General Description

Reporting to the Assistant Clinical Director, the Therapist provides evidence-based, trauma-informed mental health services to children who have disclosed severe abuse.  The Therapist must engage non-offending caregivers in their child’s treatment and promote the family’s abilities to offer healing and safety.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Trauma-informed mental health services of children/adolescents such as: 

  • Administration of clinical assessments 
  • Assignment of diagnosis (when warranted) 
  • Provision of evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment, involving caregiver(s). 

• Multidisciplinary Team (MDT): The DCAC Therapist is part of a large MDT that serves an urban area with a high volume of severe cases of child abuse.  The therapist must be committed to managing a heavy workload of complex cases and using treatment models to fidelity, ensuring the community need for DCAC services is met.  

• Communication: Therapists must: 

  • Communicate effectively with DCAC staff and MDT partners (e.g., Child Protective Service workers, law enforcement, the Dallas DA’s Office). 
  • Maintain case files with integrity (including assessment reports, session notes, treatment plans, and disposition). 
  • Actively engage in clinical supervision on issues of clinical difficulties, administrative topics, and personal trauma resilience. 
  • Provide expert and/or fact testimony within Dallas County criminal and civil courts regarding child abuse issues. 

• Must be able to work the bulk of work hours during non-school hours (i.e., two evenings until 8pm or Saturdays). 

• Must live DCAC Core Values: 

  • The children come first in all that we do.
  • We operate as a seamless team.
  • Each of us acts with a servant’s heart.  

*This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications and Skills

• Stipend offered to bilingual therapist (English/Spanish). 

• Knowledge of risk assessment, crisis intervention, standardized assessment tools and report writing, cognitive-behavioral theory, and ethics.   

• Experience with individual, family, and/or group therapy delivery modalities.  

• Experience in the areas of child development, positive parenting strategies, child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, trauma, racial trauma, and other related children’s issues preferred.   

• Experience with positive working relationships with representatives of CPS, Law Enforcement, and District Attorneys