Early Childhood Occupational Therapist

Job Opportunity

Position Title: Early Childhood Occupational Therapist

Apply by: Priority application deadline of February 20, 2026. Position open until filled.

Position type: This is a full-time, 40 hours/week, exempt position.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Our mission is to treat the social, emotional, and behavioral challenges of infancy and early childhood, and to support the caregiving relationships that are the foundation of early development. We are also committed to building a robust, well-trained infant and early childhood workforce.

We are seeking an occupational therapist to join our talented clinical team. In this position, you will be an integral part of a small team of highly trained infant and early childhood mental health professionals. At Cooper House, you will find a supportive environment where clinicians collaborate and share their expertise in partnership with parents and caregivers. Our Integrated Clinical Model pairs OTs with mental health therapists to address the unique needs of children ages 0-5. Our care is developmentally informed, relational, attachment based, trauma responsive, and culturally responsive.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Provide a range of services to children (birth to five years) and their families using our unique Integrated Clinical Model. This could include parent meetings, childcare consultation, consultation with other providers, and other work to support the child and family.
2. Maintain primary case responsibility, working with clients through all phases of treatment.
3. Collaborate with childcare professionals, school staff, and other service providers significant to the family’s wellbeing.
4. Collaborate with other Cooper House staff (including other Occupational Therapists and Mental Health therapists) on case formulation and treatment approaches.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Participate in creating and maintaining an environment that values diversity and does not discriminate in regard to race, color, age, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability.
2. Provide all services utilizing a developmentally minded, strengths-based and relationship-based approach.
3. Participate in weekly supervisory meetings and staff meetings with a collaborative attitude and self-reflective stance.
4. Further individual skills and expand knowledge base, particularly related to the DIR/Floortime model and diversity-informed tenets.
5. Engage as an active member of the Cooper House team by responding to colleagues in a timely manner, pitching in to assist on tasks, giving and receiving feedback, engaging in difficult conversations to grow relationships and skills, and building a culture of appreciation and connection.
6. Complete client paperwork and other assigned tasks in a timely and accurate manner to ensure daily operation of services.
7. Follow agency policies and procedures.
8. Perform other appropriate tasks related to your professional role as needed.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE, COMPETENCIES & QUALITIES

Minimum Qualifications

1. Passion for the mission and vision of Cooper House.
2. Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from an accredited college or university.
3. Valid Washington occupational therapy practitioner license.
4. Experience or interest in the DIR®/Floortime model and understanding of OT principles that promote young children’s developmental and social-emotional capacities within the contexts of their important relationships.
5. Commitment to obtain endorsement from Center for Early Relational Health (WA-AIMH) as an Infant Mental Health Specialist category, within first two years of employment with Cooper House.
6. Ability to manage schedules, priorities, and work independently.
7. Strong written and oral communication skills, including openness to feedback and ability to present information concisely and effectively, both verbally and in writing.
8. High levels of integrity, trustworthiness, flexibility, compassion, playfulness, creativity, and persistence.
9. Commitment to maintain required reporting and tracking systems in a timely, thorough, and accurate manner.
10. Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and email.
11. Willingness to undergo a criminal background check (state and national).

Additional Preferred Qualifications

1. At least two years’ experience providing services with young children and families in support of sensory processing, motor, social-emotional, and developmental differences.
2. Working knowledge of Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based model (DIR®/Floortime™).
3. Certificate in Infant Mental Health from a recognized IECMH training program, endorsement from Center for Early Relational Health (formerly known as WA-AIMH) as an Infant Mental Health Specialist, or equivalent combination of related work and educational experience.
4. A working knowledge of:
   1. attachment theory
   2. social-emotional development of the young child
   3. adult mental health disorders and treatment approaches
   4. basic psychodynamic principles
   5. dyadic approaches to treatment with young children and caregivers
   6. concrete, developmentally appropriate strategies for supporting parents around topics such as sleep, toileting, etc.
5. Knowledge, values, attitude, and skills to create a trauma-responsive environment that respects the perspectives and experiences of the individuals, families, staff and communities we serve.
6. Bilingual skills. We are particularly interested in OTs who are fluent in Spanish and English.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

We are seeking a candidate with the ability to follow written directions and communicate effectively via email. Please demonstrate your skills by following these instructions:

1. Submit
2. a resume or CV, as well as a cover letter summarizing why this opportunity is a
3. good fit for your experience and skills, via email to hiring@cooperhouse.org.
4. Title the subject line of your email with your name and position you are applying for (i.e., Simone Jones Occupational Therapist).

