HeartLand Child and Family Service (formerly Terkensha Associates)

Organization Description

For over 40 years, HeartLand Child & Family Services (formerly Terkensha Associates) has served North Sacramento communities. HeartLand Child and Family Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value lived experience and have a strong commitment to racial equity, diversity and inclusion. We seek out a work force that reflects the racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of the clients that we serve. At HeartLand, we celebrate the richness that a diverse staff brings to our organization and take pride in providing an inclusive and supportive work environment. HeartLand is committed to Doing Whatever It Takes to cultivate resiliency and wellness in families and to empower them to meet life challenges with strength and confidence. HeartLand strives to be a strong advocate in the community to overcome the stigma associated with mental illness. Our mental health team provides counseling, and when necessary, medication to help children cope with the stresses of everyday life. Our goals are accomplished through individual, group, and psychiatric therapies, and include: Helping individuals learn coping and adaptive skills Improving emotional self-regulation Alleviating need for a higher level of care Providing clinical assessment & diagnosis Counseling and medication management, when necessary Offering psycho-education, resource development, and advocacy We have board certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and a Psychiatric Physician Assistant on staff to provide psychiatric assessment and medication evaluations. Our School Based Services provide counseling for children who may be experiencing distress due to various factors. Goals of school based services are: Outpatient treatment in the school setting Ongoing collaboration with school staff Optimize levels of academic performance and classroom behavior Improve relationships in the home and at school

Program Information

Students in their field placement at HeartLand are fully integrated into the agency work culture. The student will initially undergo orientation and training opportunities to familiarize them with the agency, the staff, the work, and Sacramento County Medi-Cal documentation using the Avatar Electronic Medical Records platform. The student will then have the opportunity to observe/shadow staff in various roles (clinician, behavioral specialist, advocate) to become familiar with the teaming concept of client care. When ready to assume this responsibility, the student will be assigned 5-7 cases to carry as the lead clinician with the support and close supervision of the field instructor. The student will provide services in the clinic, at schools, in homes and in other community settings as mutually decided upon by the client, family and treatment team. The student will be responsible for maintaining all required case documentation for each assigned client. The student will participate in regularly scheduled agency staff meetings and training opportunities. This will include a weekly clinical consultation group in addition to the regular individual supervision provided by the field instructor.

Health & Safety

During the COVID pandemic, the agency requires all staff members and student trainees to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. In addition, safety protocols remain in effect for staff while in the clinics and in the community. These protocols change over time based on current public health orders and levels of infection in the community. The current protocols include masking, signing in and out of the clinics, attesting to being symptom free, and stringent hygiene standards. Staff currently see clients in person as well and via telehealth using Zoom. Large indoor gatherings are not currently held--rather Zoom meetings are used. Other safety considerations are related to staff seeing clients in the community. Staff are trained in safety protocols and risk reduction techniques to maintain safety during home and community visits. Staff are trained in emergency procedures for situations that threaten harm in the clinic or in the field. Staff receive Aggression Reduction Training to learn how to de-escalate clients or caregivers who become agitated.
Additional requirements and/or considerations
  • Background Check (e.g. fingerprinting/livescan, driving record)
  • Computer Literacy
  • Driver's License
  • Health Check/Screening (e.g. temperature screening, COVID-19 test)
  • Must be 18 or older
  • TB Test
  • Vaccinations
  • DMV Driving Record or DMV background check
  • Fingerprinting or Livescan is Required
Address 
2829 Watt Avenue
Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95821
United States
General Phone 
(916) 418-0828
Website:
http://www.doingwhateverittakes.org
Program(s) 
Social Work
Social Work Field Practicum Intake
Organization type 
Healthcare Facility or Network (Nonprofit)
Focus Population(s)
Children/Youth
Focus Area(s)
Food & Housing Security, Health & Medicine
Additional Focus Area(s)
Wellness Education Programs
Hours of operation 

Staff must have the ability to flex their hours as needed in certain situations. Although the general clinic hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., clinical staff often need to keep appointments outside those hours. For instance, an IEP for a client might start at 7:30 a.m., requiring the staff's presence and an early start to the day. Another example would be encountering an urgent situation with a client later in the day that could lead to the staff working later than planned. In those cases, the staff is expected to flex their work hours to accommodate the need and adjust their schedule in subsequent days to make up for the time worked. Clinical staff have flexibility in arranging their own work schedule and location in accordance with the needs of their caseload.