex presentations and differentiate psychiatric symptoms from developmental, sensory, behavioral, environmental, and family-system factors.
• Gather and synthesize information from youth, caregivers, schools, hospitals, outpatient providers, mobile crisis teams, law enforcement, and other collateral sources.
• Develop clinical formulations, preliminary diagnoses, safety plans, and brief individual or family crisis interventions.
• Participate actively in multidisciplinary treatment planning, shift briefs, huddles, case consultation, debriefs, and disposition planning.
• Collaborate with psychiatry, nursing, mental health assistants, program leadership, families, and community partners.
• Adapt interventions for neurodivergent youth and youth with sensory, communication, or developmental needs.
• Support evidence-based program implementation, structured clinical interventions, and quality-improvement initiatives.
• Complete timely, accurate, and clinically defensible documentation and recommendations regarding discharge, transfer, hospitalization, or community follow-up.
• Participate consistently in supervision, training, competency development, and ongoing skills refinement.

Training & Clinical Development

CYCSU maintains high expectations for ongoing competency development. Clinicians participate in structured supervision, skills review, evidence-based practice implementation, quality improvement, and consistent training in areas such as crisis stabilization, suicide risk assessment, trauma-informed care, neurodivergence-informed care, de-escalation, teamwork, and documentation quality.

This role is designed for clinicians who value learning, accountability, coaching, and becoming exceptionally strong in acute child and adolescent crisis work.

What Success Looks Like

• Thorough, timely, and clinically defensible assessments and documentation.
• Consistent use of structured tools, evidence-based practices, and program protocols.
• Clear communication and respectful collaboration across disciplines.
• Composure, sound judgment, and adaptability during high-acuity situations.
• Ability to integrate feedback and continuously strengthen clinical skills.
  Commitment to the functioning of the entire treatment team, not only individual assignments.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in counseling, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychology, or a related behavioral health field from an accredited institution.
• Current California Board of Behavioral Sciences registration as an ASW, AMFT, or APCC.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced psychiatric crisis environment and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Comfort with complex and diverse behavioral health presentations, structured assessments, ongoing training, and evidence-based program implementation.
• Reliable attendance and weekday availability based on unit need.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of experience working with children or adolescents with behavioral health needs.
• Experience in crisis stabilization, emergency psychiatry, inpatient behavioral health, residential treatment, mobile crisis, or another acute behavioral health setting.
• Experience with psychosis, neurodivergence, significant behavioral dysregulation, or structured suicide and safety risk assessment.
• Bilingual Spanish/English and/or bicultural experience strongly preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

$31.00 - 40.00 per hour, based on experience, qualifications, and position requirements.

• Three 12-hour shifts with four days off each week
• Medical and dental benefits for eligible full-time employees
• Paid vacation and sick time
• 403(b) retirement plan
• No-cost continuing education and clinical supervision for BBS-registered associates
• Extensive crisis, behavioral health, safety, and competency-based training
• Professional development and advancement opportunities
• Employee referral bonus, fitness/wellness discounts, and mileage reimbursement/paid drive time when applicable

Why CYCSU?

This is not traditional outpatient therapy. A single shift may involve suicidality, psychosis, neurodivergence, trauma responses, family conflict, behavioral escalation, sensory needs, substance-related concerns, or complex disposition barriers.

CYCSU is for clinicians who value structure, teamwork, clinical curiosity, continuous learning, and the opportunity to become exceptionally strong in acute child and adolescent crisis care.

New Alternatives, Inc. is a private nonprofit agency that provides a wide range of services to children, youth and families in San Diego and Orange Counties. Services include residential, outpatient, day treatment and in home support services.
New Alternatives, Inc. is committed to providing Trauma Informed Care principles throughout our agency.

Company Description

New Alternatives, Inc. is a private nonprofit agency that provides a wide range of services to children, youth and families in San Diego and Orange Counties. Services include residential, outpatient, day treatment and in home support services.\r\nNew Alternatives, Inc. is committed to providing Trauma Informed Care principles throughout our agency.