Clinical Specialist

Job Summary
The Clinical Specialist supports Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) through the home study, dossier, and preparation phases of the adoption process to ensure families are fully prepared and suitable for adoption. This role provides clinical expertise, case management, and emotional support as families navigate the adoption process, with a particular focus on older‑child adoptions and country‑specific requirements such as Colombia.

The Clinical Specialist conducts clinical reviews of home studies and psychological evaluations, offers individualized counseling and child‑specific preparation, and collaborates closely with internal leadership and external home study providers. The position also manages detailed dossier document review, guides PAPs through required updates, and maintains consistent communication to resolve delays or concerns. The Clinical Specialist also supports Colombia hosting families and helps maintain accurate adoption materials and guides.

Ideal candidates hold a master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related field; have at least two years of adoption‑related assessment experience; and bring strong communication, organization, and problem‑solving skills, along with a genuine commitment to adoption and child well‑being.

Responsibilities

• Clinical Support for In-Process Families

· Providing clinical review and feedback for home studies in process (noted below in “dossier preparation”),

· Providing additional resources to families as needed throughout adoption process,

· Collaborating with the Supervisor, Director of Adoption and/or the Child Placement Supervisor, as needed for case management and thorough preparation for in-process families.

· As a member of the Older Child Team/Clinical Staff Team: Support and attend Older Child/Clinical Staff Team meetings to support families adopting children over the age of 5 years.

· Act as a direct support staff to assigned older child PAPs/adoptive parents providing additional individualized counseling and preparation as needed to meet the needs of the PAPs in light of the particular child to be adopted.

· Conduct child-specific trainings when assigned (training to allow PAPs to be as prepared as possible for the adoption of a particular child).

• Colombia Hosting

Review and provide feedback on Psycho-Social Visit (PSV) reports required for Colombia hosting. Discuss any concerns with the Supervisor. Additionally, provide emotional support as needed to host families during and after host session, in conjunction with hosting staff and the family’s PSV (or home study) provider.

• Dossier Services

Review families’ documents in draft form as they enter the office through email, US mail and fax. Contact families within 24 hours in relation to these draft form documents; thusly, providing extensive feedback, instruction and case management to PAPs in process. Also, acts as a liaison with home study agencies and social workers from outside of Colorado as they prepare the home study for their country program of choice (such as Colombia); including an initial reading of a draft and approval of revised draft and when necessary, provide clinical review of home study report. For Colombia families specifically, reviewing psychological evaluation reports and providing feedback as appropriate, as well as working to address any areas of concern. Answer questions PAPs have as they go through the process of collecting documents and having them appropriately sealed for the country of adoption. Support in the Supervisor updating dossier materials as needed, including the Adoption Dossier Guide, website information, appropriate Home Study Packet, and applicable handouts/forms.

Critically read final dossier upon submission by PAPs, identify and communicate concerns about the dossier, if applicable. Assist PAPs in collecting necessary updates/changes to the dossier to meet applicable requirements. Transmit home study to competent authority of child’s country of origin (performance of Convention communication and coordination functions in incoming cases).

Maintain communication with PAPs via telephone or email who are experiencing problems or delays with their dossier compilation to offer support, feedback and instruction. Supports PAPs with execution of Dossier Action Plan (when applicable).

• Other duties

Other duties as assigned by the Supervisor, the Director of Adoptions, or the Executive Director.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling or Psychology, or equivalent
• Two plus year’s full-time experience in home study and clinical assessment in the field of adoption
• Basic computer operating skills and PC programs knowledge
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Personal belief in adoption and love for children
• Detail oriented, good management and organizational skills
• Creative problem solving and interpersonal skills

Pay: $50,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Travel reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person