The San Francisco Adult Probation Department (SFAPD) values the individuality and diversity of justice-involved adults, recognizes the unique challenges they face, and invests in their success through services designed to help them permanently exit the criminal justice system. SFAPD's pretrial, reentry, and rehabilitative services complement its supervision strategies by providing a unique blend of opportunity and accountability. The Department extends a continuum of integrated services to address clients' criminogenic needs and empower them to become productive members of the community. SFAPD dedicates endless energy toward enhancing public safety, seeking victim restoration, enforcing court-ordered accountability, providing structured evidence-based supervision, and operating comprehensive pretrial services on behalf of the Superior Court of San Francisco.

Role Description

Under general direction, the Senior Behavioral Health Clinician provides advanced clinical services and may supervise a team of behavioral health clinicians and related staff. The role includes conducting complex assessments, leading treatment planning, overseeing the work of staff performing interviews and evaluations, reviewing casework for quality and accuracy, and performing related duties as assigned.

This position requires responsibility for interpreting and applying relevant laws, policies, and procedures related to behavioral health and welfare services; ensuring appropriate and judicious use of resources; and maintaining regular contact with staff, applicants, clients, families, partner agencies, and community organizations. The work involves gathering and verifying detailed clinical, personal, and confidential information. Duties may involve moderate physical effort and exposure to challenging or crisis situations, particularly when working with individuals experiencing serious mental or emotional distress.

Cross-Divisional Collaboration

In addition to the core duties performed in the Restorative and Prevention Services Division, incumbents will assist the Reentry and Violence Response service units. The Pretrial, Reentry, and Violence Response divisions are responsible for coordinated service delivery, consistent program quality, and alignment with the department’s mission of promoting safety, accountability, and equitable justice outcomes. Collaboration across these divisions strengthens continuity of care, reduces system involvement, and enhances long-term client outcomes.

Distinguishing Features
The Senior Behavioral Health Clinician is distinguished by its supervisory responsibilities and its role in handling the most challenging clinical cases within the Pretrial Services Division.

Supervision Exercised
May supervise behavioral health clinicians, psychiatric social workers, and auxiliary staff.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties
The following examples represent the typical range of duties assigned to this classification but do not include all tasks performed.

1. Supervises behavioral health clinicians and auxiliary staff; conducts interviews, assessments, and diagnostic evaluations for complex and high‑needs cases.
2. Oversees eligibility determinations for behavioral health services; evaluates referral information, client motivation, and psychosocial factors; gathers developmental, family, and behavioral histories to understand clinical needs and presenting concerns.
3. Analyzes interview findings and assessment data; determines case disposition, including referral for further clinical evaluation or connection to appropriate community services; completes required intake documentation and case records.
4. Provides ongoing individual clinical treatment using intensive casework and therapeutic techniques to reduce mental and emotional distress; monitors client safety and risk, especially in cases involving suicidal or homicidal concerns; assesses danger to the client and others.
5. Offers crisis counseling and intervention for clients experiencing severe emotional, economic, or personal stressors; helps clients regain stability and personal responsibility; facilitates referrals or hospitalizations based on assessed needs.
6. Conducts group psychotherapy and leads therapeutic group sessions; observes and evaluates emotional and behavioral changes; sets and adjusts treatment goals throughout the intervention process.
7. Maintains accurate and thorough clinical records, including assessments, progress notes, case summaries, and documentation needed to coordinate care across medical, mental health, and social service providers.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:
Clinical assessment and diagnosis; therapeutic treatment methods; crisis intervention strategies; psychosocial evaluation; legal and policy frameworks governing behavioral health and pretrial service systems.

Ability to:
Develop thoughtful clinical plans based on analysis of client information; communicate effectively and establish cooperative working relationships with staff, clients, families, and partner agencies; work effectively with individuals experiencing significant behavioral health challenges; and provide supportive guidance in complex problem‑solving situations.

How to Qualify

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Education:

Experience:

Two (2) years of verifiable experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC).

License and Certification:

Possession of a valid license as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), issued by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS); OR

Possession of a valid license as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) , issued by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS); OR

Possession of a valid license as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) , issued by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS).

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Procedures:
The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the next stage of the selection process.

The City offers robust health, retirement, and other benefits. For more information please visit: https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview. This position is represented by the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, Local 21, which has a Memorandum of Understanding with the City that can be found at MOU.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfcityatty.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Human Resources Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please send your inquires to Janet MacEachern, Sr, HR Analyst, at [email protected].

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.