Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Contractor

Multi-Region Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant

Independent Contractor | Full-time | Oregon-based | Regular statewide travel required

Why This Work Matters

The earliest relationships shape lifelong well-being. At ORIMHA, we support the professionals who support infants, toddlers, and families across Oregon. This role helps expand access to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation across the state, filling regional gaps and helping ensure early childhood educators, children, and families can access support when and where it is needed.

About ORIMHA

The Oregon Infant Mental Health Association (ORIMHA) is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to supporting the emotional health and well-being of Oregon’s infants, toddlers, and their families.

We achieve this through a network of parents and professionals committed to advancing infant mental health principles across the state. Through Endorsement, Reflective Supervision, and training, we help build a connected, skilled, and thoughtful workforce across Oregon, grounded in infant mental health principles and committed to equity, relationships, and long-term impact.

About the Role

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Consultation is an indirect, multilevel service in which consultants partner with the adults in young children’s lives to build their capacity to foster healthy social-emotional development.

In Every Child Belongs, consultants partner with early childhood care and education educators in center- and home-based settings. IECMH Consultation requires the use of the Consultative Stance to build strong, collaborative, and supportive relationships with educators. IECMH Consultants also engage with families (when the need is for child-specific consultation) and connect educators with resources available in their region.

The broad goal of Every Child Belongs is to reduce rates of suspension/expulsion from ECE settings, and more specifically to reduce disparities in the rates of suspension/expulsion, specifically race and disability status, for example. Therefore, this position will require a strong commitment to equity, anti-bias, and anti-racist practices. Culturally specific and culturally responsive services are important to the success of the program. Consultants whose race, ethnicity, culture, and/or language are representative of the community served are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Multi-Region IECMH Consultant will serve many areas of the state to fill gaps in regional IECMH Consultant availability, e.g., if a regional IECMHC must take a leave of absence. Multi-Region IECMHC may partner with a regional IECMH Consultant on individual cases, where appropriate, to expand capacity or meet critical needs. The Multi-Region IECMHC will also pilot the use of telehealth/video conferencing to deliver IECMHC when time or circumstances prevent timely in-person delivery or to provide live, virtual coaching to an IECMHC. The Multi-Region IECMH Consultant will function as part of the ORIMHA team, under the supervision of the Executive Director with support from the Operations Director. Driving is required, and regular travel of up to 1000 miles per month is anticipated.

What You Will Do

When filling in for a regional IECMH Consultant:

• Providing relationship-based, preventive interventions to promote the mental health of infants and young children and address behaviors that put them at risk of suspension/expulsion from early learning and childcare settings.
• Supporting ongoing communication with educators about early relational health and/or developmental concerns related to infants and young children.
• Developing written intervention strategies and using a collaborative approach to assist educators with implementing strategies that promote infants’ and young children’s optimal social-emotional development.
• Prioritizing service delivery to programs with few or no other resources available for support.
• Becoming familiar with unique racial, cultural, linguistic, historical, and regional characteristics, including understanding the demographics of families and educators in the region.
• Documenting service delivery, in alignment with written guidance.
• Making referrals for children and their families to appropriate outside services, as necessary.
• When appropriate, providing group and individual training on overall social and emotional wellness, infant and early childhood development, trauma-informed care, attachment, self-care, and other related topics.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Piloting the use of telehealth/video conferencing to deliver IECMHC, when needed.
• Responding to requests for IECMH Consultation that are submitted by parents or professionals other than educators.
• Using independent judgment and discretion in practice in the field and in setting daily priorities to complete tasks.
• Demonstrating humility and sensitivity to racial, linguistic, cultural, social, economic, individual, and role differences between consultant and educator and between educator and the infant/young child & family.
• Bringing observations and questions to reflective supervision and engaging in the reflective process.
• Adhering to all data and program requirements.

What You Bring

Education

• Master’s degree (mental health, early childhood education, early childhood development, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, or other related discipline).
• If the Master’s degree is not from a mental health-related discipline, participation in mental health in-service training is preferred (as verified by existing Endorsement as Family Specialist – see below under Credential).

Credential

• Endorsed (IMH-E® or ECMH-E®) as Family Specialist or Mental Health Specialist or meets criteria for one of these categories of Endorsement.
• Preference for applicants who have also earned the Endorsed Reflective Supervisor add-on.

Experience

• A minimum of two years of experience as an IECMH Consultant in early education settings.
• Preference for those who have used distance technology to deliver IECMH consultation.

Location

• Travel within the state of Oregon will be required to perform in-person work. 

Required Skills

• Capacity for humility, empathy, curiosity, and flexibility.
• Ability to work at multiple levels (programmatic, groups, and individuals; educators, families, infants, and children).
• Effective communication skills (verbal and written).
• Comfort and skill in engaging in conversations about racism, bias, and equity.
• Capacity to foster strong professional relationships.
• Driving/ability to travel.
• Use of distance technology.
• Capacity to partner with and support other IECMH Consultants and partner organizations.
• Effective family engagement.

Contractor Compensation & Additional Information

• Compensation: $52.00 - 57.00/hr
• This is an independent contractor position and is not eligible for ORIMHA employee benefits, including medical or dental insurance, retirement benefits, or paid time off. 
• Must maintain insurance coverage required under the independent contractor agreement. Specific insurance requirements will be provided as part of the contracting process.
• Regular statewide travel is required, with travel of up to 1,000 miles per month anticipated.
• Approved business travel expenses, including mileage, will be reimbursed in accordance with ORIMHA guidelines
• Expected contract term — June 2028
• Expected weekly hours/workload — 40

Final candidates will be required to complete a background check, consistent with our commitment to supporting children, families, and communities we serve.

ORIMHA is committed to equity, inclusion, and belonging in both our work and our hiring practices. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences, and we recognize the value of lived experience in strengthening our work. We strive to create a workplace where all individuals feel respected, supported, and able to contribute fully.