Mental Health Clinician
About The Position
Mental Health Clinicians perform highly responsible professional duties in resolving high-conflict child custody disputes arising from divorce, legal separation, paternity actions, or domestic violence cases. Clinicians use two primary methods to assist parties—mediation, which leads to agreements that become court orders, and evaluation, which results in formal custody recommendations to the court. These emotionally charged cases require clinicians to operate within strict ethical boundaries while demonstrating a deep understanding of family law, court procedures, and mental health practices. The role demands strong skills in counseling, interviewing, evaluation, and referral, as well as the ability to navigate complex family dynamics with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment.
Key Responsibilities
- Child Custody Mediation – Conduct confidential mediations in cases of separation, parentage, divorce, and domestic violence to develop child custody/visitation agreements prioritizing the child’s best interests.
- Child Custody Evaluations (Brief Parenting Plan Assessments) – Perform in-depth assessments, interviews, and home visits to evaluate family dynamics, recommend custody arrangements, and deliver findings through formal reports or court testimony.
- Child Interviews – Conduct sensitive, age-appropriate interviews with children to gather input relevant to custody decisions, sharing observations via written reports or testimony.
- Risk Assessment & Mandatory Reporting – Identify and assess risks such as domestic violence and child abuse; make mandated reports and referrals to appropriate agencies, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards.
- Parent Education – Provide parents with information on child development, communication techniques and co-parenting strategies to support healthier family dynamics.
- Documentation – Maintain detailed case records, input data into court databases, and prepare formal evaluations and reports for judicial review.
The responsibilities above illustrate the general scope of work for this classification. Individual positions may not perform all listed duties, and the responsibilities described are not intended to be exhaustive. The official classification for this role is Family Court Services Specialist. For a detailed job description, please click here. Please note the requirements in the job description may vary from the requirements in this bulletin.
THIS IS A TELEWORK ELIGIBLE OPPORTUNITY. This position may be eligible for full or partial telework following an initial training period and contingent upon the needs of the Court.
Selection Requirements
To qualify, you must meet ALL the following requirements at the final filing date of this bulletin:
- A master's degree* from an accredited college, university, or program in social work, psychology, marriage, family and child counseling, or other behavioral science substantially related to marriage and family relationships
- Three (3) years of PAID, VERIFIABLE, FULL-TIME post-master's degree experience, within the last 7 years, in the field of family counseling or clinical assessment
- A current license from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences in marriage and family therapy, clinical social work, or clinical psychology
To qualify for opportunities that require educational credentials, you must attach the required documentation to your application. For more information, please visit the Applicant Support page.
Note: Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.
Desirable Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess the following desirable qualifications:
- Knowledge of effective interview methods and techniques to assess adults and children.
- Knowledge of medical and mental health terminology, including understanding of medical diagnoses.
- Ability to work independently and consult with supervisor regarding cases as appropriate.
- Ability to interview and communicate with a variety of people from different backgrounds.
- Experience working with high conflict parents and children including blended family issues.
- Experience working with persons who have problems with drugs, alcohol, child abuse, domestic violence and mental health issues.
- Experience working in a Court environment demonstrating familiarity with legal procedures.
- Experience providing timely assessments to the Court.
- Ability to communicate fluently in Spanish.
What To Expect After Applying
This recruitment process will take up to 4-6 weeks to complete. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process, detailed below:
- EVALUATION: Qualifying evaluation of education, training and experience based upon submitted application and supplemental questionnaire.
- ELIGIBILITY: Applicants who best meet job-related qualifications will be placed on an eligible list which will remain active for approximately six (6) months and may be invited to participate in a selection interview. Other vacancies may be filled using this list.