Overview

The Director of Behavioral Health is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive strategy to advance school-based mental health supports across Ascend, aligned with a multi-tiered system of supports framework (MTSS) and grounded in culturally-affirming, evidence-based practices. The Director relies on strong interpersonal skills to liaise with network and school departments, including the executive team, school clinician, student service coordinators, managing directors, talent and operations departments.

Why extraordinary leaders lead at Ascend

Ascend is a network of K-12 public charter schools serving 5,700 students in 15 schools across Brooklyn-New York's most populous borough. Our undertaking is to lead our students on a great intellectual adventure, provide them with an exceptional college preparatory education, and place them firmly on the path to success in college and beyond.

We guide our students to think critically and independently and to enjoy education as an end in itself. We teach a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures students' natural curiosity about the world. We foster a positive, non-punitive school culture where students feel connected, empowered, and safe to take academic risks. Even our school buildings are designed to reflect our high aspirations for teaching and learning and the notable accomplishments that occur within our walls.

To create this kind of vibrant learning community, we invest heavily in our faculty by providing ongoing professional training and support, and encourage our educators to collaborate closely and push each other to achieve great outcomes. Leading at Ascend means growing deeply in your career, expressing your voice, and playing a defining role in the future of your students, your school, and the Ascend network.

Ascend is committed to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities-opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.

Learn more about the Ascend approach by visiting our website .

Responsibilities

• Oversee the behavioral health department
• Supervise the Managers of Clinicians and Manager of Student Support Systems
• Complete and maintain a comprehensive network-wide Behavioral Health needs assessment and gap analysis that includes:
• Documentation of current services provided
• Analysis of Tier I, Tier II and Tier III needs
• Assessment of common barriers faced by students and families seeking services and advocate for support to overcome obstacles and increase services
• Development of a comprehensive, coordinated approach to providing mental and physical health support services on school sites
• Creating community partnerships and coordination between schools and community partners
• Implement recommendations developed through the network-wide needs assessment and gap analysis
• Ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations
• Support recruitment in hiring and interviewing school clinicians and develop relationships with graduate schools to support Ascend's clinical internship program
• Implement annual mental health screener process
• Analyze policies, procedures and administrative guidelines affecting Behavioral Health, and develop new guidance as appropriate
• Facilitate and coordinate Mental Health trainings and services related to student services, suicide prevention, social emotional learning curriculum, trauma sensitive schools, mindfulness, etc.
• Communicate and coordinate work between the Chief of Schools, Managing Directors, Clinician Supervisors, Manager of Student Support Systems and Director of Academic Intervention to ensure fidelity of implementation
• related to behavioral health services and student support services (DASA, McKinney Vento, Counseling services, MTSS)
• Support the development and presentation of behavioral health professional development and summer trainings for leaders and staff
• Build capacity of network-wide staff to provide essential Behavioral Health supports to students and connect them to community supports when needed
• Create communications and referral process for community partners and the network
• Collaborate with local hospitals and community mental health agencies to streamline referral processes for students with urgent psychiatric needs
• Advocate for underserved and/or high-risk student populations to broaden availability of community mental health services
• Remain current with school-based intervention research and use evidence-informed practices in service delivery
• Proactively seek and secure funding for mental health supports through grants, collaborations, MOUs and partnerships
• Establish monitoring and evaluation systems related to Behavioral Health services and programming outcomes
• Travel to school locations using a personal vehicle
• Perform duties outside of the regular school/District operating hours including nights and weekends as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Possess and provide evidence of a Master's degree in a social or behavioral health field (Social Work, Psychology, etc) from an accredited institution
• Possess and provide evidence of at least six (6) years of demonstrated expertise in best practices in school-based mental health supports and a variety of levels of prevention and intervention
• Experience providing clinical supervision for a minimum of (3) years
• Demonstrated leadership and project organizational skills, (planning, implementing, evaluation)
• Demonstrated experience successfully planning, implementing, and evaluating school-based mental health services.
• Experience with community schools and Behavioral Health efforts, preferred.

Compensation

Initial salary offers for this position range from $120,000 - $140,000. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities-opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.