The posting
About Ummeed:
Ummeed (https://www.ummeed.org/) is a not-for-profit organization whose vision is to help children with developmental disabilities and those at high risk of them reach their full potential and be included in society. It was founded in 2001 by Dr. Vibha Krishnamurthy, a developmental pediatrician, Ashoka Fellow, and resource person for government and international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO).
Over the past 25 years, Ummeed has provided direct services to 16,400+ children and families, trained over 14,600 unique professionals (community workers, doctors, therapists, and teachers) across India, and influenced the lives of over 0.73 million children and families with or at risk of developmental disabilities. In addition to direct clinical services, training, and capacity building, Ummeed’s two other verticals are research (to generate evidence of our work) and awareness building (to sensitize people to the cause and shift attitudes).
As Ummeed looks to the future, its goal is to build on this past work to drive strategic shifts across three key ecosystems – Healthcare, Schools, and Early Childhood Development – to create a more inclusive society for children with and at high likelihood of disabilities in India.
About the Position:
We are seeking an experienced and collaborative mental health professional with expertise in therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and trauma-informed interventions to join our interdisciplinary team supporting children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health issues, and their families.
The team is primarily aligned with narrative practices and practices in their work with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, such as Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning and Intellectual Disabilities, etc along with co-occurring mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, impulse and anger-control, school -refusal, low self-esteem, bullying, social difficulties etc and is looking to expand its clinical expertise repertoire. This in-person role based out of our clinic in Lower Parel, Mumbai combines clinical mentorship, capacity building and direct clinical work. The consultant will work directly with children and caregivers and build capacity of the team members to strengthen trauma-informed, family-centred and disability-affirming mental health practices.
The ideal candidate brings deep clinical expertise, preferably with children and young people and their caregivers, understanding of developmental disabilities, and a commitment to reflective practice, learning and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Key Areas of Responsibility:
1. Clinical Mentorship and Capacity Building: Mentor and support Mental Health (MH) team members to build capacity in CBT and trauma-informed clinical practices within the team through structured observation and reflective practice processes, that includes:
- Open up clinical sessions for observation and learning by team members, while maintaining ethical and consent-based practices
- Observe sessions conducted by MH team members and provide constructive feedback and guidance
- Facilitate case consultations, debriefs, reflective discussions and skill-building conversations
- Support clinicians in strengthening formulation, intervention planning, therapeutic presence and engagement with families
2. Training and Knowledge Sharing: Lead discussions and internal learning spaces for MH team members
- Share expertise in evidence-based approaches including Trauma-Informed Care, CBT, DBT and other relevant therapeutic frameworks
- Support the integration of these approaches within developmental disability contexts
- Contribute to the development and refinement of clinical resources and tools
3. Direct Clinical Work
- Provide counselling sessions to children, adolescents with developmental disabilities and their families around emotional, behavioural, relational and mental health concerns
- Conceptualize and formulate intervention plans that are contextual, strengths-based and family-centred. Work collaboratively with broader Ummeed teams including developmental paediatricians, occupational therapists, speech therapists, special educators and social workers to ensure coordinated care for children and families
- Maintain clinical documentation and participate in clinical case discussions as required
4. Collaborative Practice and Systems Thinking
- Participate in clinical meetings and cross-team discussions
- Support a culture of reflection, curiosity, collaboration and continuous learning
Required Qualifications:
- Masters degree in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Psychiatric Social Work or a related mental health discipline.
- Minimum 12 to 15 years of experience providing therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and families especially grounded in Trauma-Informed Care and evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as CBT and/or DBT.
- While not mandated but good to have - Demonstrated experience working with developmental disabilities, neurodivergent children and their caregivers.
- Experience supervising, mentoring or building capacity in other professionals/clinical teams.
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
Preferred Experience:
Preference will be given to candidates who:
- Have experience working within disability and clinically focused settings.
- Are familiar with narrative practices and narrative therapy approaches. Have experience working within multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary teams.
Time Commitment: Minimum 16 to 18 hours per week (4 hours per day for 4 to 5 days/week) second half of day
Who Would Thrive in This Role?
We are looking for someone who is:
- A clinician and a facilitator
- Curious, reflective and open to learning
- Comfortable holding complexity and multiple perspectives
- Passionate about supporting children with developmental disabilities and their families
- Committed to nurturing the growth of fellow clinicians through mentorship, observation and collaborative reflection
This role offers an opportunity to contribute both through direct clinical impact and through strengthening the capacity of a growing mental health team. It is particularly suited to someone who enjoys balancing therapeutic work, mentorship and systems-level thinking within a disability-affirming framework.
Reporting to: Director – Mental Health Services
Why Ummeed:
Ummeed is a leading non-profit that is well-reputed in the disability sector. Its senior leaders are part of several government and international taskforces. Ummeed provides:
- A challenging but flexible work environment that offers opportunities for growth and creating impact at scale
- A leadership that invests in its people, giving them the freedom to explore, innovate, learn, while responsibly delivering on committed outcomes
- A strong culture of respecting diversity, being inclusive and committed to serving children with disabilities and their families
- An opportunity to work in collaboration with a diverse group of highly passionate, motivated and talented individuals
Others:
Ummeed is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diverse representation in its workforce. We welcome people of all genders, orientations, ethnicities, religions, and social backgrounds. We especially encourage persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities to apply.
