Position overview
Karla Smith Behavioral Health is seeking an experienced and highly collaborative Clinical Director. This position will lead clinical operations within an established behavioral health organization that is entering its next phase of growth and service expansion.
In existence for twenty-one years, Karla Smith Behavioral Health is an established organization with solid infrastructure, experienced staff, referral base, operational processes, and existing programming in place. The Clinical Director will be responsible for helping operationalize the strategic direction of the organization’s “farm based” facility by evaluating opportunities to improve service delivery, strengthen programming, and implement innovative treatment approaches that better support clients and families.
The organization’s new location offers an easily accessible, nature-based, farm-like setting intentionally designed to support healing, emotional regulation, connection, and experiential therapeutic opportunities. The Clinical Director will help evaluate and integrate ways the environment itself can enhance programming, client engagement, and family experience while maintaining strong clinical and operational standards.
This organization serves adolescents through older adults, with a strong concentration on adolescents, young adults, and family systems work. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience working with these populations and demonstrated leadership experience in behavioral health settings.
The Clinical Director will work closely with the Executive Director on a daily basis and must be highly collaborative, team-oriented, community-minded, and execution-focused. This role requires a leader who can move initiatives from concept to implementation while maintaining strong clinical standards, operational consistency, and staff accountability.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide leadership and oversight for clinical programming and daily clinical operations
- Partner closely with the Executive Director to implement organizational priorities and operational goals
- Evaluate opportunities to improve client care, programming effectiveness, workflow, and family engagement within the organization’s new treatment environment
- Develop and implement new clinical programming and treatment models as needed
- Integrate experiential and environment-based therapeutic opportunities into programming where clinically appropriate
- Provide direct supervision, mentorship, and support to clinical staff
- Support the professional development of newer clinicians working toward advanced licensure and increased clinical competency
- Lead case consultation, treatment planning oversight, and clinical quality assurance processes
- Maintain compliance with licensing, ethical, accreditation, and regulatory standards
- Assist with hiring, onboarding, training, and retention of clinical staff
- Foster a collaborative, accountable, and team-oriented clinical culture
- Monitor program effectiveness and support measurable clinical outcomes
- Represent the organization professionally within the community and referral network
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will:
- Be highly organized, operationally strong, and execution oriented
- Work effectively in close partnership with executive leadership
- Have strong supervisory and leadership skills
- Be able to mentor and develop less experienced clinicians into higher levels of licensure and clinical competency
- Have extensive experience with adolescents, young adults, and families
- Be collaborative, professional, and team-focused
- Be comfortable balancing strategic planning with day-to-day operational oversight
- Demonstrate sound clinical judgment and strong communication skills
- Value innovative and experiential approaches that complement evidence-based treatment
Qualifications
- Master’s or Doctoral degree in Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, Marriage & Family Therapy, or related behavioral health field
- Independent clinical licensure required (LCSW, LCPC, Clinical Psychologist or equivalent)
- Minimum of 5 years of experience post-clinical licensure required
- Direct clinical supervision experience required
- Significant experience working with adolescents, young adults, and family systems
- Experience in behavioral health leadership, program development, and clinical operations
- Strong understanding of trauma-informed and evidence-based treatment practices
Application Requirements
Interested candidates should submit the following via our careers page.
- Resume/CV
- Cover letter outlining leadership and supervisory experience
- A brief narrative describing:
- A program you built, improved, or implemented, or
- A clinical initiative you led, including measurable outcomes and operational impact
About Karla Smith Behavioral Health
Karla Smith Behavioral Health is an established behavioral health provider with an experienced team, operational infrastructure, and active programming already in place. This position offers the opportunity to help strengthen and expand services within a new treatment center environment while working alongside leadership committed to clinical quality, operational excellence, and long-term organizational growth.