HOURS/SCHEDULE & LOCATION

This is a full-time (1.0 FTE), exempt position at 40 hours/week. This position requires a Monday-Friday schedule that optimizes overlapping hours with other clinicians, which may include some days beginning at 8 AM and other days ending at 6 PM.

Our offices are located in two beautiful historic buildings on Capitol Hill. Depending on your specific caseload, there may be opportunities to work remotely for some part of your schedule.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Our benefits include competitive compensation, with a salary range of $86,000-$115,000, dependent on experience and education. Benefits include full medical/vision/dental coverage, generous paid time off starting at 5 weeks a year, retirement account with 3% match, transit pass, and professional development stipend.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

Cooper House

has two locations that are 167 ft apart in Capitol Hill, Seattle. There are

sidewalks in front of both locations, along with ramps built for strollers that

are not designed for wheelchair use. One location has an elevator that accesses

3 floors but does not reach top floor. The other 2-story location does not have

an elevator. The Occupational Therapist may on occasion need to access the top

floor of both buildings, but reasonable accommodations will be provided if

needed. Please contact the us (hiring@cooperhouse.org) for additional

information and with questions regarding accommodations.

MORE ABOUT COOPER HOUSE

INTEGRATED CLINICAL MODEL

At Cooper House, we believe that to support children and families, services must be tailored to understand and support mind, brain, and body in the contexts of development and relationships in service of the family’s culture and values. In our integrated clinical model, occupational therapists and mental health therapists work in close collaboration during the assessment and case formulation process, setting the stage for transdisciplinary, developmentally minded, relationship-based services to families based on their unique needs. Service delivery may include a combination of discipline-specific interventions, collaborative intervention sessions for the child-caregiver dyad, parent/caregiver sessions supporting their role of caregiver, and/or behind-the-scenes professional consultation to support a colleague’s transdisciplinary thinking within the intervention.

We use various theoretical and technical models of development and change to support our work, such as attachment theory, DIR/Floortime, sensory integration, trauma responsive work and psychodynamic theories, as well as frames, such as the FAN (Facilitating Attuned Interactions).

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At Cooper House, we strive to ensure young children and the people who care for them can access support within a just and equitable community.

We are in the process of building a diverse and inclusive organization, putting our value of equity into action. In the spirit of transparency, Cooper House was founded by and was previously led by Co-Directors who are white women, and the field of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health emerged within the institutions and culture of white supremacy. Currently, Cooper House’s Clinical Program is led by an immigrant of color with demonstrated experience in Diversity-Informed practices. Diversifying and elevating the voices of staff, clients, and participants most impacted by oppression is critical to moving toward greater equity and requires staff with more privilege to hold humility and share power. The diversity of our team does not currently match the diversity of our clients, participants, and region that we serve, though we are making progress.

People of color, people who are LGBTQ, or live with a disability are often less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications. We are curious to learn about your transferrable skills from other fields of work.

Cooper House is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

OUR VALUES

• Be accountable
• Honor relationships
• Insist on equity
• Embrace complexity
• Embody reflection

OUR APPROACH

We support the early development of social-emotional capacity and strengthen the parent-child relationship by creating an environment where:

• Highly trained professionals are equipped to help parents feel successful and supported.
• Babies and young children feel valued and understood.
• Parents and children can build a relationship where they can enjoy each other and encourage social-emotional and academic development.
• Professionals experience support in their own skills and capacities as they work to help young children and families.

SERVICES

Cooper House offers a wide range of services that support the early development of social-emotional capacity and strengthen the parent-child relationship. We provide early childhood mental health services with young children and their caregivers, occupational therapy, and parenting support. Beyond direct service with families, our staff provides FAN training and Reflective Consultation to ensure that professionals who care for young children have the tools, support, and education they need.

Benefits include full medical/vision/dental coverage, generous paid time off starting at 5 weeks a year, retirement account with 3% match, transit pass, and professional development stipend.