Mental Health Therapist
Mental Health Therapist
The Mission Preparatory School, a TK-8, college-preparatory, tuition-free, public charter school in San Francisco’s Mission District, is accepting applications for the role of Mental Health Therapist for the 2025-26 school year.
Mission Preparatory School (Mission Prep, “The District” is a single-site public charter school located in the Mission District of San Francisco that serves nearly 500 students in grades TK-8, centered on a core belief that all children can achieve at the highest levels regardless of background or circumstance. The school is designed to enable students to become self-motivated, competent, and lifelong learners armed with the knowledge, skills, and strength of character needed to succeed in college and become leaders in their communities. Mission Prep is designed specifically to address the learning needs of an underserved student population. Through an intensive focus on literacy and the implementation of strategic academic support structures, the school ensures mastery of essential skills and content knowledge, accelerates student achievement, supports student acceptance to top high schools, and lays the foundation for every child to excel in and graduate from college.
In its first decade, Mission Prep has established itself as one of the leading single-site charter schools in the region and the country. With results that regularly surpass the most well-funded charter networks, Mission Prep has received recognition for being within the top public schools in the Bay Area. Mission Prep seeks teacher leaders and administrators who embody our PREP values of being prepared, respectful, engaged, and persevering. If you are a committed, kind, and hard-working leader who wants to make a difference in the lives of our students in the Mission District of San Francisco, we encourage you to consider a position with our passionate and innovative team. We strongly encourage people of color and bilingual people to apply. For more information, please visit www.missionpreparatory.org.
Key Responsibilities
Uphold the mission and vision of Mission Prep and uphold the school’s culture of high expectations ● Collaborate with members of the Support Services Team to plan and deliver professional development informed by trauma informed practices ● Knowledge of the principles and techniques of individual and family therapy and case management ● Ability to work well with school, social, legal, and medical systems ● Knowledge of DSM V required ● Demonstrated understanding of child development and mandated reporting laws ●Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a multicultural client population ● Support the implementation of schoolwide and classroom-based procedures, routines, rituals, programs, and systems that support students’ academic achievement and social-emotional development ● Support and attend school-wide events and programs for students and families that directly support the school’s mission and culture ● Support teachers in creating and sustaining achievement-focused, supportive, peaceful classroom environments ● Partner with teachers to conduct behavior assessments and develop behavior support plans for students as appropriate ● Coordinate with other organizations to provide enrichment opportunities and family support services ● Provide a variety of counseling supports including, but not limited to: responsive services, system support, individual, group, classroom guidance, social emotional, and career exploration ● Partner with parents/guardians to support student social emotional health and wellness ● Educate the parents of our students about suicide and related mental health issues ● Provide crisis intervention, assessments, and triage of students ● Educate teachers on suicide awareness and prevention ● Ensure records for counseling/academic support are maintained per state and federal law
Mindsets
● You think strategically, always Prepared and present You are excited by collaboration and know that the best outcomes come from a group of people, not just the mind of one. ● You build systems, knowing that structures aid accountability and foster greater learning. ● You have high regard and Respect for the work. Your students and colleagues love to learn from you. ● You are committed and know that providing high-quality, culturally and rigorous instruction is a pathway to equity and liberation for our students. ● You are actively Engaged in deconstructing systems of oppression and committed to always keep learning. ● You believe in Persevering and know its potential for enhancing learning & fostering new learning. ● You have a heart for our Prepsters and your approach is grounded in diversity, equity and inclusion. ● You build systems, knowing that structures aid accountability and foster greater learning. ● You have high regard and Respect for the work. Your students and colleagues love to learn from you. ● You are committed and know that providing high-quality, culturally and rigorous instruction is a pathway to equity and liberation for our students.
Required Qualifications
- California State Mental Health License or License Eligibility authorizing the delivery of therapeutic service (i.e. Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, AMFT) ● Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills ● Strong organizational and planning capacities ● Ability and desire to influence, motivate, support, and challenge others ● Openness to feedback and commitment to developing continually as a professional educator ● Accountability for meeting school goals
Preferred Qualifications
- Bilingual (English/Spanish)
- Urban teaching experience
Upon Proof of Certification
● Provide individual and group treatment as indicated on Individual Education Plans (IEP) ● Possess and display knowledge of a variety of forms of intervention and prevention models for both individuals and group therapeutic settings (ex: CBT, Play therapy, etc.) ● Coordinate and provide student and family counseling services to assist the students in making appropriate decisions relative to school program and relationship with other pupils, teachers, parents and administrators ● Ability to handle emotionally charged situations through use of problem-solving and mediation techniques. ● Explore and sharpen therapeutic preventions and interventions at all intervention tiers for the purposes of fostering better mental health and positive learning environments for all students at Mission Preparatory School. ● Support students with mental health conditions ● Document all clinical activity ● Consistently and routinely update case files for students on their caseload, complying with all Mission Preparatory, BBS, state, and federal guidelines and mandates around documentation, practice, and maintenance of clinical registration, including honoring mandated reporting duties. ● Create positive, appropriate, and consistent communication with Mission Preparatory staff and administration about student clinical goals and progress. ● Provide crisis counseling and referrals for students as needed, including honing their risk assessment methodology. ● Collaborate with school staff on universal interventions for students such as peer mediation, conflict mediation, Restorative Practices, socio-emotional learning (SEL), and trauma-informed interventions, etc. ● Write annual IEP goals and notes monthly progress and advisory reports related to IEP goals ● Conducts functional behavioral assessments and creates behavior intervention plans (FBA/BIP) as needed for students ● Participates in annual IEP meetings and Manifestation Determination Hearings, as needed ● Advises and collaborates with teachers, case managers, teams on students who exhibit behavior problems and / or failing
Start Date:
July 10th, 2025
Time Commitment:
This position is 1.0 FTE (full-time exempt) and follows a 12-month work year with significant student-free days for professional learning and collaboration with colleagues and interaction with families through nightly events, overnight field trips, and weekend activities are required.
Schedule: 8:30A - 5:30PM (TBD) To provide therapeutic services during after school program.
Salary and Compensation:
Salary scales are based on years of experience and expertise. Scales are competitive with other charter school organizations and local districts. Salary base: $83,520.64 - $151,507.98 per year See Salary Schedule for additional compensation details.
How to Apply:
People of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Bilingual applicants preferred.
If you are interested in a full time teaching or teaching assistant position at Mission Prep, please submit the following application materials to jobs@missionpreparatory.org.
- Resume
- Cover letter. In addition to telling us about your experience, please address the following question in your letter: ○ Over 84% of our students and families identify as Black or Latinx and 83% of our students receive free lunch. ○ Why do you want to work in a school with this student population?
- Professional references. Please submit a separate document with three names, as well as their email address, and phone number.
Mission Preparatory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws