Job Title: Early Childhood Attachment Therapist Department & Division: Early Childhood Attachment, Family Preservation Services Reports To: Beginning Pay Range: $49,920- $55,250 Classification: Full Time, Salaried, Exempt D.A. Blodgett- St. John's D.A. Blodgett- St. John's provides a continuum of care with comprehensive services, including counseling, foster care, adoption, mentoring and residential care. These programs are built on our core belief, backed by research, that as long as children can be safe, they do best when they are with their families. D.A. Blodgett- St. John's primarily serves children, youth and families in the greater Grand Rapids area, and some programming throughout the State of Michigan. D.A. Blodgett- St. John's is dedicated to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience for all children, all families and all individuals. Mission Statement: To help children and empower families by providing safety, advocacy, and support. Vision: A safe, nurturing home for every child, a supportive community for every family. Values:
- Exceptional Service: Client-focused and teaming at the center of our work.
- Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion: All are welcomed, valued, and belong.
- Excellence: Ongoing commitment to learning and improvement.
- Integrity: Responsibility and ownership of our actions and results.
- Creativity: Imagination, innovation, and intelligent risk taking.
- Passion: Relentless positive energy toward our mission and vision.
Sanctuary Commitments:
- Nonviolence: Maintaining safety for all members of the community.
- Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions so we don't hurt ourselves or others.
- Social Learning: Together we accomplish more, we care for one another.
- Democracy: Everyone has a voice, not necessarily a vote.
- Open Communication: Respecting and sharing ideas of our team.
- Social Responsibility: Say what you mean, don't be mean when you say it.
- Growth & Change: Creating hope for ourselves and the people we serve.
Position Summary: Early Childhood Attachment Therapists provide relationshipfocused, home and communitybased support to infants, toddlers, and their caregivers. Using an Infant Mental Health framework (training provided), therapists partner with families to strengthen caregiverchild attachment, promote healthy socialemotional development, and reduce risks related to trauma, developmental delays, and behavioral or emotional challenges. The role includes direct therapeutic services, developmental guidance, and collaboration with childcare providers to help children thrive in their earliest years. Essential Responsibilities:
- Provide home and community based therapy, assessment, and treatment to infants, toddlers, and their caregivers.
- Maintain required caseload and meet families for 3-4 visits per month, adjusting locations based on the child's caregiving environment.
- Use Infant Mental Health principles to deliver parent child psychotherapy, play based interventions, and developmental guidance.
- Complete timely documentation, including assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, and required reporting.
- Support childcare providers with consultation aimed at preventing suspension or expulsion.
- Monitor child development using standardized tools and share results with caregivers in a supportive, culturally responsive manner.
- Collaborate with community partners, attend case related meetings, and advocate for family needs.
- Participate in reflective supervision, team meetings, and required training hours.
- Maintain flexible scheduling to meet family needs and ensure accessibility within the team.
- All other duties assigned by any supervisor.
Supervision Received: General Direction- Plans and arranges own work. Uses a wide range of procedures to accomplish assigned objectives. Supervisory Responsibilities: No supervisory responsibilities. Minimum Qualifications
- Education requirements are a Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or Marriage & Family Therapy.
- Licensed to practice mental health therapy in the state of Michigan (LLMSW/LMSW, LLP, LLC/LPC, LLMFT, LMFT). If temporary or limited licensed, must be completing steps towards full license.
- Candidates should have or be willing to work toward a level II MI-AIMH Endorsement by starting on an IMH Waiver.
- Must possess a strong knowledge of early child development and the common diagnoses and treatments for children. Knowledge of clinical issues related to foster and adopted children and families is preferred.
- Candidate must demonstrate competencies in the following areas: observation of parent/child interaction, developmental assessment, child management, attachment and understanding of the parallel process in therapeutic work.
- Training and the ability to provide effective individual, family, and group therapy skills.
- The ability to assess and implement crisis intervention skills and safety plan. Possess a knowledge of community resources and support for young children and families, and the skills necessary to facilitate and encourage positive change towards treatment goals.
- Valid driver's license, good driving record and adequate insurance with a car available always.
- The ability to articulate ideas and prepare written reports and correspondence that are of a high professional standard, are grammatically correct and are timely.
- Ability to collaborate with daycare, school, Department of Health & Human service, behavioral health and medical health personnel.
- Experience working with children from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds preferred
Core Competencies
- Working Under Pressure: Ability to maintain composure and effectiveness when exposed to stressful or emotionally charged situations, while supporting families with empathy and professionalism.
- Communication: Ability to effectively receive and express ideas, both written and verbal; using clear and concise vocabulary and active listening skills. Ability to communicate with small and large groups and ability to communicate with a wide variety of audiences.
- Integrity: Ability to adhere to organization policies and procedures, acting in a fair and just manner while maintaining confidentiality.
- Decision Making: Ability to select and commit to an effective course of action by understanding issues, comparing solutions, and drawing conclusions to resolve problems.
- Cultural Responsiveness: Ability to recognize, respect and adapt to cultural differences, promote equity and inclusion in all aspects of care.
Physical/Environmental Requirements:
- Work Environment: Ability to sit, stand, kneel, or move between positions during play-based sessions with infants and young children.
- Mobility and Movement: Ability to lift and carry work materials (typically under 20 lbs) such as toys, assessment tools or a laptop.
- Occasional exposure to emotional or highstress situations involving families experiencing trauma, crisis, or instability.
- Ability to make sound, traumainformed decisions in dynamic home and community environments, including recognizing safety concerns and adjusting interventions in real time.
- Technology Use: Ability to use computers, phones, and other standard office technology for extended periods.
- Communication: Ability to engage in clear, respectful communication in diverse environments, with caregivers, children and community partners in person, by phone, and in writing.
- Travel: Ability to travel to homes, childcare centers, and community locations using reliable transportation.
- Environmental Conditions: Ability to work in client homes, childcare centers, and community settings with varying levels of noise, activity, or interruptions.
- Environmental Conditions: Exposure to household pets, common allergens, and varying environmental conditions including stairs, small spaces or uneven surfaces.
- Flexible scheduling required to meet family needs, which may include early mornings, evenings, or occasional weekends.
- Reasonable Accommodations: All physical and environmental requirements may be met with or without reasonable accommodation.
DABSJ strives to be a fully inclusive organization as we support a diverse group of children and families. We are building a diverse team that represents our customers and our community and recognize that each of us brings a unique perspective to the organization. We welcome differing thoughts, faiths, beliefs, groups, and lived experiences. The diversity and differences of each team member, foster parent, adoptive parent, child, and family make us #DABSJstrongertogether for children and families. DABSJ is an equal opportunity, at-will employer, and will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment. DABSJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists; culture, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, socio-economic status, disability, or other legally-protected characteristics as required by law. This job description does not list all duties of the job. Employees may be asked by management to perform other duties as needed. The Company reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and does not infringe upon the Company's at will employment status. 
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D.A. Blodgett
Apr 29, 2026