Program Therapist

About Sandhill Center:
Sandhill Center is an innovative, nationally-recognized residential program for children between the ages of eight and fourteen who experience significant difficulties in functioning at home, school, or in the community. Our residents struggle with lagging developmental skills, often including the ability to adequately regulate their emotions and behavior. Trauma informed treatment plans and remediation strategies help develop these lagging skills.

Our goal as treatment providers is to create a therapeutic environment in which care and connection are hard to resist. Caseloads are kept sufficiently low to allow effective therapeutic support for each resident.

Sandhill is located on two lovely campuses in Los Lunas, a rural community about 20 miles south of Albuquerque, NM. Both of our campuses feature beautiful Southwestern style adobe buildings. The setting is distinctly non-institutional, with horses, dogs, a swimming pool, sport courts, etc. on a total of over 13 acres.

About the Role:
The typical caseload at Sandhill’s residential treatment center is just six clients, kept low to allow sufficient time for in depth clinical work. In addition to individual, family and group therapy sessions, our therapists spend time interacting with their clients in the residential milieu, where healthy relationships are built and corrective emotional experiences occur on an ongoing basis. In addition, therapists create client treatment plans and provide clinical guidance to the youth mentors who work with the clients in the living environment. Clinical training and/or supervision is provided weekly.

Sandhill looks to Dr. Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) to help us create highly individualized, trauma-informed treatment plans. This position offers the unique opportunity to receive intensive ongoing training that can lead to NMT Certification. Trainings from other nationally recognized experts may be made available as well.

Candidates who are trained in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), or have an interest in EAP training, are encouraged to apply. Currently, all of Sandhill’s clinicians have completed their employer-paid EAP Certification. Our twelve equines hope to meet you!

Sandhill also allows staff members to bring their personal pets to work with them, in accordance with agency policy.

The successful candidate enjoys working with a talented and supportive team to generate creative solutions and propose new ideas, and brings positive energy and passion to the job. If your goal is to grow or specialize your skills, or even to establish a national reputation for your work, this is the job for you. Many Sandhill therapists have been invited to present at National Conferences over the years.

How to Apply:
Send a direct email with a resume and cover letter to Sarah Okun at [email protected]