Behavioral Health Teaming Specialist

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third-largest school district in the United States, serving over 340,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Behavioral Health Teaming Specialist will be charged with the development and sustainability of Behavioral Health Teams (BHTs), across the District. This position will be responsible for the planning, coordination, and implementation of District and regional cohorts of BHT training, the monitoring of team development, and the practice of analyzing data to identify training needs. The primary goal of this position is to ensure the appropriate assignment, dosage, progress monitoring, and data collection/analysis practices of school-based and community-partner provided healing-centered supports and services. The Behavioral Health Teaming Specialist will report to the Manager of Behavioral Health Supports in the Office of Social and Emotional Learning.

The Behavioral Health Teaming Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Develop and facilitate District-wide cohorts of BHTs, including training content and model
• Monitor regional/Network-based cohorts of BHT training, ensuring content is aligned with the District model
• Responsible for the training and supervision of community partner coaches to support BHT development
• Oversee the development and rollout of tools to support BHT implementation, including the utilization of the Branching Minds MTSS platform to enter, organize and effectively monitor the progress of student supports
• Create a BHT toolkit to serve as a comprehensive guide for the development, growth, and implementation of teams
• Coordinate and collaborate with Central Office and Network-based Specialists on development of content, models, and data review
• Develop a model of tracking the development and recognizing effective BHTs, including a process for the periodic review of established teams
• Maintain a working knowledge of best practices in supporting and developing teaming structures, and ensuring District content is aligned with these standards
• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Behavioral Health Teaming Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Type of Education Required:

• Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling (or a related field) from an accredited college or university.

Type of Experience Required:

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience working with adolescents and youth in an urban setting with a focus on social, emotional, and behavioral supports
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in participating or facilitating Tier II teaming structure and processes
• Experience delivering evidence-based Tier 2 & 3 social, emotional or behavioral interventions (i.e. CBITS, Anger Coping/Think First, SPARCS, Check In Check Out, etc.)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to articulate a vision, set high standards, and effectively guide schools and principals in the realization of expectations set
• Strong communication skills (speaking - including presentations - listening, and writing)
• Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals, and align/manage activities toward goal fulfillment
• Strong leadership and team building skills, e.g. ability to develop high performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success
• Knowledge of operations, budget/finance, management and organizational development
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners, to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support schools and principals
• Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps
• Skilled in the use of behavioral health assessments and progress monitoring data to drive critical conversations and planning
• Ability to connect with school and/or community-based programming to offer fundamental social service or behavioral health services for children and families
• Cultural competency and ability to navigate and promote sensitivity with issues of race and equity
• Skilled multi-tasker and excellent time manager; ability to effectively achieve multiple goals and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Outstanding knowledge of child development, social and environmental conditioning, cultural diversity, psychopathology and family systems
• Knowledge of best practices in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to meet students' social and emotional needs
• Knowledge of trauma-informed practices and interventions
• Ability to develop supportive consultative relationships with Network and school leaders, classroom teachers, school-based mental health professionals, and other stakeholders
• Familiarity with ISBE SEL Standards and CPS-supported SEL strategies (i.e. Restorative Practices, Behavioral Health Team, etc.)

Residency Requirement:

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and must maintain residency throughout their employment with the district.