Lead Clinician

Santa Cruz, CA

📍 Location: On-Site – Santa Cruz, CA

📅 Schedule: Full-Time | Exempt

💼 Department: Residential – Crisis Stabilization Unit

📈 Reports to: Clinical Director

💰 Pay Range: $85,000 – $90,000/year

✨ Make a Meaningful Impact

Aspiranet, a leading California-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting children, youth, and families, is seeking a compassionate and experienced Lead Clinician to join our Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Santa Cruz. In this vital leadership role, you’ll provide clinical oversight, therapeutic services, and coordination of care for youth experiencing emotional or behavioral crises. By ensuring smooth admissions, thoughtful discharge planning, and effective transitional support, you’ll help foster safety, stability, and long-term healing for the children and families we serve.

❤️ About Aspiranet

Founded in 1975, Aspiranet is a mission-driven organization dedicated to helping families thrive. We provide a continuum of care across California through six service divisions: Foster and Adoption, Transitional Aged Youth, Residential, Intensive Home-Based Services, Behavioral Health, and Family and Community. Every role at Aspiranet contributes to something greater: building a future where every child is loved, every family supported, and every individual equipped to succeed.

📝️ Position Summary

The Lead Clinician provides direct clinical services within Aspiranet’s Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) and Children’s Residential Programs. Alongside providing therapy and treatment planning, the Lead Clinician plays a key role in intake, discharge coordination, and transitional support, ensuring each youth receives consistent and high-quality care. This role collaborates closely with interdisciplinary teams, community partners, and program leadership to promote safety, stabilization, and long-term wellness for youth and families.

🔍 Key Responsibilities

Clinical Care & Coordination

• Conduct comprehensive intake assessments, including psychosocial, mental health, and risk evaluations.
• Provide individual, group, and family therapy in alignment with treatment goals.
• Lead treatment planning and reviews to meet Medi-Cal, county, and agency standards.
• Facilitate discharge planning and ensure smooth transitions to lower levels of care or community services.
• Coordinate aftercare and transitional support with outpatient providers, schools, and community resources.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as the primary point of contact for intake and discharge processes.
• Provide clinical consultation and guidance to clinicians and direct care staff.
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, case conferences, and clinical reviews.
• Model trauma-informed, culturally responsive practices for program staff and partners.
• Support staff training, mentoring, and development of new clinicians.

Quality Assurance & Documentation

• Monitor documentation timelines, intake/discharge compliance, and service quality.
• Maintain accurate records and participate in program audits and improvement initiatives.
• Uphold agency, licensing, and funder standards.

✅ Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related field required.
• Current California BBS registration or licensure (AMFT, ACSW, APCC, LMFT, LCSW, LPCC) preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of clinical experience with children, adolescents, and families in residential or crisis settings.
• Minimum 2+ years leading a team of clinicians and/or working with multiple leadership members. 
• Strong knowledge of intake, assessment, discharge planning, and transitional coordination.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and documentation skills.
• Meets all state-required employment conditions, including:
  • DOJ fingerprint and Child Abuse Index clearance
  • TB/Health physical
  • Valid CA Driver’s License, acceptable driving record, and proof of insurance

💻 Work Environment & Schedule

This position is based in Santa Cruz, CA, with an expectation of on-site presence, including oversight of evening and weekend coverage schedules as needed.

❤️ Why Aspiranet?

• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits package, and a 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching.
• Access to the free Aspiranet Employee Perks Program. Enjoy exclusive discounts on entertainment, travel, wellness, pet care, gym memberships, theme parks, and more
• Flexible paid time off including 11 paid holidays, 10 vacation days, 10 sick leave days, two diversity days, and paid birthday time off.
• Access to our employee assistance program including 24/7 crisis line; up to 6 counseling sessions per issue.
• Training opportunities are available to support your ongoing development and career aspirations.
• Collaborate in a supportive, inclusive, and mission-aligned culture.
• Opportunity to lead meaningful initiatives that support employee wellbeing.

🏋️Physical Demands

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

This position typically operates in a standard office environment. The noise level is generally quiet and remains within OSHA’s established safety levels at all times.

⚖️ Equal Employment Opportunity

Aspiranet is an equal opportunity employer that recognizes the value of diversity. We believe a diverse workforce within a culture of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) increases creativity, innovation, problem-solving, and teamwork for the youth and families that we serve and the organization as a whole.  Aspiranet strives to provide our employees with a workplace that is welcoming, inclusive of differing world views, cultures, and lived experiences.

📝  How to Apply

Join us in building brighter futures.

Apply today through our career portal:

✨ Click here to apply: www.aspiranet.org/careers

✨ Pro Tip: Once you’re in the portal, be sure to create an account to get started on your application! It’s quick, easy, and the first step to making a difference.