West Ottawa Mental Health Support Specialist (2 positions)

Position:                 West Ottawa Mental Health Support Specialist (two positions)
Posting Dates:         May 27, 2026� Until Filled
Reports To:              Principal
Beginning:               Fall 2026
Hours:                      Teacher Contract

Position Overview

Under the direct supervision of the School Principal, the Mental Health Support Specialist is responsible for providing therapeutic and supportive services for eligible students. This is a newly established, grant-funded position, explicitly supported by 31N and/or 31aa state funds. The Mental Health Support Specialist provides student assessment, therapy, consultation, case planning, crisis response, and the provision of direct service. One primary objective of this role is to support students facing substance abuse challenges, and completing Medicaid billing is an essential function of this position.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Provides mental health treatment services and targeted clinical support for students experiencing substance abuse challenges, along with periodic reporting of student progress.
• Performs Medicaid billing as an essential function of the role, maintaining accurate records and ensuring compliance with all state reimbursement procedures and deadlines.
• Provides consultative services to school instructional staff, administrators, and parents within a defined pre-referral process.
• Provides comprehensive mental health and behavioral assessments for eligible students, along with the development, monitoring, and implementation of individual care plans.
• Serves as a liaison between the school, family, and community mental health/substance abuse resources for eligible students on the assigned caseload.
• Completes and maintains documentation of all services provided in strict accordance with West Ottawa Public Schools district policies and regulatory procedures.
• Provides critical crisis response and immediate direct therapeutic support to students, staff, and families during emergency situations.
• Provides structured group treatment and evidence-based interventions for identified students, including prevention and recovery groups for substance abuse.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the School Principal or designated administrator.
• Assisting with transitions back to school after a mental health stay

Work Schedule & Expectations

• Demonstrates high levels of self-directedness, flexibility, and proactive initiative when given a variety of responsibilities and assigned tasks.
• Maintains the ability to make definitive, student-centered decisions and collaboratively problem-solve within a multidisciplinary team of service providers.
• Provides consistent, predictable, and reliable in-person attendance.
• Subject to typical educational environment conditions and layout.
• Requires regular local travel to fulfill casework duties, for which the staff member must provide reliable transportation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• State Approval & Licensure: Valid approval by the State Department of Education or the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) as one of the following:
  • A psychiatrist
  • A licensed master's level psychologist
  • A limited licensed master's level psychologist, under the supervision of a licensed master's level psychologist
  • A MDE credentialed master's level school psychologist
  • A licensed master's level marriage and family therapist
  • A licensed master's level professional counselor (LPC)
  • A limited licensed master's level professional counselor (LPC), under the supervision of a licensed master's level professional counselor
  • A licensed master's level social worker (MSW)
  • A licensed master's level school social worker (SSW)
  • A limited licensed master's level social worker (LMSW), under the supervision of a licensed master's level social worker
• Experience: Minimum of one year of experience in social work, counseling, or psychology practice within a school or clinical setting (which may include an accredited master's level social work, counseling, or psychology internship).
• Theoretical Competence: Deep knowledge of theoretical content in treatment modes for mental health practice and the demonstrated ability to actively apply these modalities within a public school-based setting.
• Clinical Skillsets: Demonstrated skills and documented successful experience in counseling and therapy with individuals, groups of students, and their families.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Up-to-date knowledge of state and federal mandates, including special education rules and regulations, which directly affect school mental health services.
• Communication: Outstanding ability to work alongside and effectively communicate with school administrators, instructional staff, external agencies, medical providers, students, and families.

Preferred Qualifications

• Specialized training, experience, or credentialing in adolescent substance use disorders, addiction treatment counseling, or chemical dependency intervention.
• Prior professional experience handling school-based Medicaid documentation and reimbursement billing procedures.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary and benefits will be commensurate with professional experience and academic credentials, in accordance with established West Ottawa Public Schools district policies. Continuation of this position is dependent upon the ongoing availability of 31N state grant funds.

Application Procedure

Interested candidates should apply online through the West Ottawa Public Schools employment portal and submit the following required materials:

1. Comprehensive cover letter detailing qualification alignment
2. Current professional resume
3. List of professional references
4. Copies of relevant state certifications, licenses, or approvals

Applications will be continuously reviewed until the position is filled.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Environment: The Mental Health Support Specialist will be provided with a dedicated office space within the educational settings. This position requires active interaction and communication with school staff, community providers, clinical agency personnel, and families.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction to manage files, technology, or therapeutic materials.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to position. This factor is relevant if it requires the use of upper extremities and back muscles to a standard degree.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm for administrative or therapeutic tasks.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; those activities where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers or families accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and making fine discriminations in sound.
• Repetitive Motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers for documentation, computing, and administrative upkeep.

POST IMMEDIATELY

Apply online at the official West Ottawa Public Schools portal.

The West Ottawa Public Schools does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and transgender identity), disability, age, height, weight, marital or family status, religion, military status, ancestry, genetic information or any other legally protected category (collectively, "Protected Classes"), in its programs and activities, including employment opportunities. The District's Compliance Officers shall handle inquiries regarding the Board's non-discrimination policies and address any complaint of discrimination.